Poor circulation is a health condition in which inadequate blood flow causes hypoxia and other metabolic requirement insufficiencies. This circulatory issue can occur anywhere in your body, yet the extremities are most prone to the problem. Therefore, poor circulation is often used interchangeably with peripheral vascular disease and peripheral artery disease.
Poor circulation symptoms largely depend on where and how much your blood flow is reduced. However, here’s just some of the various symptoms that could indicate your blood circulation is poor:
- edema
- dyspnea
- cyanosis
- claudication
- paresthesias
- telangiectasia
- brittle toenails
- vision changes
- cold intolerance
- white fingers, nails
- poor wound healing
- migraines, headaches
- dizziness with standing
- aching, cold hands & feet
- foot, leg, calf muscle cramps
- mental acuity decline, amnesia, lethargy
- skin problems ~ itchiness, ulcers, decubitus, gangrene
Generally, the causes of poor blood circulation are due to a health, dietary or environmental condition. As such there’s a myriad of situations that can cause your blood to flow poorly, some of which are:
- injury
- obesity
- alcohol
- caffeine
- phlebitis
- diabetes
- smoking
- vasculitis
- aneurysm
- pregnancy
- air pollution
- malnutrition
- lung disease
- inflammation
- cold weather
- varicose veins
- Fabry disease
- Rett syndrome
- kidney disease
- atherosclerosis
- drug side effect
- niacin deficiency
- sedentary lifestyle
- high blood pressure
- high cholesterol level
- Raynaud’s syndrome
- coronary artery disease
- blood clot, deep vein thrombosis
There are numerous practical lifestyle treatments you can do yourself to improve poor circulation. Some of these treatments can alleviate poor circulation symptoms quickly or even resolve some of the causes of poor blood circulation.
- lose weight
- reduce stress
- exercise regularly
- drink hot herbal tea
- massage extremities
- wear wool or thermal socks
- avoid wearing tight fitting clothes
- keep extremities covered & warm
- elevate feet when legs are swollen
- wear appropriate footwear for walking
- wiggle extremities when they feel cold
- raise your legs slightly while lying down
- wear compression hosiery, support socks
- sit properly with your feet easily touching floor
- soak feet in warm water, take warm bath, apply warm compress
- move around as much as possible to avoid long periods of inactivity
- reduce intake of blood vessel constrictors ~ caffeine, alcohol, nicotine
- increase intake of vitamin C, vitamin E, garlic, lycopene, niacin, antioxidants
Chronic poor circulation needs to be addressed because if left untreated it can cause heart disease, stroke or amputation. And pay a visit to your health care provider if your symptoms of poor circulation are severe or you believe you’re suffering from a serious health condition that’s causing your poor blood circulation.
