Getting Out of Bed With Long Covid and Exhaustion: A Low-Energy, Crash-Day Guide

Why Getting Out of Bed Is So Hard With Long Covid and Exhaustion

With Long Covid or post-viral exhaustion, getting out of bed is not just about pain or stiffness. Your energy system crashes easily, your nervous system overreacts, and your heart and blood pressure may not tolerate position changes well.

Many people say, “I can technically move, but even turning over feels like running a marathon.” One big, rushed movement in the morning can lead to hours or days of payback: pounding heart, breathlessness, shaking, wired-but-tired feeling, or complete wipe-out.

This is different from most simple back pain, where the main problem is sharp pain with movement but the energy system is mostly intact. With Long Covid, the limiting factor is often energy and autonomic stability, not just strength or flexibility.

The goal here is not to get you doing more. It is to help you do only what you must, in the most efficient, least draining way, especially on crash days.

What’s Different About Moving in Bed With Long Covid

Compared to general pain problems, people with Long Covid often face:

• Post-exertional malaise (PEM): even small bursts of effort can cause delayed crashes hours or days later.
• Orthostatic intolerance / POTS-like symptoms: your heart may race and your blood pressure can drop when you sit or stand, causing dizziness or faintness.
• Whole-body heaviness and weakness: your limbs can feel like concrete, even if tests say your strength is “normal.”
• Brain fog and sensory overload: complex instructions or fast movements can feel overwhelming.
• Breathlessness and chest discomfort: especially when bending, twisting, or sitting upright quickly.

Because of this, turning and getting out of bed needs to be slower, more broken-down, and more supported than standard back-care advice. We use gravity, pillows, and low-friction tools like the Snoozle Slide Sheet to reduce the work your body has to do.

Before You Move: Set Up for the Lowest-Energy Effort

On a crash day, the setup is part of the movement. A few minutes of preparation can cut the effort and symptom spikes by half.

Simple Setup Checklist

• Hydrate and fuel a little if you can. A few sips of water and, if medically allowed, a small salty snack can help with lightheadedness.
• Time your meds and aids. If you use medication for heart rate, blood pressure, pain, or dizziness, try to move when they are most helpful (check this plan with your clinician).
• Adjust bed height if possible. If you have an adjustable bed, aim for a height where, in sitting, your feet will be flat on the floor or a low stool, not dangling.
• Bring essentials within arm’s reach: phone, water, medication, a light blanket or robe, and a stable chair or stool near the bed if needed.
• Position pillows: one under your knees if you are on your back, one behind your back if you are side-lying, and one to hug to keep your chest and shoulders moving together.

Setting Up the Snoozle Slide Sheet Safely

The Snoozle Slide Sheet is a low-friction sheet for home use on a normal mattress. It helps you slide instead of drag, so your muscles and heart do less work and your skin experiences less shear.

It is not for lifting, pulling, or transferring between bed and chair. You should always stay fully supported on the mattress.

For crash days, a common setup is:

• Place Snoozle under your shoulders, back, and hips, ideally down to mid-thigh.
• Make sure it lies flat on the bed with no part hanging off the edge.
• Keep your whole body on the mattress at all times; Snoozle is only there to reduce friction during turning and small repositioning.

Turning in Bed With the Least Energy Drain

On crash days, even a small turn can spike your heart rate or make you feel like you have climbed stairs. This often happens because people try to roll in one big heave.

The Hardest Moment When Turning

The toughest point is usually when you are halfway through the roll:

• Your trunk is heavy and twisting.
• Your core muscles have to work hard to control the movement.
• Your heart rate can jump with the effort.
• Sensitive areas (chest, ribs, neck, lower back) may be pulled.

What often goes wrong is that people brace, hold their breath, and “just get it over with” in one movement. This causes a big spike in effort and symptoms and can leave you more exhausted than you realise.

A Gentler Roll: Using Gravity, Snoozle, and Micro-Movements

This example is from back-lying to side-lying. If you are already on your side, you can reverse the steps.

Step 1: Prepare Your Body and Breathing

• Start on your back, head supported, knees slightly bent (you can keep a pillow under your knees).
• Place a pillow on the side you plan to roll towards, ready to hug.
• Take 3 soft, easy breaths: in through the nose if you can, out through gently pursed lips. No forced “deep breathing,” just easing tension.

