r/POTS • u/barefootwriter • May 18 '26
Discussion alternatives to the term "bed rotting"?
Just like many folks here dislike the term "POTSies," I am no fan of the term "bedrotting." It just feels so disparaging.
So I am wondering what other terms folks have heard used for this sort of rest. I use "horizontal time" for briefer periods, but there's no reason it couldn't be used for longer stints.
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u/jamiefenste May 18 '26
I call mine Supine Time hahaha
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u/Financial_Ostrich_56 POTS May 18 '26
Oh I love this. I usually say “horizontal time” but supine time has a nice ring to it
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
That's a good one!
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u/butthatshitsbroken POTS May 18 '26
I call it floor time.
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
My coworkers many years ago, long before I was diagnosed, kept a white board of goofy shit I would say. One of the quotes was "I like floors. I like to be on the floor."
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u/brightstar88 May 18 '26
I try not to use terms that are too deterministic. Bed rotting said too many times tells myself that I am stuck and getting worse. Resting, or better yet recharging, is best because it implies that I’m not stuck and that what I’m doing is adding to my energy bank.
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May 18 '26 edited Aug 03 '26
[deleted]
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
Ah, I forgot about radical rest!
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u/Remarkable-Bath6401 POTS May 21 '26
Yes! I do yoga nidra for this almost daily. It’s wonderful & truly calms my mind and leaves me feeling positive about my rest time
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u/VariationOriginal289 May 21 '26
breathwork has done wonders for me!
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u/Remarkable-Bath6401 POTS May 21 '26
Breathing daily (deep belly breaths) helps me a lot. I used to do breathwork with diff breathing patterns but it was way too activating once I got long covid.
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u/FailPhoenix86 May 18 '26
Since I’ve usually got my feet in a foot warmer or heated blanket of some kind and I love getting wrapped up in lots of blankets and pillows… my household no longer questions “Comfy Burrito Time.”
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
I like this one! When I was a kid I loved to sleep rolled up in a blanket burrito, starting from the head of the bed and rolling down to the foot.
This is how I knew I'd love weighted blankets.
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u/Historical_Bath_9854 May 18 '26
I just call it "going horizontal". I'm currently in bed now, something must be up with me, because my animals have me trapped, good thing I went to the bathroom 🤷
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u/Vegetable_Security_3 May 18 '26
so funny to me that so many other people had this thought process lol my friends will ask me if i need to go horizont for a bit because i always say that after a big activity i need a solid hour of being horizont
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u/lemonliqueer May 18 '26
when i'm feeling really bad and not really getting up all day, i just say i'm having a bed day.
if i make an unusually elaborate setup to minimize getting up, i'm nesting.
if i'm just casually hanging out on my bed, i'm lounging.
if i'm really In There, under the covers and stuff, i'm cocooning (stay tuned for my metamorphosis).
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u/chaoticsleepynpc May 18 '26
I really like these.
Especially since I tend to make an elaborate pillow/stuffed toy exoskeleton for my hypermobile joints. I can pretend to be a dumb pigeon making a dumb nest.
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May 18 '26
[deleted]
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
Also more fun to compare yourself to a bear than a piece of rotting fruit.
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u/motopwnies May 18 '26
My spouse and I both have LC w/POTS (etc.), and we always joke about needing “the flatness” (or needing to be one with it heehee). 🛌
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u/Museumgirl518 May 18 '26
You just reminded me I describe myself before hydrating each day as “flat Stanley” and if I’m not ready yet as “still fluffing”. I’m basically a pillow!
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
This reminds me of a book called Planiverse, which was inspired by Flatland.
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u/Unicorny43 May 18 '26
I think “break”, “rest time”, “recovering”, or “recharging”, or simply “laying down” work for me. Getting some time to recalibrate and become less disregulated— however that looks for me that day. The amount of time can vary with severity of symptoms.
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
Rebooting?
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u/Relative-Cost9256 May 18 '26
Rebooting is what I call a fainting spell 🤣
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u/Playful-Candy-2003 May 18 '26
I call fainting a “hard restart.” 😂 Tech: Have you tried turning it off and back on? Me: More times than you’ll ever know.
