Varicose veins can be your source of daily aggravation in the aspect of cosmetics and health.
Once the bulging and bluish veins form on the legs, a person’s self-esteem may take a hit. Some individuals avoid wearing shorts, dresses, or skirts, even in the hot summer weather.
Varicose may also indicate signs of conditions, including Hyperpigmentation, Lipodermatosclerosis, Restless Leg Syndrome, and Deep Vein Thrombosis. If untreated a person may suffer from unpleasant symptoms that include pain and itching.
Risk factors that cause the appearance of the varicose veins in the legs include age, lifestyle, weight, medical conditions, and diet.
If you are sitting down the whole day without pumping the muscles of your calf, the blood tends to pool in the valves of your leg veins. If you are wearing tight clothes and compression garments, the tightness causes to disrupt the blood flow in your legs, affecting the veins underneath.
Elevating your legs is one way to alleviate the discomfort and painful occurrence of varicose veins.
Benefits of Elevating Your Legs
Elevating your legs gives immediate comfort. The rationale behind this is to take off pressure from the leg veins and to encourage the blood to flow and empty them. It allows stocked blood to flow away and recourse through the rest of the body.
According to Dr. Nima Azarbehi, a Scottsdale Varicose Vein Doctor, “When the varicose veins can’t properly assist in the blood return from the legs, the blood pooling causes stretching and engorgement of veins. Elevating your legs allows gravity to “drain” the blood from your legs and drive it to your heart. This helps with edema and swelling that can be associated with the varicose veins as well.”
#1 It improves your blood circulation
After a long period of sitting and standing, gravity continues to pull down on your blood, impeding its flow. In other words, gravity causes the blood to pool in your lower body and stocks lymph and fluids, reducing your circulation.
If your blood pools in your legs, it increases its blood pressure in the valve of the veins and forms a varicose.
By elevating your legs above your heart, you reverse its implied circulation and maximizes the flow to regenerate the stocked due blood.
#2 It gives you a better sleeping experience
A varicose vein causes bulging, bluish veins, swelling, aching pain, itching, changes in skin color, and a feeling of heaviness in the legs and feet. Likewise, a varicose vein in your feet causes discomfort and pain in your sleep.
Furthermore, elevating comes with a package of benefits - it boosts the blood circulation, eases pressure on your joints, and helps to relieve the pain in your back and legs.
Having a better sleeping experience regenerates healthier blood and stronger immune system for better healthy legs.
#3 It alleviates your lower back pain
Your sleeping position is one of the factors why you have back pain. Depending also on your sleeping hygiene, your back pain causes your poor posture that limits your work productivity.
There are different sources of back pain, especially to those who have spinal health conditions, such as osteoarthritis in the spine, degenerative spondylolisthesis, soreness, and pain.
Furthermore, a common condition called Sciatica causes lower back and leg pain, making a person have sleep difficulties at night. Research finds that sciatica amounts to a spinal disc pressuring one of the sciatic nerves, which run from the spine in the lower back down the leg on both sides.
To alleviate lower back pain caused by spinal health conditions, elevating your legs may help you sleep gently at night.
#4 It reduces swelling
After a prolonged sitting and standing, you might notice that the muscles in your legs are compressed, and the calves in your feet are heavier to carry. These tendencies are caused by the gravity that affects your circulation.
Gravity stocks lymph and other fluids in your feet and your legs. Once it is stocked in your valves, it may create a varicose vein.
Elevating your legs recourses the stocked fluids back to your body and regenerates even more in the blood flow.
#5 It prevents you from Deep Vein Thrombosis
Mayo Clinic explains that Deep Vein Thrombosis can be fatal since the blood clots in your veins can break loose, join through your bloodstream, lodge in your lungs, and block the blood flow. As a result, it causes pulmonary embolism.
Each year, between 100,00 to 180,000 Americans die due to pulmonary embolism, and its fatality affects a person to die from a blood clot or deep vein thrombosis every five minutes, according to the Vascular Disease Foundation.
To prevent DVT, elevating your legs aid in swelling reduction and circulation to keep the blood flowing.
Key Takeaways
The appearance of varicose veins can be a source of embarrassment and pain.
As a resolution, elevating your legs is one way to alleviate the discomfort and painful occurrence of varicose veins. While surgical operations are available to remove your varicose veins, the following are the five practical and preventive benefits of elevating your legs:
- It improves your blood circulation;
- It gives you a better sleeping experience;
- It alleviates your lower back pain;
- It reduces swelling; and
- It prevents you from Deep Vein Thrombosis
Additionally, another alternative to counter the pain caused by varicose veins is the use of support clothing. Zippered compression socks can complement the leg elevation, keeping your ankle (and, in effect, your varicose veins) from swelling. Compression socks are also perfect during travels or other situations when you just can’t simply elevate your legs to alleviate pain. Also, the inclusion of the zipper on these handy socks make taking it on or off a hassle-free experience.
Are you suffering from a varicose vein? Don’t worry. At an economic price, Elite Vein Clinic offers the best vein care, specializing in the treatment of varicose veins.