How Improving Venous Circulation Can Benefit Your Overall Health
Venous circulation plays an essential role in our circulatory system, as well as our overall health. Our veins are designed to circulate deoxygenated blood back to the heart from different parts of our bodies to keep our circulatory system functioning properly.
When our veins can’t return deoxygenated blood to the heart from our extremities, our circulation is impaired. This can lead to painful swelling of the legs, varicose veins, achy legs and other symptoms of venous disease.
Whether you have a family history of venous disease or not, improving venous circulation can significantly boost your quality of life and prevent existing symptoms from worsening. Here, we’ll explain the health benefits of improving venous circulation and outline some steps to take for better venous health:
Health Benefits of Better Venous Circulation
Venous disease is unfortunately common in the United Stated. Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI), a condition in which the valves in the legs don’t work properly, affects up to 40 percent of the population.
If you suffer from achy legs, spider veins, swelling of the feet or skin discoloration, taking steps to improve your venous circulation can significantly improve your quality of life. Here are a few benefits to promoting better venous circulation:
Help Organs Function Properly
The circulatory system delivers oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to different parts of the body. Healthy venous circulation is essential to proper organ function because it ensures that deoxygenated blood flows back toward our heart, picking up waste products that our cells produce.
The deoxygenated blood is carried by the superior vena cava and inferior vena cava and then emptied into the right atrium of the heart. This blood is then carried to the lungs to pick up oxygen and deliver more oxygen-rich blood to our organs.
Aid Muscle Recovery
If you hate sore muscles after a workout, improving your blood circulation can help alleviate some of the pain. Improving blood flow to your lower legs allows more oxygen-rich blood to get to your muscles, delivering vital nutrients that can help sore muscles recover faster. Similarly, increased blood flow allows capillaries to absorb greater amounts of waste products from tissues that can slow muscle recovery.
Eliminate Leg Pain
Millions of people in the U.S. suffer from leg pain caused by poor circulation. This occurs when blood doesn’t flow properly to the heart and begins pooling in the legs.
If you work long hours where you stand or sit for long periods of time, it’s important to move around and change positions regularly. Promoting good venous circulation can help reduce annoying aches, pains, swelling and numbness in the legs.
Get Better Sleep
Those who suffer from poor venous circulation often report difficulty getting a full night’s sleep. In fact, venous disease has been linked to numerous sleep disorders.
Getting to sleep can be difficult enough without feeling aches and pains in your legs. Fortunately, improving venous circulation is a simple remedy that can alleviate some of this pain.
Encouraging blood to flow back to the heart can reduce fluid buildup in the legs, providing relief to your nagging symptoms. With an absence of pains and aches, you can finally achieve a peaceful night’s sleep once more.
Ways to Improve Venous Circulation
Although venous disease is common, there are numerous ways to treat mild symptoms and slow their progression. Here are a few tips to boost venous circulation and improve your overall health:
Elevate Your Legs
A simple remedy for poor lower leg circulation is to elevate your legs above the level of your heart. Even if you don’t have a medical need to do so, elevating your legs can help reverse gravity’s effects on our legs and remove stagnant fluid that can build up between tissue cells.
Many people incorrectly elevate their legs, which does nothing to boost their lower leg circulation. However, an easy way to ensure that you elevate your legs properly is by using the Lounge Doctor Leg Rest. This will help you achieve the proper angles for optimal results.
Exercise Regularly
Most people know that regular exercise is good for their health, but here is one more reason to sneak in a workout: It gets the blood flowing. Just a brisk walk in the morning can boost your circulation and improve lower leg health.
Wear Compression Socks
Compression socks are worn by athletes and those with poor circulation to maximize venous blood flow in their lower legs. They are designed to apply a slight pressure to your legs, which helps fight gravity and allows blood to travel back to the heart more efficiently.
Eat a Healthy Diet
Your diet plays a significant role in the health of your vascular system. Processed foods, sugar and foods that contain high amounts of sodium can wreak havoc on our veins and slow venous circulation.
Maintaining a healthy diet is key to keeping venous circulation working properly. It doesn’t hurt to speak with a nutritionist and your doctor before committing to any diet plan.
Don’t Make a Vain Attempt — Strive for Healthy Veins!
Whether you suffer from symptoms of venous disease or not, improving venous circulation can benefit your overall health in many ways. From getting a good night’s sleep to speeding up recovery time after a workout, improving our blood flow is key to better overall health.