A standing desk, or even better a desk that can shift between sitting and standing, can help you prevent a blood clot by promoting more blood flow through your legs.
Just like how sitting can result in varicose veins, deep vein thrombosis and clotting, carotid atherosclerosis, and other vein diseases, if your legs already have insufficient blood flow, standing for long periods of time can have the exact same results as sitting for hours on end.
Avoid Long Hours of Sitting or Standing
Sitting or standing for extended periods of time is a major cause of deep vein thrombosis. Move or flex your ankles and knees every 30 minutes to increase the blood flow.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that you stand, stretch (feet, ankles, and legs), and move around every 2 to 3 hours if possible to prevent a clot from forming.
You can help prevent blood clots if you: Wear loose-fitting clothes, socks, or stockings. Raise your legs 6 inches above your heart from time to time. Wear special stockings (called compression stockings) if your doctor prescribes them.
Sitting or lying down for long periods—due to prolonged bed rest after illness or a long airplane flight, for example—can cause blood to pool in the legs, leading to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and, worst-case scenario, pulmonary embolism if the clot travels to the lungs.
Raise your feet, especially when sleeping
Keeping your feet elevated in the evenings while relaxing and while sleeping can help promote healthy circulation which may decrease the risk of deep vein thrombosis – especially if one you suffer from varicose vein disease.
Conclusions: Early walking exercise is safe in patients with acute DVT and may help to reduce acute symptoms. Exercise training does not increase leg symptoms acutely in patients with a previous DVT and may help to prevent or improve the postthrombotic syndrome.
Natural Ways to Treat Blood Clots
Eat natural pineapple or take a nutritional supplement with bromelain. Increase your intake of other foods and drinks that may help dissolve blood clots such as garlic, kiwi, kale, spinach, red wine, and grape juice. Drink more water. Increase your exercise.
Women who are pregnant or taking birth control, elderly people, and people who smoke are at especially high risk, says Dr. Tonnessen. “Not exercising or moving around on occasion can lead to a more extensive blood clot.”
Sleeping sitting up in a recliner shouldn't be harmful. It could, in some cases, raise your risk of deep-vein thrombosis, a blood clot in a limb that can occur if your arms or legs are bent and you are motionless for hours. This sometimes occurs in people who sit still for long periods of time in an airplane seat.
DON'T stand or sit in one spot for a long time. DON'T wear clothing that restricts blood flow in your legs. DON'T smoke. DON'T participate in contact sports when taking blood thinners because you're at risk of bleeding from trauma.
The feeling can range from a dull ache to intense pain. You may notice the pain throbs in your leg, belly, or even your arm. Warm skin. The skin around painful areas or in the arm or leg with the DVT may feel warmer than other skin.
Swelling, usually in one leg (or arm) Leg pain or tenderness often described as a cramp or Charley horse. Reddish or bluish skin discoloration. Leg (or arm) warm to touch.
Don't stay still for long periods -- move every 2 hours or so when you're on a plane or long car trip. Wear loose clothes and drink lots of water when you travel.
While sitting, flex your calves and ankles at frequent intervals. If you're traveling long distance by car, it's a good idea to stop every 60 to 90 minutes and take a short walk. This will stimulate your leg muscles and get your blood flowing, which in turn lowers the risk of blood pooling and clotting.
However, data also indicate that the fibrinolytic system that dissolves blood clots is overactive in people who exercise. With this over activity, athletes would be protected from having a blood clot.
Anticoagulants: The most common treatment for a blood clot is anticoagulants or blood thinners. They work by reducing the body's ability to form new clots and preventing existing clots from growing larger. Anticoagulants can be given in the form of pills or intravenous injections.
We are usually horizontal in bed, so there is no uphill gradient and the small movements we make during sleep are sufficient to budge the blood heartwards. This would seem to be the obvious reason why we don't get DVTs during our sleep – except it's probably wrong.
Deep vein thrombosis – or DVT – is a type of blood clot that can cause serious health problems. Many things can increase your chances of a DVT, and among them is bed rest. Knowing about DVT can help you understand your risk and prevent clots when you have to be in bed for an extended period of time.