Lifestyle Changes for Poor Circulation
Exercise can increase the distance PAD sufferers can walk without pain and helps decrease the likelihood of a stroke or heart attack. It is also considered the most effective treatment for PAD. Simple walking regimens, leg exercises and treadmill exercise programs three times a week can result in decreased symptoms in four to eight weeks. Exercise for intermittent claudication (leg pain) consists of alternating exercise and rest in intervals to build up the amount of time the person can walk before pain begins.
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Poor foot circulation can be improved through physical activities like bicycling, swimming, and walking, which can greatly improve blood circulation if performed regularly. Walking is a perfect place to start, and you can progress to more advanced exercises over time that will get the blood pumping and gradually open the smaller vessels in feet and toes.
Hydrotherapy (hot and cold showers) is a good way to improve circulation and can be concentrated on the affected areas. When you take a hot shower, blood rushes to the skin. Then if you switch to cold water, the blood rushes from the skin to the internal organs. You shiver, but your blood is flushing out your skin and leaving it oxygenated. Then, when you turn on the hot water again, the blood rushes from your internal organs to your skin, which flushes out your organs. You can also do this just to the feet and legs, if that is your problem area. Your circulation is increased just by the action of your blood being forced rapidly around your body. This hot and cold water shower can be repeated five or six times for optimum results. Do not start with very hot or very cold water. Gradually increase the temperature difference between the hot and cold water over a period of a few weeks so it is not too much of a shock to the system. This single action can dramatically improve your circulation over time.
Raising the feet for short periods can help get the circulation moving through the feet. Place your feet on a chair or sofa as you lie on the floor. Blood will drain from each foot, and the feet are returned to the floor freshly oxygenated. A short foot soak in a tub of warm water can also help improve blood flow in the feet.
People with peripheral artery disease, especially those with diabetes, are at risk for poor healing of sores on the lower legs and feet. Poor blood circulation can lengthen or prevent proper healing and increases the risk of infection. These suggestions can help you take care of your feet: wash feet daily; moisturize well and often to prevent cracks that can lead to infection; wear well-fitting shoes and thick, dry socks; promptly treat fungal foot infections like athlete's foot; be careful when trimming toenails; avoid walking barefoot.
Improving poor circulation is almost impossible for those who continue to smoke. Tobacco smoke greatly increases the risk of PAD, heart attack, and stroke. On average, smokers experience PAD symptoms ten years earlier than non-smokers.
