Young people are generally unaware that poor blood circulation sets up a dangerous trap health-wise because its symptoms are not obvious while they’re young.
When symptoms are discovered, generally, when they’re older, it’s too late to find remedies. Indeed, prevention is paramount to address this issue. Following are some of the less known causes of poor blood circulation:
Three Lifestyle Causes of Poor Circulation
1. Binge Drinking
Studies have shown that drinking a glass of alcohol (distilled spirits, wine, or beer) a day can help the heart function better. It also helps maintain balance and the right proportions of fat in the blood and helps in lowering chances of developing blood clots and blocked arteries.
However, science also declares more than two drinks of alcohol a day can harm the heart. How? Large amounts of alcohol can affect how the heart works. If the heart isn’t pumping blood throughout the body effectively, other organs may suffer from lack of oxygen or nutrients. If the person drinking has clogged blood vessels, the heart has to work even harder.
Studies on middle-aged and older people resulted in finding links between binge drinking and a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases like stroke, sudden cardiac death, and heart attack. Binge drinking may also lead to hardened arteries which increased the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Obviously, binge drinking should be avoided at all cost in order to have a healthy blood circulation. One way to avoid it is to limit the time you spend with your gang who’s into binge drinking. You can also hang a huge poster illustrating the dangers of drinking too much alcohol. Locate it somewhere you can always see it; on the fridge, your room ceiling, or your bathroom mirror. This way, every single day, upon waking up you’ll be reminded about the dangers of binge drinking.
2. Sitting For Too Long, Especially With Bad Posture
While a brief period of sitting here and there is natural, long periods of sitting day-in and day-out can seriously impact your health and shorten your life. Excessive sitting is one of the causes of poor circulation.
The Mind Unleashed has a notable description of prolonged sitting’s negative effects:
Organ Damage
- The Heart – In a sitting position, blood flow slows down and muscles don’t burn enough fat, which permits fatty acids to clog in the heart much faster.
- The Pancreas – The body’s ability to properly respond to insulin is badly affected by just one day of prolonged sitting. This leads the pancreas to produce more insulin, and this cause diabetes.
- Colon Cancer – Excessive sitting may increase your risk of colon, breast, and endometrial cancers. It could be because of excess insulin production, which encourages cell growth.
How do you avoid sitting for too long? Adding more non-exercise movement into your daily routine makes a difference. If you set a goal of around 7,000 to 10,000 steps a day (just over three to five miles) it can go a long way toward more movement and less sitting.
For example, you can walk across the hall to talk to an office mate instead of shooting him an email, instead of the elevator, take the stairs, or park your car away from where your cubicle is.
3. High Intake Of Sodium
A high intake of sodium is a more common cause of poor circulation.
Sodium is a mineral and electrolyte that’s crucial for your body to function well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, around 90% of sodium you get comes from salt. Sodium assists in controlling blood volume and blood pressure. However, your circulatory health may suffer if you get too much of it.
A high sodium diet is linked to hypertension. According to the CDC, if sodium rises, blood pressure rises too. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010 recommends you limit salt intake to less than 2,300 milligrams/day.
You must not consume 1,500 milligrams daily if you’re 51 years old or older, African-American, or have health conditions like HB pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease. Processed foods and restaurant foods are full of salt. Don’t eat these foods and you’ll be able to avoid the intake of salt.
So to sum up – avoid binge drinking, sitting for too long and remember to cut down the intake of salt in your diet to improve your blood circulation. A little bit of exercise can go a long way to get your circulation up and running.
Featured photo credit: www.winerist.com via winerist.com
