Circulation is vital to the health of your entire body. However, we are guessing circulation is not something you find yourself thinking about too often unless you find your feet falling asleep.However, there are many people who suffer from chronic circulation issues, and for them, thoughts about circulation are almost always there.
Your body is constantly circulating fluids throughout your body, most importantly blood. 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.
So, 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 (your hands and feet falling asleep).
At some point, we have all dealt with poor blood circulation.
And while your feet falling asleep can be somewhat of a nuisance, it certainly isn’t life-threatening.
However, if your circulation is regularly poor, you are likely facing some issues that are more serious than sleepy feet — 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:
Exercise
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| Exercise |
Exercising is beneficial to your body in so many ways. According to the Mayo Clinic, 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.
You don’t have to spend hours on the treadmill to see results.
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. However, be sure to take your time in progressing to exercises such as running, swimming, biking, etc., and don’t overexert.
Get a massage
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| Massage |
Just in case you’re looking for another reason to 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.
According to Massage Envy, 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.
It “carries metabolic waste away from muscles and internal organs, resulting in lower blood pressure and improved body function.”
Drink lots of water
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| Drink Water |
Did you know that it is advised you drink half your body weight in ounces of water a day?
Most people are nowhere near that many ounces a day.
It seems as if you’d have to constantly have to be drinking water in order to achieve that.
And you’re probably right.
However, 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.
Drink green tea
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| Drink Green Tea |
In addition to 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.
Dry brush your skin daily
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| Dry Brush Skin |
Dry brushing is very simple to work into your daily routine and is great for removing dead skin and improving your circulation.
Every morning before you shower, take a dry brush and scrub your skin. But be sure you scrub it correctly.
Yes, there’s a technique to dry brushing your skin: start at your feet and rub in circles up to your heart.
You will see your skin’s surface become incredibly smooth, and you’ll feel your circulation improve.
Get rid of stress
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| 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.
However, by finding ways to reduce your stress, you can save your body from a number of issues, including circulation.
Here are some great ways to fight stress:
- Yoga
- Mediation
- Limit caffeine intake
- Chew gum
- Journal
- Listen to relaxing music
- Spend time with friends and family
Cut back on alcohol
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| Cut Alcohol Consumption |
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.
Elevate your legs
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| Elevate Legs |
Elevating your legs is a great way to take the pressure off of your veins.
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.
Stretching
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| Streching |
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.
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.
