Tips for improving circulation

Have you ever wondered whether it is even possible to increase your circulation? While some evidence indicates that physical activity may help with circulation, generally speaking, lifestyle changes can’t help with circulation; nevertheless, they can stop it from getting worse.

Our general health depends on our circulatory system, which carries blood throughout the body and feeds all of the cells with nutrients and oxygen.

Here are some tips for improving circulation:

Smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure are just a few of the factors that can contribute to poor circulation, which can lead to potentially fatal problems. According to the American Heart Association, a combination of disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels known as cardiovascular disease, also known as heart and circulatory disease, affects over half of American adults over 20.

EXERCISE REGULARLY-

According to specialists, everyday walking can improve circulation and stop it from growing worse. She says that this is accomplished by encouraging collateral growth. Exercise can help someone whose blood vessels are narrowing grow smaller blood vessels so that oxygen and nutrients can flow around the obstruction. She continues by saying that exercise can support blood vessels’ ability to dilate (become wider) when needed.

According to the specialist, even a little walk or a tiny amount of exercise each day can be quite beneficial.

Evidence found in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology demonstrates that yoga is also a healthy kind of exercise that may be good for the heart.

STOP CIGARING-

According to the CDC, smoking increases the chance of developing peripheral vascular disease, a condition in which a buildup of fatty deposits causes arteries to become narrow and reduce blood flow to the legs.

According to Doctor, quitting smoking can stop poor circulation from getting worse. She therefore encourages you to stop smoking as soon as you can if you already do.

CHECK YOUR WEIGHT-

A higher risk of cardiovascular disorders is linked to being overweight or obese. As a result, specialists advise that “people should avoid weight gain and if they’re overweight, try to lose weight.”

This can be facilitated by maintaining a healthy diet. “A Mediterranean-style diet is healthy,” says Dr. McDermott. “It includes lots of fruits and vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables.”  “If you don’t like that [diet], in general, I recommend eating at least 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables daily. Eating fish a couple of times a week is also a very healthy approach.” She also suggests reducing the amount of salt in your diet.

According to a review paper in Current Treatment Options in Cardiovascular Medicine, specifically, the omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish support circulation and cardiovascular function.

ASSESS A MASSAGE-

Who doesn’t enjoy getting massaged? Now that you know it might be good for your circulatory system, you can enjoy it even more. A study from 2020 discovered that a five-minute manual leg massage significantly enhanced subjects’ circulation in both the massaged limb and the opposite limb. The study was published in the Journal of Applied Physiology(opens in new tab).

Due to the variety of massage techniques available, both manual and instruments like massage guns, there is some dispute regarding this, though (opens in new tab). Overall, it appears that massage therapy may improve circulation in the short term, but more studies are required to confirm this.

MANAGE BLOOD PRESSURE-

According to American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology blood pressure recommendations, normal blood pressure is defined as being less than 120/80 mm Hg. Dr. stresses the significance of keeping your blood pressure under control in order to stop poor circulation from getting worse.

Furthermore, it was demonstrated in the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial (SPRINT), which examined 9,361 individuals aged 50 and older with systolic blood pressures (SBPs) of 130 mm Hg or higher and at least one other cardiovascular disease risk factor, that lowering SBP below 120 mm Hg could improve cardiovascular disease outcomes by lowering the likelihood of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. Additionally, it reduced the risk of death by 27%.

Dr. recommends having your doctor check your blood pressure on a regular basis.

REDUCE CHOLESTROL-

Specialist also advises having your doctor routinely check your cholesterol level. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), frequently referred to as bad cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), frequently referred to as good cholesterol, combine to form total cholesterol, which is the total amount of cholesterol in your blood. According to the Mayo Clinic, the ideal total cholesterol level for most healthy persons is less than 200 mg/dL, the ideal LDL level is less than 100 mg/dL, and the ideal HDL level is greater than 40 mg/dL.

By lowering your cholesterol, you can avoid heart problems brought on by poor circulation.

This is supported by the Further Cardiovascular Outcomes Research with PCSK9 Inhibition in Subjects with Elevated Risk (FOURIER) trial, which examined the effectiveness and safety of the PCSK9 inhibitor and antibody drug evolocumab in lowering LDL cholesterol in participants with elevated cardiovascular risk who were taking statins. According to the findings, evolocumab was more effective than a placebo at preventing negative cardiovascular events and decreased LDL cholesterol by 56 mg/dl.