The importance of healthy circulation cannot be understated. Healthy circulation ensures that oxygen and nutrients are distributed evenly throughout your body and can prevent cardiovascular issues such as stroke and heart attack. In many cases, poor circulation can be linked to underlying medical conditions that require professional intervention. While it is essential that you follow the advice of your medical provider, there are also other ways that you can improve circulation through enjoyable lifestyle choices.
Symptoms of Poor Circulation
Listed below are the symptoms of poor circulation.
- Numbness or the feeling of pins and needles in your extremities
- Cold extremities
- Muscle cramps
- Constant fatigue
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
If you are experiencing these symptoms and have not seen a physician yet, it’s a good idea to do so! While it’s important to get their advice, we also list simple ways below that can help you improve your circulation.
Get Moving
Regular exercise can help boost your circulation. You don’t have to spend hours in the gym to reap the benefits of this either. Brisk walking for half an hour to 50 minutes a day a few times a week is enough to significantly improve your blood flow. You can also take a look at simple exercises that don’t need equipment or make use of things you can find lying around your house. Some simple chair exercises are a good start.
Get a Massage
Regular massages can help boost your circulatory system – as if we need another excuse to indulge! In addition to helping promote relaxation and relieve stress, massage stimulates our venous and lymphatic systems, which helps move blood and lymph around our bodies.
Quitting Smoking
Smoking is harmful in many ways. Cigarettes can damage our heart and blood muscles, leading to conditions such as arteriosclerosis, which causes our arteries to gather plaque. This accumulation of plaque in our arteries blocks blood flow, decreasing overall circulation.
Eat Well and Keep Hydrated
A healthy diet helps boost our overall health and circulation. Keeping a good diet also helps keep you trim, which is essential in maintaining healthy circulation. A healthy diet incorporates plenty of fruits and vegetables. Ideally, you should also limit your intake of red meat, sugar beverages, trans-fats, and excessive sodium.
Head to the Sauna
If the doctor allows it, heading to the sauna is a brilliant way to boost circulation. Saunas have long been an essential part of many cultures, and are known for their health benefits. While most think of saunas as a place to primarily unwind, saunas also help boost circulation. The extra heat introduced to the body in a sauna increases pulse rate, almost doubling the amount of blood pumped into your heart. Because this effect is so dramatic, it is important to get your doctor’s clearance before heading to a sauna as you do not want your body to be overwhelmed.
Reduce Stress
Stress-related hormones can wreak havoc on your circulatory system. There are many ways that you can reduce stress, which not only improves your health but your quality of life overall. These include participating regularly in hobbies that you love, attending yoga classes, deep breathing techniques, meditation, and more.