Getting out of Bed

In this video, you'll learn how to get out of bed yourself, whilst looking after your back and avoiding any risk of falling

To get out of bed, there are four necessary steps: moving away from the edge of the bed, raising your legs, pivoting to one side, and sitting upright

Firstly: move away from the edge of the bed

Move to about ten centimetres away from the edge of the bed

This will allow you to get up without the risk of falling out of bed

Secondly: raising your legs

Bend your knees so that the soles of your feet are flat on the bed and as close as possible to your buttocks

Thirdly: pivoting onto one side

In one movement, pivot your body whilst contracting both your back and abdominal muscles, to protect your back from twisting

Whilst pivoting, hold onto the edge of the bed with the furthest from it, roughly in line with your shoulder, to keep yourself stable and to stop yourself from falling

Fourthly: sitting up

Start by putting both your legs over the side of the bed

Then, push down with your left hand and right elbow to sit up in one go, whilst keeping your back straight

Once you're sitting up, hold onto the edge of the bed to support yourself and to stop yourself falling forward

For more details, you can watch the video called 'Good everyday Habits: getting up from a chair'. The steps also work for getting up from a bed

To get up off the bed, make sure that you don't start by swinging your legs over the side, then straining with your arms and back to sit up

Because your torso is twisted, you risk injuring your back

To take care of your back and to avoid the risk of falling, always make sure that you raise your legs before pivoting to one side and sitting up

Over to you!