Your veins and arteries make up tens of thousands of miles of your body’s vascular system and play a crucial role in circulation. And your veins have an especially vital function of returning deoxygenated blood in your legs back to your heart while working against gravity.
Keeping your veins healthy is key to preventing circulation problems. A sedentary lifestyle, obesity, diabetes, genetics and pregnancy can all affect the health of your veins. Even jobs that require long periods of standing or sitting can wreak havoc on your body.
Here are some tips and easy things you can do to strengthen the health of your vascular system.
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables
The brighter the better. Those rich in vitamins K, C and E help improve the health of your vein walls and circulation. Go for oranges, strawberries, spinach, broccoli, red peppers, garlic, brussel sprouts and avocados in particular.
Exercise
It’s important to keep active each day doing activities such as walking or swimming to promote healthy blood flow and strong veins. If you sit or stand for extended periods of time, take a walk every 30 minutes to boost your circulation.
Drink Water
Drink eight glasses of water every day, and drink extra when you exercise or sweat. When your body is properly hydrated, your blood is thinner and flows easily through your veins.
Stop smoking
Smoking is so bad for your health in many ways, but the chemicals in tobacco smoke de-oxygenates and thickens your blood. This causes it to move more slowly through your vascular system. Nicotine also causes veins to harden and narrow, which increases the risk of blood clots.
Keep your blood pressure in check
It’s important to know your blood pressure levels and understand what the numbers mean, even if you don’t have problems with your blood pressure. High blood pressure can put a strain on veins and arterial valves and cause them to weaken.
Reduce your sodium intake
Too much sodium in your diet can lead to water retention, which increases the volume of blood in your body and puts extra pressure on your veins and arteries. This added strain can weaken vein walls and valves over time, making it harder for your vascular system to function properly.