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u/DebFSAS May 18 '26
Hurkle-Durkle - a 200 year old Scottish term that means lounging in bed long after it’s time to get up. I love Hurkle-Durkling!!
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u/Good-Independent-903 May 18 '26
I’ve always called it “cozy mode”. Like friends will ask me if I’m free, and I’m like “nah, I activated cozy mode”
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u/gothmagenta May 18 '26
I don't have suggestions but bed rot is definitely a weird term. If anything I'm rejuvenated after resting, not worse off!
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
Some people, especially those with comorbid ME/CFS, do not find rest that restful, though, and have to rest for a very long time to improve their baseline.
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u/gothmagenta May 18 '26
That's fair, I definitely don't think it's a good short term solution, but personally the rotting part makes it sound self sabotaging in a way to me. Like we're making ourselves worse by taking that needed rest time.
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u/Top_Intention_1210 May 18 '26
I call it denting 🙃
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
I'ma need you to unpack the etymology?
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u/Top_Intention_1210 May 18 '26
To dent, as in, rot so long that you make a dent in the couch or bed 😇
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u/Hyperfocus_Queen May 18 '26
I use horizontal time as well, for any amount of time. It's just accurate 😂
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u/distractinglysimple May 18 '26
Me too!! And when I move from the couch to the bed I say I need be even more horizontal 🤣
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u/abdog5000 May 18 '26
Took to the bed, taken to the bed- fun southern slang if you want to get dramatic. The bed will have two syllables, bey-ed.
In general I say rest too. Sometimes I feel dramatic though.
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
Taken to the bed with the vapors.
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u/duckoftheirish7 May 18 '26
I like to drop an occasional “I’ve been sent to the seaside for my health.”
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u/Player573202 May 18 '26
Becoming one with my bed. She missed me deeply even though I've only been gone a few hours. We have serious codependency issues.
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u/SeaShell345 Neuropathic POTS May 18 '26
I just call it "my life". It's not like I do anything else.
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u/greatbakes May 18 '26
Southerner here! “Taking to the bed.” Is a common phrase!
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
Someone else brought this up already! I grew up in New Orleans, so it feels familiar.
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u/hrim-faxi May 18 '26
i always tell people when i need to lay down that im “going horizontal” and my friends sometimes ask “are you in ‘zontal mode?”
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
I use "going horizontal" too. I was surprised how many people independently came up with this one.
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u/Wordnerdish May 18 '26
I say couch camping 😁
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u/_nomexx_ May 19 '26
for whatever reason, maybe the perfect laying down angle, i feel better on the couch and when i plan on sleeping there i tell my bf i’m having a sleepover on the couch
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u/Wordnerdish May 19 '26
Same 😁 It reminds me of when I was a kid and was home sick from school and my mom would let me bring my pillow and blanket into the family room where I'd finally have the couch all to myself and I could watch all the daytime shows I never got to see - to me that was such a luxury! 😂
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u/I5I75I96I40I70Me696 May 18 '26
“Horizontal time” is my go to. I have an overbed desk and I often work from bed, using a laptop stand that is angled so I can be almost flat to work, if I’m only mousing and not typing (which I usually am), so my horizontal time isn’t necessarily rest.
If I need to rest as well as lie down, I say I need to rest. Sometimes I will say I need to “focus on resting,” so my family won’t think they should be nagging me out of bed.
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u/psychedelicferrets Hypovolemic POTS May 18 '26
When I get out of the shower I have to lay in bed to let the blood return to parts of my body and I call it my “evaporating” time
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u/Comfortable-Sea-5678 May 18 '26
I just call it Bed Time lol, or horizontal time more broadly, but that could be laying down anywhere lol
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u/wendyrx37 May 18 '26
I've always called it plain ol nap time. But I didn't know it was part of a thing.. I just thought it was part of life.. Especially since my mom did it too.
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u/SomewhereCurious3760 POTS May 18 '26
My husband and I have the joke that I’m an indoor plant. I wilt with too much sunlight, I need a lot of water and I am best when I am taken care of in a comfortable place( my bed aka my pot).
