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Alternative Names: (Bed) Rest therapy.
Our bodies require periods of rest during which to carry out essential repairs and replenish stores of energy. Although one can have too much of a good thing (rest), we should all make sure that we give our bodies enough time to renew themselves, especially during times of illness.
Reasons For Use
Hepatitis patients should take a bed rest during the acute phase. If clinical symptoms are serious enough, a doctor will usually suggest that the patient stay at a hospital. Hepatitis disease sufferers must reduce their daily activity. The objective of this bed rest therapy is to give cells a chance at regeneration.
One to two mid-day naps (approx. 30 min.) are extremely important to Rheumatoid Arthritis patients to aid with relaxing and regenerating the energy needed for the rest of the day. This also allows the joints to rest and helps reduce pain and swelling.
Counter-Indicators and Warnings
More and more professional care givers (physicians, physical therapists, chiropractors, and others) are rethinking the age old strategy of bed rest and inactivity for musculoskeletal injuries. Much research shows that prolonged bed rest and inactivity immediately after an injury has a potential negative impact on your pursuit of an optimal recovery.
Movement is Needed for Normal Repair and Tissue Health. Tissues healed with movement and mechanical stress will have properties matching mechanical requirements of daily physical activity, whereas tissues healed while immobile or under reduced or abnormal movement may fail to meet imposed structural and functional demands of daily activities.
Bed rest for more than a few days is not recommended, as this can reduce your muscle strength. When the condition lessens, activity levels must be increased gradually and carefully.
In 1999 a review of 39 trials of bed rest for 15 different conditions (total patients 5777) was performed. In 24 trials investigating bed rest following a medical procedure, no outcomes improved significantly and eight worsened significantly in some procedures (lumbar puncture, spinal anaesthesia, radiculography, and cardiac catheterisation). In 15 trials investigating bed rest as a primary treatment, no outcomes improved significantly and nine worsened significantly for some conditions (acute low back pain, labor, proteinuric hypertension during pregnancy, myocardial infarction, and acute infectious hepatitis). The interpretation was that we should not assume any efficacy for bed rest. Further studies need to be done to establish evidence for the benefit or harm of bed rest as a treatment. [Lancet; 1999 Oct 9;354 (9186):pp.1229-33]
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Rest can help with the following: | | | | | Autoimmune |  Myasthenia Gravis | Sufferers should get plenty of rest and adjust their activities to avoid unnecessary fatigue. This may include resting frequently as necessary during the day. |
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Circulation |
 Megaloblastic Anemia / Pernicious Anemia| | A person with folic acid deficiency anemia should rest as often as necessary until restored energy levels make it possible to resume regular activities. |
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Habits |
The Effects Of Overtraining| | "Rest" is not a dirty word! Take a complete day off once a week. And remember to take a vacation, sleep late once in a while, walk on the beach, or go out shopping for a day instead of doing time on the StairMaster. Anything to break the cycle. It will recharge you and get you back in the swing of things. This is a simple problem to solve, and you can usually catch yourself in time before anything drastic happens. Your bodily reserves are just like the batteries in your Walkman - after continued use, they are going to run out and you have to replace or recharge them if you want to keep hearing your favorite song. |
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Infections |
Infectious Mononucleosis (CMV)| | Rest is needed, sometimes for a month or longer to regain full activity levels. |
Colds and Influenza| | Resting in bed and keeping warm are still recognized as an important part in recovering from the cold or flu: time is the only sure cure for colds and flus. |
 Mumps
Herpes Simplex Type I |
Musculo-Skeletal |
Costochronditis| | Exercise, deep breathing, and strain on the muscles of the chest may worsen the pain and slow the healing process. |
Osteoarthritis| | Treatment plans recommended by some doctors include regularly scheduled rest. Others, however, stress the importance of continued mobility during the recovery phase, if tolerated. |
Not recommended for:
 Muscular Dystrophy| | Complete inactivity (such as bedrest) can worsen the disease. |
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Organ Health |
Vertigo| | To prevent worsening of symptoms during episodes of labyrinthitis, keep still and rest during attacks, gradually resuming activity. Avoid sudden position changes, do not try to read during attacks and avoid bright lights. |
Endocarditis| | Rest in bed until you are fully recovered. While in bed, flex your legs often to prevent clots from forming in deep veins. Resume your normal activities, including sexual relations when strength allows. |
Rheumatic Heart Disease| | As well as possible drug therapy, treatment may involve avoidance of overexertion. |
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Pain |
Not recommended for:
 Low Back Pain| | Inactivity is definitely detrimental to patients with low back pain. |
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Tumors, Malignant |
Carcinoid Cancer| | Physical stress should be avoided since this can precipitate carcinoid crisis attacks. |
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KEY | | May do some good | | | Likely to help | | | Highly recommended | | | May have adverse consequences | | | Reasonably likely to cause problems |
GLOSSARY
Acute
An illness or symptom of sudden onset, which generally has a short duration.
Anemia (Anaemia, Anemias)
A condition resulting from an unusually low number of red blood cells or too little hemoglobin in the red blood cells. The most common type is iron-deficiency anemia in which the red blood cells are reduced in size and number, and hemoglobin levels are low. Clinical symptoms include shortness of breath, lethargy and heart palpitations.
Cardiac
Pertaining to the heart, also, pertaining to the stomach area adjacent to the esophagus.
Folic Acid
A B-complex vitamin that functions along with vitamin B-12 and vitamin C in the utilization of proteins. It has an essential role in the formation of heme (the iron containing protein in hemoglobin necessary for the formation of red blood cells) and DNA. Folic acid is essential during pregnancy to prevent neural tubular defects in the developing fetus.
Hepatitis
Inflammation of the liver usually resulting in jaundice (yellowing of the skin), loss of appetite, stomach discomfort, abnormal liver function, clay-colored stools, and dark urine. May be caused by a bacterial or viral infection, parasitic infestation, alcohol, drugs, toxins or transfusion of incompatible blood. Can be life-threatening. Severe hepatitis may lead to cirrhosis and chronic liver dysfunction.
Hypertension
High blood pressure. Hypertension increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure because it adds to the workload of the heart, causing it to enlarge and, over time, to weaken; in addition, it may damage the walls of the arteries.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
A long-term, destructive connective tissue disease that results from the body rejecting its own tissue cells (autoimmune reaction).
Spinal Tap (Lumbar Puncture)
Despite the discomfort felt by many over this procedure, spinal taps are actually very simple procedures from the doctor's standpoint. Because the fluid that coats and flows through the brain also flows down into the spinal cord, the spinal fluid reflects what is occurring in the brain. A spinal tap involves: numbing the skin over the lower part of the spine with an injection or cream; sterilizing the area; having the patient curl up on his side while being held securely; passing a needle through the skin at a large space in between two of the lower vertebrae (the needle does NOT pass through bone); slowly advancing the needle until it "pops" through the lining of the spinal canal into an area of spinal fluid (the needle does NOT go into the spinal cord where the nerves are because the spinal cord stops further up the spine: the bottom of the spine simply contains a reservoir of spinal fluid); spinal fluid will flow out through the needle and the doctor will collect it and send it to the lab. Once the needle is pulled out, the hole seals up rapidly.
Last updated: Jan 03, 2010
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