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Bed Rest Survival: A Simple Guide

Stave off boredom in the bedroom
If the doctor prescribes you bed rest, here’s how to make the most of the situation. Pexels, CC0 License.

There are numerous reasons why you might find yourself confined to your bed for a period of time. The most obvious are those regarding health; an injury or illness that means you have to follow doctor’s orders until you’re back to your best.

The idea of being on bed rest sounds, to the average busy person, pretty ideal. Bed is the space we all love; that we have to reluctantly drag ourselves from every morning, and leave behind when we go to work with a forlorn last longing glance. How could bed rest – staying in bed because you’ve been told to! – ever be a bad thing?

What at first feels like a luxury has a tendency to soon feel stifling. Being confined to a single room becomes boring; you find yourself wanting to get up and about, just see something different. While there is an element of enjoyment to be found in a period of bed rest – especially if you are usually always on the go – it’s not quite so enjoyable when you have to be there.

So if you find yourself in a situation where your life is going to revolve around a bed and not much else for a period of time, here is a simple guide to ensuring you stay comfortable both mentally and physically for the duration.

Get Comfortable

Whatever it takes; get comfortable. If this means you have to buy enough pillows to feel like you would never need to buy pillows again, then buy them. Actually, you might find that sofa cushions – which have less give, and are thus more supportive – are more comfortable than standard pillows.

Get Access

If you’re going to need to entertain yourself for long swathes of time, there’s only so much TV you’re going to be able to stand. It’s wise to look right here and choose yourself an overbed table, which you can use as you would a desk. This opens up comfortable laptop usage, as well as giving you the option to write, work crosswords, or just rest your smartphone when you’re feeling sleepy.

Get Smart

A support pillow can help
Avoid pressure sores when on bed rest. Pexels image (CC0 License).

One of the biggest issues you may face when it comes to bed rest is the ever-present threat of pressure sores. You need to ensure you’re moving every 20 minutes, alleviating the pressure on any one part of your body. Pressure sores can get painful, fast, so if you notice any discomfort then it might be best to invest in a support pillow to keep them at bay.

Get Company

While it might seem strange to host company while you’re effectively in a bed, it’s worth battling through the strangeness so you can still see your closest family and friends. You can dress in normal outdoors clothes and use a throw rather than a duvet, to help you feel more presentable and less like someone has disturbed you in your bedroom.

Bed rest is tough, but hopefully by following the above, you’ll be able to get through it with a minimum of boredom and discomfort. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

26 thoughts on “Bed Rest Survival: A Simple Guide”

    1. Your comment about your mother certainly created an image! Thanks Sally for sharing the post on your Friday feature ~ Very kind! And may we enjoy a good rest in bed tonight after another busy week xx

  1. Play Scrabble or Chess with a pal, actually anyone who loves playing long mentally exercising games. :D You may even find you have a pal you didn’t now you had. :D

  2. I’ve found bed rest to be quite difficult (at least when heavy meds after an op have worn off..!) Knowing you’re not well and needing a day in bed is the hardest I think, so you’ve given some great tips! :)
    Caz x

  3. Being forced to rest is, indeed, a very different thing to choosing to rest. One really needs to be kind to themselves. Especially busy people, like me, who struggle with state of mind after sitting around for too many days! After two years of being “forced” to rest, I have to recognize the signs of going down the rabbit hole and preventing it!

    1. I don’t want you to go down the rabbit hole so be kind to yourself! And I love that you call yourself “rawandcompletelybeautiful” <3

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