How to improve your blood circulation

Why you need good blood flow

It’s hard to believe, but your body holds about 60,000 miles of blood vessels. Along with your heart, they make up your circulatory system. Circulation is vital to the health of your entire body.  This network of roadways carries blood to every corner of your body. In fact, about 5 quarts of blood is pumped through your body’s blood vessels every minute, thanks to your heart. As your blood circulates throughout your body, it delivers oxygen and nutrients to the body’s cells and helps get rid of excess waste products in your system. But when your circulation is poor, it slows or blocks the blood flow. That means the cells in your body can’t get all the oxygen and nutrients they need.

Signs of Poor Circulation

When you have poor circulation, that means your blood isn’t flowing through your system as efficiently, and you can end up suffering from a variety of issues, including numbness. When your limbs can’t get enough blood, your hands or feet may feel cold or numb. If you’re light-skinned, your legs might get a blue tinge. Poor circulation also can dry your skin, turn your nails brittle, and make your hair fall out. Some men may have trouble getting or keeping an erection. And if you have diabetes, your scrapes, sores, or wounds tend to heal slower.

If your circulation is regularly poor, you are likely facing some issues that are more serious than limbs numbness – including bloating, zapped energy, and fluid retention.

If any of these things sound familiar, then we’ve got just what you need: things that you can do to improve your circulation.

Ways to improve your circulation

1. Control your blood pressure

If it’s too high, it can cause arteriosclerosis, a condition that hardens your arteries and can help choke off blood flow. Aim for 120 over 80 or less, but ask your doctor about the best numbers for your age and health.

2. Exercise

Exercising is beneficial to your body in so many ways. Regular exercise can:

• Control weight
• Combat health conditions and diseases
• Improve mood
• Boost energy
• Improve sleep
• Boost sex life
• Help you engage socially
• Be a way to have fun

Exercise is a great way to combat your issues with poor blood circulation. Any exercise that gets your blood pumping will be beneficial, particularly walking. Once you feel more comfortable moving on to more challenging exercises, you’ll see your circulation improve even more.

Be sure to take your time in progressing to do aerobic exercises such as running, biking, swimming, etc., and don’t overexert. ‘Aerobic’ means ‘with oxygen.’ So when you run, bike, swim, and do similar exercises, you take in more oxygen and move it to your muscles. This gets your blood pumping, makes your heart stronger, and lowers your blood pressure.

Set a goal to exercise for 30 minutes, 5 to 7 days a week.

3. Elevate your legs

Elevating your legs is a great way to take the pressure off of your veins. When your ankles or feet swell, try the legs-up-the-wall yoga pose.

Regularly elevating your legs above your heart comes with a number of benefits, including:

• Better blood circulation
• Reducing swelling in the legs
• Promoting the draining of your veins.

Find 20 minutes in your day to elevate your legs, and you will feel a major difference in your circulation.

4. Stretch and regularly stand up

With just a few minutes of basic stretching a couple of times a day, you can drastically improve your circulation.

Stretching works to increase blood flow to your body’s tissues and organs.

A majority of people spend their days sitting at a desk in the same position, which as you know, can cause a whole slew of problems. Sitting for hours at a time isn’t great for your circulation or your back. It weakens leg muscles and slows the blood flow in your legs, which could cause a clot.

Making an effort to get up regularly, walk around, and stretch can help fight circulation issues, as well as many other problems that result from spending too much time sitting.

5. Get a massage

Not only can a massage bring you great relaxation and relief from the stresses of your life, but it can also stimulate your body’s blood flow.

Massages can speed up your circulation. The pressure that the massage applies to your body has the power to move blood through the areas that are congested.

In addition, once the pressure applied during your massage is released, new blood is able to flow in where it once may not have been able to.

The motions of a massage aid in flushing lactic acid from your muscles, as well as provide better circulation of your body’s lymph fluid. Lymph fluid carries metabolic waste away from muscles and internal organs, resulting in lower blood pressure and improved body function.

6. Dry brush your skin daily

Dry brushing is very simple to work into your daily routine and is great for removing dead skin and improving your circulation.

Do it every day, right before your shower. But be sure you scrub it correctly. Yes, there’s a technique to dry brushing your skin: start at your feet work your way up; use long motions on your legs and arms and make circles on your belly and lower back.

You will see your skin’s surface become incredibly smooth, and you’ll feel your circulation improve.

7. Get rid of stress

Stress is one of the most damaging things you can do to your body. Your body goes completely out of whack when you are stressed – it goes into what is called “fight or flight” mode.

And stress can cause problems with your circulation as well. High stress levels may lead to elevated blood pressure, which can cause poor circulation.

However, by finding ways to reduce your stress, you can save your body from a number of issues, including circulation.

8. Drink lots of water

Blood is about half water. So you need to stay hydrated to keep it moving. Aim for 8 glasses of water a day. You’ll need to drink more if you exercise or if it’s hot outside.

Drinking enough water is a great way to combat circulation issues. Water helps to keep things flowing throughout your body, including the flush of toxins.

In addition to water, you can drink green tea. Apart from being ripe with antioxidants, green tea can also help improve your blood circulation. Green tea works to widen your body’s blood vessels, which gives your blood a chance to more easily flow.

In order to see the benefits of green tea in your circulation, aim to drink 2 – 3 cups per day.

9. Cut back on alcohol

Moderate alcohol consumption can be okay for your body, but be sure you know how to define what ‘moderate means. For most, that means no more than two drinks.

Drinking any more than that can lead to your arteries hardening, which hinders your body’s ability to let blood flow properly.

10. Stop smoking

Nicotine is the active ingredient in cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, and smokeless tobacco. It harms the walls of your arteries and thickens your blood so much, it can’t get through. If you smoke, quit.

11. Eat more plants and less meat

Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Stay away from saturated fats that can be found in red meat, cheese, and other animal sources. Steer clear of too much salt. That will help keep your weight in a healthy range and your cholesterol and blood pressure in check – and your arteries clear.

Source: VEIN CLINICS, WEB MD

About STELLAPHARM

Stellapharm is one of leading generics pharmaceutical companies and strong producer of anti-viral drugs in Vietnam. The company established in Vietnam in 2000; and focuses on both prescription drugs and non-prescription especially in cardiovascular diseases, antiviral drugs, anti-diabetics drugs, etc. and our products are now used by millions of patients in more than 50 countries worldwide.

The company is globally recognized for its quality through our facilities have been audited and approved by stringent authority like EMA, PMDA, Taiwan GMP, local WHO and others.

Additional information for this article: Stellapharm J.V. Co., Ltd. – Branch 1
A: 40 Tu Do Avenue, Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Park, An Phu Ward, Thuan An City, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam
T: +84 274 376 7470 | F: +84 274 376 7469 | E: info@stellapharm.com | W: www.stellapharm.com