As you age, you may have decreased blood circulation to your feet or hands. It is important to maintain healthy circulation. To help promote healthy circulation in your feet and hands here are a few tips...
1. Keep your legs elevated
Try to prop up your feet at least slightly higher than your hips when you’re sitting down. This means gravity makes it easier for the blood in your legs to travel back up to your heart.
If you often find yourself nodding off when sitting upright in a chair, try to lie down in your bed instead if you’re feeling tired.
This will stop blood pooling in your legs as you sleep.
2. Stay active
Whether it’s walking, swimming or gardening, any form of exercise can help to get your blood pumping.
The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week. This is exercise that makes you feel warm and breathe a bit faster, but you can still have a conversation.
Stretching your body can also help to improve your circulation.
You could try wriggling your toes or rotating your ankles if you have been sitting down for a long time.
Yoga is a great way to improve blood flow too.
3. Drink more water
Around half of your blood is made of water, so staying hydrated is key.
If you’re not drinking enough fluid, you will have less blood in your body, and your blood may also become thicker.
To keep things moving, the UK Government’s Eatwell Guide recommends drinking six to eight glasses of water or fluids a day.
But if you have heart failure, check with your doctor, as you may need to drink less than this to stop fluid building up in your body.
4. Eat a healthy diet
If you’re living with excess weight, your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body, as your body is larger.
You're also at a higher risk of fatty plaques building up in the walls of your arteries.
As well as regular exercise, changing your diet can help you lose weight.
Swap meals high in saturated fats for a Mediterranean diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables, oily fish and wholegrains.
5. Wear compression stockings
Speak to your doctor if you’re thinking about using compression stockings to improve your circulation.
These tight socks squeeze your legs to keep blood moving back up to your heart and reduce swelling.
However, they may irritate your skin or cause pain if you do not have the right size, so make sure to get medical advice before you start wearing them.
4 Things To Avoid If You Have Poor Circulation
1. Direct heat on hands and feet
If your hands and feet feel cold, you may be tempted to warm them with a hot water bottler or a portable heater.
But if your hands and feet are numb, you might not notice if they get too hot. This could cause you to burn or injure your skin.
Instead, wear gloves and socks to keep yourself warm and cosy.
If you’re getting into a bath to warm yourself up, make sure it’s not too hot, and get in slowly.
2. Dry brushing
Some people claim using a dry, stiff-bristled brush on their skin can improve circulation.
However, while it could temporarily increase blood flow to certain areas in theory, there’s no scientific evidence that dry brushing boosts circulation over time.
In fact, there have not been any clinical trials or studies on the benefits of dry brushing.
It can also irritate or damage your skin, particularly if it’s fragile due to poor blood flow.
3. Wearing tight clothing
While the right pair of compression stockings may improve circulation, wearing tight trousers or shoes can have the opposite effect.
Clothing that puts pressure on certain areas of your body can restrict blood flow.
Instead, try to wear loose, comfortable clothes and correctly fitting footwear.
4. Smoking
Cigarettes contain chemicals that damage your blood vessels.
This can increase the risk of fatty materials building up on the walls of your arteries and make it harder for your blood to flow around your body.
This can lead to pain and skin ulcers in your legs and feet, because your blood is not delivering the oxygen and nutrients they need. But you can greatly reduce your risk by quitting smoking.
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