A vascular surgeon has revealed the surprisingly simple mistake millions of people make every morning, and why it could be quietly damaging their legs.
Dr Rema Malik, a US-based specialist in blood vessel health who regularly shares advice with her 68,000 Instagram followers, says the way you get out of bed could be placing unnecessary strain on your circulation before your day has even begun.
In a recent post, she pointed to a behaviour most people overlook entirely, drawing a comparison with something far more instinctive in the animal world.
'Have you ever noticed that the first thing a dog or cat does when they wake up is a massive, full-body stretch?' she wrote.
'They aren't doing it to feel good. They are doing it for their blood flow.'
According to Dr Malik, humans with 'elite circulation' often do something similar without even realising.
It's a small but powerful movement that primes the body before it meets gravity.
She described it as the 'Pre-Stand Pump', which is a subtle habit that happens while you're still lying in bed.
'While they are still under the covers, people with healthy veins naturally point and flex their toes, stretching their calves before they ever sit up,' she explained.
It might seem insignificant, but the science behind it is anything but.
During sleep, the body enters a slower physiological state. Blood pressure drops, heart rate decreases, and blood begins to pool in the deep veins of the legs after hours of lying still.
Dr Malik warned that jumping straight out of bed forces your vascular system to suddenly work against gravity without any preparation.
'If you suddenly jump out of bed and stand straight up, you are hitting your vascular system with a massive dose of gravity all at once,' she said.
'Your veins have to scramble to push that heavy, stagnant blood back up to your chest.'
That sudden shift can leave your circulation playing catch-up, something that, over time, may contribute to the sluggish blood flow experts link to swelling, heaviness and more serious vein conditions.
But a simple movement can change that entirely.
Dr Malik recently highlighted a behaviour most people overlook, comparing it to the instinctive full-body stretch animals like dogs and cats do when they wake - a movement she says is driven by blood flow, not comfort
'When you do the 'Pre-Stand Pump' (flexing your ankles back and forth): You manually squeeze your calf muscles.
'You act as an 'ignition switch' for your circulation. You push the pooled blood out of your legs before gravity can trap it there.'
The concept taps into what many experts refer to as the body's 'second heart' - the calf muscles, which help pump blood back up toward the chest.
It's a system that becomes especially important in modern life, where long hours sitting at desks, commuting or scrolling on the couch can slow circulation dramatically.
In Australia, where sedentary lifestyles are increasingly common, health professionals have long warned that reduced movement can contribute to venous insufficiency, fluid retention and, in more serious cases, blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis.
According to her, people with strong circulation often make a small but powerful movement without realising, priming the body before it meets gravity. She refers to it as the 'pre-stand pump', a subtle habit done while still lying in bed
Symptoms often start subtly, with a feeling of heaviness, mild swelling or tightness around the ankles, but are frequently dismissed until they worsen.
Dr Malik has previously described this as a 'silent killer' in daily routines, warning that 'gravity and time' quietly wear down the body's vascular system when left unchecked.
'We protect what we panic about, but we ignore what whispers,' she said.
Her latest advice is designed to interrupt that cycle before it begins, starting with the very first movement of your day.
'The fix: You don't have to rely on instinct. You can make it a rule,' she said.
'Tomorrow morning, before your feet hit the hardwood, do 10 deep ankle pumps. Prime the engine before you drive the car.'
It's a small shift, but one she said could make a meaningful difference over time, helping your body do what it was designed to do, and keep blood moving.