Poor blood circulation has been known to not only decrease motor ability but also cause serious and life-threatening cardiovascular risks, including heart attacks and strokes. Unfortunately, there is no permanent way of curing yourself of this disease. Instead, you’ll need to actively take steps in order to improve your blood circulation.
So, if you want to be able to continue living comfortably with your condition — be it Peripheral Arterial Disease (which is when plaque builds up and clogs up the arteries) or Hypertension (abnormally high blood pressure) take note of the following suggestions.
-
Take a Walk!
One of the things recommended for those who have PAD, in order to help with poor lower extremity mobility, is a regular walking routine. This has been proven effective, by Dr. Mohler, who studied and wrote about the positive effects of supervised walking in patients who have Peripheral Arterial Disease. In some cases, even though it doesn’t erase the symptoms of the disease completely, it can help reduce the effects of common symptoms that can cause pain in the legs and feet.
For this, we recommend that you have a look at our “Best Workout to Manage for PAD” article. Where we’ve described everything that you need to know in order to set up a good walking routine.
-
Examine Your Legs and Feet!
Something that you might need to do regularly, in order to improve, is to examine your legs and feet. If you are afflicted with PAD, specifically, it is more likely for you to get infections because the lack of blood flow makes it difficult for wounds and sores to heal.
At worst, this condition, called critical limb ischemia, can lead to gangrene and even the loss of a limb. So, make sure that you keep track of your circulation by physically checking for open wounds and sores on your legs and feet.
-
Quit Smoking!
Another must-do is to stop smoking! Smoking has been known to make conditions like Peripheral Arterial Disease so much worse. In fact, smoking is considered one of the most common causes of PAD, and that the cessation of smoking could lead to better blood circulation overall.
-
Eat Healthier!
Something that is also highly recommended, is a change in diet. For this, there are certain things that might be more recommended for you — it really depends on what is causing your poor circulatory condition in the first place.
For example, if you have PAD, then the most recommended diet is the Mediterranean Diet, which is low in saturated fats and high in good fats. As for those who are suffering from Hypertension, there is another type of diet that is recommended – called the DASH diet.
-
Go to the Doctor!
Our last tip, especially if you want to know how to improve blood circulation based on your needs, is that you go to see a doctor! Your doctor will have a better recommendation for you than anything that you can ever get online. Whether it be about your diet, recommended exercise routine, etc.
Conclusion — How to Improve Blood Circulation?
That concludes our tips for improving your blood circulation! Again, this is a very ‘blanket-type’ recommendation. Depending on your circumstances, certain tips might work better for you (whilst others might not work at all.) So, make sure to keep that in mind when you make the decision to start improving your life.
REFERENCES
- Murphy, Timothy P, et al. “Supervised Exercise versus Primary Stenting for Claudication Resulting from Aortoiliac Peripheral Artery Disease: Six-Month Outcomes from the Claudication: Exercise versus Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER) Study.” Circulation, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 3 Jan. 2012, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22090168.
- Conen, David, et al. “Smoking, Smoking Cessation, and Risk for Symptomatic Peripheral Artery Disease in Women: A Cohort Study.” Annals of Internal Medicine, American College of Physicians, 7 June 2011, annals.org/aim/article-abstract/746966/smoking-smoking-cessation-risk-symptomatic-peripheral-artery-disease-women-cohort?doi=10.7326/0003-4819-154-11-201106070-00003.