They always tell you to stretch and move your legs once a few hours on a flight to prevent blood clots, but why is this not a problem when we sleep daily and our legs are basically immobile for 8 hours?
In: 247
Gravity. Veins do not pump blood like arteries do. They have little flaps to keep the blood from flowing backwards. The blood is forced through them by contraction of your muscles and pressure from the arteries.
If you’re sitting for extended periods without using your leg muscles, gravity is holding the blood down and only blood pressure is pushing it up. If you were to flex your muscles while sitting your could induce some circulation. Getting up to walk naturally does that. If you don’t, blood pools in the legs and can clot.
When you’re laying down, there is no gravity pulling the blood down your legs and blood pressure can move it around easier.
Latest Answers