Step 2: Let Your Legs Start the Turn

• On a Snoozle, your heels and hips will slide more easily, so you do not need a big push.
• Gently slide your knees a few centimetres towards the side you want to roll to, letting them fall slightly that way.
• Pause for 5–10 seconds. Let your heart and breathing settle.

Step 3: Hug a Pillow to Steady Your Chest

• Bring the pillow across your chest and gently hug it with both arms.
• This helps your shoulders and ribs move together, which many people find less exhausting and less painful.

Step 4: Let Gravity Help Your Legs Lead

• Let your knees gently roll further towards the side, as if they are pulling your hips along.
• Because the Snoozle is under your hips, they should slide rather than drag, needing less push from your muscles.
• Keep the movement tiny. You can do this in 2–3 small rolls instead of one big one.

Step 5: Add a Small Shoulder Follow-Through

• When your legs have rolled partway, gently press the opposite shoulder blade into the bed and let your top shoulder follow your legs.
• Think of “falling” into the new position rather than pulling yourself there.
• On the Snoozle, your upper back will glide more easily, so this can be a soft slide instead of a haul.

Step 6: Land and Support Your Side-Lying Position

• Once you are on your side, place a pillow between your knees to keep your hips aligned.
• Use the pillow you are hugging to support your top arm and chest.
• Pause for at least 20–30 seconds. Notice your heart rate, breathing, and dizziness before doing anything else.

If at any step your heart races, you feel faint, or your symptoms spike, stop where you are and rest. You do not have to complete the full turn in one go. On bad days, it is reasonable to turn in two or three mini-sessions with rest between.

From Lying to Sitting: The Lowest-Energy Route to the Bed Edge

For many people with Long Covid, the transition from lying to sitting is the riskiest part of the day for dizziness, palpitations, and crashes. The problem is not just the movement; it is the change in blood flow when you go from horizontal to upright.

The Hardest Moment When Getting Up

The hardest instant is usually when you first lift your trunk off the bed into sitting:

• Blood shifts down towards your legs.
• Your heart has to work harder to keep your blood pressure up.
• Your neck and trunk muscles suddenly have to support your head and upper body.
• If you move quickly, your nervous system can react with a surge of symptoms.

What often goes wrong is going from full lying to full sitting in one fast lever movement, often pushing hard with the arms. This sudden effort and position change can cause a big heart rate spike, breathlessness, and a “whoosh” feeling in the head.

A Staged, Low-Energy Path to the Bed Edge

A side-lying approach with pauses usually works best. The Snoozle helps by reducing friction during the small slides, so you use less muscular effort.

Step 1: From Back-Lying to Side-Lying

Use the gentle turning method above to roll onto the side you prefer to get up from (often your stronger side).

• Check that your shoulders, trunk, and hips are all on the Snoozle and well inside the bed edge.
• Keep your knees slightly bent, with a pillow between them if that feels better.
• Make sure your head is on a stable pillow that will not slide away.

Rest here for 30–60 seconds. Check your symptoms before going further.

Step 2: Slide Hips Towards the Bed Edge in Tiny Moves

The aim is to bring your hips closer to the edge while staying fully supported on the mattress.

• Keep your knees bent and stacked.
• Gently press your top foot into the mattress for a little leverage.
• Use a tiny push from your feet and a light pull from your top hand on the mattress to let your hips slide a few centimetres towards the edge on the Snoozle.
• Pause for 10–20 seconds. Let your breathing and heart settle.
• Repeat this small slide once or twice until your hips are about a hand’s width from the bed edge but still fully on the mattress.

Without the Snoozle, this often takes a lot of arm and leg effort because your clothes and skin stick to the sheet. With the Snoozle, your body glides more easily, so each slide costs less energy.

Step 3: Move Legs Towards the Floor First

Instead of lifting your whole trunk, let your legs act as a counterweight.

• Keeping your knees together, slowly bring them to the bed edge.
• Then allow your lower legs to drape over the side so your calves and feet hang down.
• Your hips and trunk remain on the bed, supported by the Snoozle and the mattress.
• Pause here for 20–60 seconds. This partial upright position lets your body adjust gradually to gravity.

Step 4: Let Your Legs Help Bring Your Trunk Up

Now use the weight of your hanging legs to help you sit up, instead of hauling yourself up with your arms.

• As your legs hang down, they gently pull your pelvis towards sitting.
• At the same time, press your lower forearm (the one against the mattress) into the bed for support.
• Use your top hand on the mattress in front of your chest to give a small, steady push.
• On the Snoozle, your trunk will slide towards upright with less resistance, so you can use a slow, gentle push instead of a big heave.
• Imagine you are “pouring” your body over the edge of the bed, not snapping up.