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u/wdymthereisnofood May 18 '26
Mine is called "cave time"
Cause I just nope the fuck outta here, go to my dark cave (bedroom) make a warm and comfy nest for myself and you won't see me until my winter sleep (hate of lights and sounds) is over :)
Cave time!!
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May 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Melon_Heart_Styles May 18 '26
As someone who's also been this depressed and now has debilitating chronic illnesses, I still don't like that term. It inherently comes with a layer of shame.
Are people with severe mecfs or other illnesses/conditions bed rotting? Or is it only "gross" if it's caused by depression? And if so, why?
Fuck that term. There's enough shame and stigma around not being able to keep up with societal hygiene & appearance standards.
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May 18 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
Many people here are bedbound due to either the severity of their POTS alone or POTS + comorbidities like ME/CFS and struggle with hygiene as much as a severely depressed person might, which is why people are objecting to the distinction you are trying to make. It's just inaccurate.
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May 19 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Melon_Heart_Styles May 19 '26
"struggling with hygiene isn’t the same as not taking care of hygiene at all."
Dude, what are you talking about? I tried to get you to see that you're implying that being bedbound due to depression is a choice and shame is an appropriate motivator. Depression is an illness and shame is never a healthy motivator. If you use shame to motivate yourself, please unpack why and why it works for you bc it really isn't healthy.
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u/quickso POTS May 18 '26
thank you for saying this and for creating an opportunity for different terms to be shared! “bedrotting” sends me into such a rage. it’s to a point that i will deliberately not engage with any posts or people using that term
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
Willing to elaborate? I am curious what vibe you get from it because, as a social scientist, I find it interesting to articulate the reasons.
Someone else came up with how deterministic it is. Rotting is kind of a one-way process, and that is one thing that definitely bugs me about it.
I also feel it's antagonistic towards the body. Yes, our unruly bodies do limit us, some more than others, but it feels hostile towards the body, rather than treating the body with compassion, and as needing special care. A lot of people offered "cozy" alternatives.
I think a third thing that bugs me is a lot of us feel gross from time to time because daily hygiene can be a struggle, and this just goes straight for "we are rotting, back of the fridge levels of gross" instead of preserving some dignity for ourselves even if we can't manage those tasks right now?
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u/quickso POTS May 18 '26
i absolutely agree with everything you said, all of those reasons are things i’ve thought myself!
personally i’ve always found it ableist. i know that’s a spicy take and historically it pisses people off when i say it. but it’s like you said- things don’t un-rot.
i think a lot of people resent that they feel stuck in bed, so the ugliness of the term validates those feelings in a way.
but as someone who is stuck in bed 3/4 of the time, i’ve been forced to re examine my relationship with everything, including the words i use, which hold meaning and shape the world.
and in our capitalistic world, resting is now a privilege and not a right— something i totally disagree with and grieve for those of us who are forced into situations where adequate rest isn’t possible. demonizing rest serves capitalism in a way i refuse to buy into.
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
I did also have the thought that it's ableisr; I'm glad you articulated that. You have to find the ideas that you can live with, and having a disability while buying into the ways capitalism defines worth isn't one of them. I can't change my body, so I have to change my thoughts to accommodate the state of my body.
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u/VoodooGirl47 May 18 '26
For me, when I think of something rotting, it's basically dead and should be tossed/gotten rid of. So the idea of bed rotting sounds like a person that is kept beyond their time and should be disposed of. Like there is no use for it/them anymore.
It's what I'd think fits more of a person that is on death's door stuck in a bed permanently or those poor patients that are being kept on life support but might not ever have any real brain function again. I'd never actually say that either of these types of people are bed rotting, but that's what I would think of if someone did say it.
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
This too. It's very eugenics coded.
Rotting things can be transmuted by composting them, and can then grow flowers, but that isn't embedded in this usage.
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u/VeganMonkey May 18 '26
Hibernating! But that’s me! I always get extreme sleepy when winter is coming and at some point I am only awake a few hours a day.
