Bed resting like most of us thought, merely means the act of lying on the bed, yes! it is but we never knew there was a medical reason behind such an act. Bed resting which simply is referred to as bed curing is a medical treatment which permits an individual to lie on the bed most of the times. This action is done in order to cure a particular illness such as acute low back pain, hysteria and of course depression.
Bed rest or bed cure started in the 19th century then it was used for treating many mental disorders such as hysteria. During the process of bed resting patients were not allowed to welcome visitors except for the nurse that helps bath, cloth and massaged them. This was so because they were asked not to take part in any activity that requires them thinking or being in stress. Bed resting was also advisable for pregnant women who were experiencing early labour, vaginal bleeding and cervix complications.
Before the advent of effective antihypertension medications, bed rest was used as a standard treatment for high blood pressure.
Like they say too much of everything is bad, prolonged bed rest can lead to arterial constriction and muscle atrophy ( which simply means the loss of muscles) it occurs due to the lack of physical activities. Prolonged bed rest can also lead to the formation of skin pressure ulcers.