If you want to be in good health, that means taking care of every single aspect of your health, from the biggest to the smallest thing. Of course, a lot of the time, it’s hard to know what all these different elements might be. Many of the things you do to stay healthy will actually benefit most of them in the end, but it’s still wise to understand more about some of the more important parts of your health.
Your circulation isn’t something you probably think too much about – if you think about it at all – but it’s a crucial part of keeping your body in good shape. Plus, it’s something you need to work on improving. With that in mind, here are some ways you can do it.
Stay Active
Something that always helps with your health, no matter what you’re trying to improve, and even including your mental health, is physical activity. The more active you can be, the better it is for you, and when it comes to your circulation, that’s very true.
Exercise gets your heart pumping, which in turn helps your blood flow better through your body (and your circulation is therefore improved). If you can get at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days (and this could include walking, swimming, cycling, or even yoga), then you’ll be doing well.
Wear Compression Sleeves
Compression sleeves for arms and other areas of the body can be a huge help when it comes to improving your circulation. These sleeves are tight-fitting, and they work by essentially pushing the blood around, back towards the heart.
Although compression sleeves can be used for a lot of things, people will poor circulation find them very useful, and they’re easy to wear and fairly unobtrusive too, so using them (and doing the other things on this list when you can) is a great option.
Manage Stress
Stress can have a huge impact on your circulation, which might be surprising, but it’s true. When you’re stressed, your body makes more hormones like cortisol, and these can do all kinds of damage to the body, including making it more difficult for blood to flow because they constrict the blood vessels.
When you’re less stressed, this isn’t such an issue, and your circulation should be improved, so you’ll need to manage your stress levels as much as possible. Of course, it’s much easier to know you need to be less stressed than to actually do it, but relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, mindfulness, and yoga can all help, along with many others.
Stop Smoking
Smoking is something that has been proven to cause problems with your circulation, as it restricts the blood vessels, just like we mentioned above. If you’re a smoker, quitting can be the best thing you ever do to improve your circulation, but also to improve other aspects of your health as well.
Again, quitting isn’t easy even if you know it’s important, and if you’re struggling, the best thing to do is speak to a healthcare professional who should be able to offer some advice.