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u/spinning-gold- Hyperadrenergic POTS May 18 '26
I have never considered calling it anything else than rest or recharge, but I’m loving all these replies haha
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u/Latinadotnerd May 18 '26
Hey I’m a lupie with a pots kiddo. I say I need to be horizontal or I’m going to be bedridden today.
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u/Obvious-Explorer-195 May 18 '26
I call it rest, or power down mode
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u/gold_and_jules May 18 '26
I either say "i need to Be Horizontal" or i say "its time for laydownfeelbad" In which i lay down And feel bad
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u/CostalFalaffal May 18 '26
i always say im gonna go "obtain the horizontal position" or "my bed adopted me today" for when im in bed because of my physical health and "bed rotting" for mental health flare ups for reasons another commentor gave for what bed rotting is.
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u/ococcats May 18 '26
I haven’t really used it in speaking with someone, but mentally I’ve rephrased it as self regulation. It feels more accurate to me as its more over encompassing. I often need time alone to self regulate my adhd brain, but I also just need time alone because yeah I need to lay down to feel better but there’s not many comfortable ways to do that outside of my room/home.
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u/StockTurnover2306 May 18 '26
Resting.
Recharging my batteries
Recovering
I refuse to call it being lazy, lounging, doing nothing, or bed rotting. My bed is my sanctuary and my home and it’s expensive and clean, so no rotting here! And like…we aren’t doing nothing when we’re in bed. We’re recovering from exertion and that’s necessary for our condition.
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u/FancyAFCharlieFxtrot May 18 '26
Resting, self care, body and mind maintenance.
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u/SociologySeeker May 18 '26
“savasana, but make it friendly to the chronically ill community” (at least: that’s what I tell myself)
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u/Brief-Zucchini3752 May 19 '26
OMG I HAVE BEEN SAYING THIS FOR A FEW YEARS NOW!!!!! Now my bf says he needs to be perpendicular to the wall (he does not have pots lol)
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u/g_em_ini POTS May 18 '26
I just call it recovery or rest but I saw someone on tiktok refer to themselves as a houseplant so now I kind of want to incorporate that lol
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May 18 '26
[deleted]
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
You know that makes it sound like a euphemism for something else, right?
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u/blackice0012 May 18 '26
interesting. i shall continue to think this is funny in my own head now. thank you kind sirmaam.
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u/FirstAidPoetry May 18 '26
Interesting, I’ve never really thought about it. Involuntary recovery time?
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u/wstr97gal May 18 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Square smart trumpet include lip alive amusing modern bear
This post was anonymized with Redact
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u/PaladinBullseye May 18 '26
Call it what it is, intentional rest! (: mindful rest, healing rest, etc.
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u/Buncai41 POTS May 18 '26
Bedrotting? As in bedridden? Or does it refer to a different thing? I've never heard the term before.
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u/RaspberryJammm May 18 '26
No, is more often used by able bodied people and people with depression to mean lying around in bed (usually as a choice with able bodied/minded folk)
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u/spaghettispagooter May 18 '26
I say “I have to lie down and regulate” which signals 1. My body currently feels unregulated while standing/moving 2. I need to lie down until I feel regulated, which could be anywhere from 10 minutes to the next day.
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u/TheGhostOfYou18 May 18 '26
I think the disparaging part is why I like the term. It fits perfectly how I feel. I don’t want to be in bed rotting my brain, but I’m paralyzed and can’t get up. It’s different than just taking a long rest day. I view bed rotting as a completely separate thing than a long mental health rest. One is rejuvenating, but the first is coming from adhd paralysis and is not actually restful. It actually makes things worse for me in the long run because it becomes an endless cycle or habit I can’t snap out of.
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u/rainaramsay May 18 '26
I saw a post once arguing that the difference is in your mindset.
If you're actually out of energy, and need to recharge, then you're not rotting, you're resting. Stop trying to get yourself to get up and do things, and rest.
If you're lying there miserable because you have energy to do things, and you're interested in doing things, but instead you're just lying there, then you're not resting, you're rotting. Grit your teeth, roll willpower, get up and do things.
