Prevent Varicose Veins, Here’s How
Varicose veins in addition to being unsightly, can be very painful. For this reason, today we give you these tips to prevent varicose veins that will help you delay their development or relieve pain.
Check your family tree!
Varicose veins are a hereditary problem, although the reason is not known. Some experts believe it is due to a weakness in the gene that regulates the development of the veins. This can cause defects in the structure of the valves and veins or, in some people, a reduction in the number of valves in the veins, overloading the few that exist.
If any of your family members have varicose veins, the best thing to do is to prevent them. These are some tips for doing it.
Take action to prevent varicose veins
While exercise cannot prevent varicose veins, doctors agree that exercise can reduce symptoms by improving circulation by preventing blood from accumulating.
To promote circulation in your legs, almost any type of exercise that includes leg movement works, such as cycling, aerobics, going for a walk or running, stepping in the gym, or climbing stairs at work. during the lunch break; all of these are great leg exercises.
Also read: The benefits of a daily walk
Lose weight
Having several extra pounds makes you less active, which means that your leg muscles work less. As a result, overweight people typically fail to pump blood from their lower extremities to the heart efficiently.
Furthermore, the blood vessels of an overweight person contain more blood than a thin person and therefore the tension is greater.
Follow a balanced diet
In addition to helping you stay fit, a balanced diet provides the nutrients that can really help prevent varicose veins. For example, proteins and vitamin C contain collagen, which is present in the tissue of the veins and valves.
If the collagen is in good condition, the tissues tend to be more resistant. A balanced diet that includes a variety of foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean sources of protein is the best way to get the necessary amounts of nutrients. However, it cannot cure varicose veins.
Rest when you stand a lot
When standing, the blood in the leg veins not only has to make a long upward journey against gravity, but it must also do so without the help of pumping provided by the extending and contracting leg muscles.
As a result, blood tends to accumulate in the legs causing varicose veins to form. If possible, when you walk a lot take breaks or, preferably, sit with your feet up.
Also, when standing still in one place, shift your weight from one leg to the other and / or occasionally stand on tiptoes. In this way, you will allow the leg muscles to push the blood towards the heart.
Raise your legs
Standing with your feet high is good, but raising them to heart height is even better. It’s a way to help move blood from the feet and ankles to the heart by harnessing gravity. Doctors have long recommended keeping the feet elevated to relieve pain and swelling in the legs.
For this reason, lie down on a sofa and rest your feet on the armrest or put three or four pillows underneath (or lie on the floor and rest your feet on the seat of a chair). If possible, try to raise your legs for ten minutes once an hour.
You haven’t been sitting for a long time
Some experts think that even sitting for prolonged periods of time can contribute to the formation of varicose veins. Bent knees and hips resting on the seat complicate and delay the return of blood to the heart.
For this reason, it is very important that during a long plane or car trip or during the day in the office (or at home) you occasionally get up and stretch your legs to prevent varicose veins. When you need to rest, flex your heel up and down ten times.
The same can happen if you sit in a chair with a seat that is too deep for your leg length: the front edge of the chair sinks into the back of your knees and compresses blood vessels, restricting blood flow.
Do not cross your legs, as the contraction of the muscles in the feet can help bring blood up and out of the veins. While sitting seated, do exercises to increase blood flow .
Use comfortable clothes
Keep pants or other clothing that hugs you around your waist or groin away. In fact, they can act almost like turnstiles that restrict the flow of blood at these points where circulation is very important.
Likewise, use comfortable footwear; shoes with lower heels cause the calf muscles to work less than when wearing high-heeled shoes.
Sleep in a pair of spandex pants
This type of trousers made with this stretchy material put a slight pressure on your legs and can help you. However, make sure that they do not tighten you too much in the groin or waist, as, even if they are loose, they can still block circulation.