You can pause halfway, with your trunk at about 45 degrees, and rest for 10–20 seconds before coming fully upright.

Step 5: Land in Supported Sitting

• Once upright, keep one hand on the bed for balance.
• Place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. If they do not reach, use a sturdy, non-slip stool.
• Lean slightly forward from the hips rather than sitting bolt upright, to reduce strain on your back and neck.
• Stay here for 1–3 minutes before standing, especially if you get dizzy easily.

If your symptoms spike in sitting (strong dizziness, chest pain, severe palpitations, visual changes), lie back down the way you came and rest. That is good pacing, not failure.

Using the Snoozle Slide Sheet Safely on Crash Days

The Snoozle Slide Sheet is there to reduce friction, not to turn your bed into a moving or lifting surface.

In home use, it tends to help most when you:

• Place it under your shoulders, back, and hips so rolling and small slides are easier.
• Keep it fully on the mattress, never hanging off the bed edge.
• Use it for small, controlled movements, not for fast or large transfers.

Do not use Snoozle to lift yourself or to drag yourself between bed and chair. It is not a lifting or transfer device, and you should always stay supported by the mattress.

Managing Energy and Symptoms During Bed Movements

With Long Covid, how you dose movement is as important as the movement itself.

• Use a timer. Build in 30–60 seconds of rest after each step: after turning, after sliding hips, after lowering legs, after sitting up.
• Check in with your body. If you use a 0–10 scale for dizziness, heart racing, or breathlessness, pause or go back a step if a symptom jumps more than 2 points.
• Keep your breath soft. Avoid breath-holding during effort. Exhale gently as you push or slide.
• Plan only what is necessary. On crash days, getting to the bathroom and back may be your whole activity budget. It is okay to keep goals that small.

Many people notice that when they break movements into tiny, spaced chunks, they can get out of bed with less next-day payback, even if it feels slow in the moment.

Common Problems and How to Fix Them

• Problem: Rushing from lying to standing in one go.
  Fix: Break it into 4–6 stages: roll to side → slide hips → legs over edge → partial sit → full sit → stand (if needed), with pauses between.
• Problem: Hauling yourself up with your arms.
  Fix: Let your legs hang first and act as a counterweight, while the Snoozle reduces friction under your trunk.
• Problem: Ignoring early warning signs.
  Fix: Treat worsening dizziness, chest discomfort, or “about to faint” feelings as stop signals. Return to a safer position and rest.
• Problem: Snoozle placed too close to the edge.
  Fix: Keep it well within the mattress so you always feel stable and supported while sliding.
• Problem: Using big stretches or twists to “loosen up.”
  Fix: Swap big, forceful movements for small, gentle position changes and micro-movements supported by pillows and Snoozle.

When It’s Okay Not to Get Fully Out of Bed

On crash days, it is completely valid to decide that getting fully out of bed is not safe or worth the energy cost.

Instead, you might:

• Use Snoozle to reposition for comfort and pressure relief only.
• Sit up only partially with extra pillows behind you.
• Use a bedside commode or urinal if available, to reduce walking distance.

Notice what happens over the next 24–48 hours. If a particular way of getting out of bed always leads to a crash, we need to make it gentler, slower, and more broken up.

When to Seek Medical or Professional Help

Symptom flares are common with Long Covid, but some signs mean you should get medical advice urgently.

• Chest pain, pressure, or tightness that is new, severe, or spreading to your arm, jaw, or back.
• Severe shortness of breath at rest, or breathing that suddenly gets much worse with minimal movement.
• Fainting, or feeling like you are about to pass out every time you sit or stand, despite moving slowly.
• New weakness, numbness, or difficulty speaking, seeing, or moving one side of the body.
• Palpitations with chest pain, or a sense that your heart is “out of control” and not settling with rest.

For ongoing support, a physiotherapist or occupational therapist familiar with Long Covid can help you fine-tune these techniques, adjust your bed setup, and work with your energy envelope.

Related comfort guides

• Effortless Bed Mobility for MS: Using Momentum and Snoozle to Move Without Pain or Fatigue
• Effortless Bed Mobility for Those Living Alone with Pain and Low Energy: Practical Bedroom Planning and Movement Strategies
• Effortless Bed Mobility with Knee Osteoarthritis: How to Move and Get Up Without Aggravating Pain