I am trying to get myself to switch my mindset to respect my need for rest, but it's certainly not a linear process :(
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
I am not sure there is a meaningful difference articulated here. The person who physically can get up may not mentally be able to, and that doesn't make it less valid?
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u/rainaramsay May 19 '26
I definitely do not mean only physical energy. If you're mentally exhausted, emotionally exhausted, etc, then you are also resting/recharging, and need to stop chastising yourself about it.
But yeah, it's totally possible that it's not going to be a useful model for any given person; I posted it because it helps me, but anyone it doesn't help should use other approaches.
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u/IncomeDry3077 May 18 '26
For me it's a my dog had choices me as the queen of laps and I must not move or disturb her! 🤣
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u/mjh8212 May 18 '26
Recharging. It’s humid and even with ac on I’m bad today. Exhausted and recharging in bed with the cats.
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u/Mint-PinkPastel May 18 '26
I'm sure everyone will probably hate this, but I say "I'm gonna go die." Because my bed rest usually happens when I have pushed myself too far and I need to just exist in bed without doing anything else.
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u/HorseysShoes May 19 '26
“bedrotting” is different and has nothing to do with POTS in my mind. it’s like truly just being lazy and unmotivated, and I do do that sometimes lol. but if I’m really just needing rest or having symptoms I call it “horizontal tome” or “productive rest”
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u/AdhesivenessOk5534 Hyperadrenergic POTS May 19 '26
I usually say bed ridden/bound when referring to myself
When referring to others in similar conditions I also use them interchangeably but tend to use 'ridden' more often
Ik its not an upbeat catchy thing but its a preference of mine
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u/KiloJools Hyperadrenergic POTS May 19 '26
I say that I'm a bed radish (as opposed to a couch potato). Sometimes I'm pancake batter, but most of the time I just say "It's a rest day" with the same attitude a gym bro would.
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u/omgyellowish May 19 '26
For me it's just life. I have the least symptoms when I'm lying down, POTS and other - chronic pain from TOS and herniated discs in my neck. I spend 80-90% of my week in bed.
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u/whistle_while_u_wait May 18 '26
I always find it intriguing how some people will love a term and some people will hate it.
I like the term bedrotting because it feels extremely accurate to my life experience. I want to be elsewhere but when I'm stuck in bed it feels like I'm rotting.
That said, tho, your disgust is totally valid. Idk about alternatives. Strategic energy conservarion?
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u/True-Process9613 POTS May 18 '26
I hate the term bed rotting, it sounds like people think we’re just giving up or being lazy. Others (like my dad) say it’s contributing to deconditioning and that I need to push myself more to be able to do things. While I know that’s true to some degree, since I think myself into my symptoms worsening sometimes, that’s not the entirety of the issue. I need to lay down to regulate, to prepare to do something big or after something strenuous, or sometimes to focus so the blood actually gets to my brain.
Personally, I refer to it as horizontal time or ‘going horizontal.’ Sometimes on my stomach (especially if I have schoolwork to do—grad school waits for no one) and other times I lay on the couch with my legs up over the back. Luckily our couch has a chaise on it so I’m not in the way, haha.
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26
This too. It feels toxic positivity coded, as if you are simply being lazy and could just get up if you wanted to.
I was recently remembering how, just a few years ago, we had a friend who hung out with us after an international move and before his family arrived, and I would be upside down on the couch, with my head hanging of, like a little kid. It all makes sense now.
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u/gpb_371 May 18 '26
Raise the top half of bed by 15 degrees and call it what it is... Orthostatic Training.
It is not rest as much as recalibration of hydrostatic set point (as it pertains to BP regulation)
See: https://www.hospitaldaluz.pt/en/health-dictionary/orthostatic-training, et al...
It is training
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u/barefootwriter May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
That isn't why you tilt the bed in POTS and orthostatic training does nothing for us. It does work for VVS and some forms of OH, but these are not the same.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Aide314 May 18 '26 edited May 18 '26
House cat mode. When I’m on bedrest my cats and have similar routines. For obvious reasons I can’t participate in their zoomies though 🤷🏼♀️