Health care
How to Keep Your Veins Healthy
It should come as no surprise that the internet is bursting with tips on how to keep your veins healthy, some are better than others.
With millions of Americans suffering from various vascular and heart conditions, keeping your circulatory system in top shape is one of the most important things you can do to keep your own name off that list.
Not taking your vascular health seriously can lead to all manner of problems, from mild and inconvenient, to painful, debilitating and even life-threatening.
To help you prevent this, we’ve pulled together a few tips by on keeping your veins healthy. Best of all, each tip is relatively easy to practice in the daily routine of most LA area residents after consulting a vascular surgeon in Santa Clarita, CA.
Vein Health
How You Can Keep Their Veins Happy and Healthy
Sip on Some Water
Proper hydration helps thin your blood and keep it flowing properly which is vital when you’re looking to improve circulation. In contrast, when you’re dehydrated (and a survey has found that 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated) your blood can thicken, which can raise your blood pressure and lead to issues like hypertension.
Keep in mind! Hydrating isn’t as easy as pounding back a sports drink or a bottle of water. If you drink too fast, you’ll find that the water is leaving you well before your body has a chance to absorb it. We recommend keeping a bottle next to you throughout the day and sipping at it slowly to give the digestive system more time to absorb it.
Get Your Heart Pumping
You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again, but it’s VERY important that you’re giving your heart the attention it deserves. You need to ensure you’re getting in your cardio for the week, whether that’s through brisk walks around the neighborhood, a run with your favorite music, or a game of tennis or touch football. Regular exercise will help keep your heart ticking just as it should which means pumping a strong, steady blood flow through your veins
Ditch the Cigarettes
Watching out for your heart also means putting down the cigarettes. The chemicals contained in cigarettes (and all forms of tobacco) will force your blood to thicken and put significant stress on your heart in order to keep pumping this precious resource throughout your body.
Smoking also has a direct adverse affect on your veins. Nicotine directly causes your arteries and veins to narrow, limiting how much blood can pass through them. Over time this leads to hardening which can skyrocket your blood pressure as your body struggles to pump blood effectively. In fact, if there’s anything you’re going to do from this list, it’s put down the cigarettes.
Overhaul Your Diet
Improving your diet is one of the best things you can due to improving your vein health. Eating a diet that’s rich in nutrients, antioxidants, and proper fats will improve your heart health. In fact, one study found that women who ate a Mediterranean diet, known for its variety of healthy foods, had a 25% decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease.
A proper diet can also help you shed the pounds. Believe us when we say that this has benefits far past looking better naked. Carrying too much body fat leads to all manner of health problems that will affect your circulation, like deep vein thrombosis and varicose veins.
Keep Cool
This is a surprise to a lot of people, but heat causes your veins to expand further. This is by design, as the expansion typically helps you to cool down. However, when you’re dealing with varicose veins or similar afflictions, this can cause a lot of pain in your daily life because your circulatory system won’t be able to handle expanding much further. So skip the hot showers, long dips in the hot tub, or exercises in sweltering gyms without A/C.
Speak to a Specialist
Applying tips to keep your veins healthy by yourself is fantastic, but sometimes lifestyle changes alone may not be enough. If you’re experiencing symptoms, speak to a vein and PAD vascular surgeon at the Encino Vascular Institute and get the help that you need. Call (818) 908-9752 or visit us at 16311 Ventura Blvd Suite 1080p, Encino, CA 91436.