I don’t know much about sciatica and I’m not a doctor, so I don’t think I can give advice on whether upright sleeping might be right for you. I would definitely consider the posture you used last time though and ask yourself if that may have been part of the cause. The steps described here have helped me successfully maintain a comfortable posture throughout the night and wake up without any neck or back problems, but I would talk to a doctor before attempting it if you’re not sure.

But to your other concern, you are right about DVT. It can even happen sitting still on long flights, etc. Here are my thoughts on it.

I’m not a doctor, and I recommend talking to a physician before trusting anything I say :) But I am aware that some people are at higher risk of DVT than others. If someone who suffers from obesity, diabetes, low blood pressure or poor circulation (among other factors) there is a high risk of DVT. I doubt someone in those categories should consider upright sleeping.

If DVT is a concern, there are special socks designed to prevent it from happening. These are sometimes prescribed to patients at high DVT risk. The socks are specially fitted to put pressure on the foot, ankle and leg and keep the blood flowing. These can be worn on long flights, or after surgery when someone is immobile, to help prevent DVT.

It’s also worth noting that sleeping upright does not require bent legs. For instance I often stretch my legs out straight in front of me, especially when sleeping outside. If you have a good upright sleeping posture the outstretched legs won’t affect your stability, though you will not stay as warm as you will with crossed legs.

Again, these are just my armchair thoughts. If you are at a high DVT risk (or have any other conditions that might be affected by changing your sleep posture) please talk to a doctor before trying it!

And thanks for asking this. Welcome Rogue Priest!

I read your article over at The Minimalists, but I’m a speculative person. I really like the idea of sitting up and of course, Buddhist nuns seem to be very healthy people. But, why hasn’t this idea been addressed before? And although I had news sites, I came across this:

However, sleeping upright does present some concerns. First of all, sitting motionless with bent limbs for more than a couple of hours can lead to the development of deep vein thrombosis, a type of blood clotting in large veins which can be fatal if it travels to the lungs. (Source: slate.com)

What is your response to this? Is it valid? Thanks for your time.

Thank you for sharing this, Grace!

What you said at the end about a better but lighter sleep made me think of yoga nidra, as least from what I know about and have tried. It sounds like you are resting in a different brain wave than what one normally gets to with traditional sleep. From Swami Satyananda Sarasvati’s book Yoga Nidra:

“During the practice of yoga nidra, periodic bursts of alpha waves are interspersed between alternating periods of beta and theta predominance. This means that the consciousness is poised on the borderline between wakefulness and sleep for an extended period, fluctuating cyclically between extroversion and introversion. Extroversion leads to wakeful, sensory awareness, and introversion into dreaming sleep. By remaining aware and alert in the alpha predominant state between these two, a profound experience of total relaxation is gained, which is not only far more beneficial than conventional sleep, but is also the doorway to higher states of consciousness.”