While it isn't on most people’s radar, the things you do in your everyday life can affect the health of your veins. Improving your vein health benefits your overall health and lowers your chance of vein issues like varicose veins and spider veins.
If keeping your veins healthy or improving vein health is your goal, vein specialist Dr. Majed Chane and the rest of the team at CA Heart and Vein Specialists in Huntington Beach, California, can help. From eliminating varicose veins, to managing vein conditions like peripheral artery disease, Dr. Chane is dedicated to quality vein care.
Our team can also meet with you to discuss lifestyle changes you can make to improve your vein health. Here, we describe three ways you may be harming your vein health without knowing it. Do you have these habits?
Veins are an elastic network of powerful circulatory vessels that transport deoxygenated blood back to the heart. Unlike arteries, which carry blood away from the heart, veins must push blood against gravity in order to sustain several systems vital to your cardiovascular health and many other blood processes.
Veins require an outside stimulus to aid in this process, such as walking, jogging, and other general movement. Sitting too much reduces blood flow and makes it difficult for your veins to operate properly.
But it’s a bad habit that’s easy to change. Moving your body during the day enhances blood flow throughout your body and in the veins of your lower extremities.
While a glass of wine here and there is unlikely to harm your veins, excessive alcohol intake does. Drinking too much alcohol can negatively influence your health in a variety of ways, including increasing your risk for vein disease, which is the underlying cause of varicose and spider veins.
Too much alcohol can also aggravate painful venous symptoms such as leg swelling, cramps, itching, and exhaustion. Although alcohol doesn’t cause varicose or spider veins, it can cause vein damage, impair circulation, and raise your risk of venous disorders.
While e-cigarettes are free of some of the harmful chemicals found in tobacco smoke, they’re still harmful. Nicotine itself has a negative impact on vein health, and e-cigarettes often deliver higher concentrations of nicotine than regular cigarettes.
Nicotine makes it more difficult for your veins and heart to work efficiently. It makes your heart work with such effort that it increases your heart’s need for oxygen.
What’s more, e-cigarettes produce carbon monoxide when used at high settings, which is also bad for vein health. Carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood, placing a double burden on your heart. Nicotine and carbon monoxide cause damage to artery walls, setting the stage for atherosclerosis.
If your veins are in tip-top shape, you can take steps to keep them that way. Fortunately, behaviors that contribute to a healthy lifestyle, such as maintaining a healthy weight and getting regular physical activity are also beneficial for your veins. If you have a vein condition, care from a vein specialist can reduce complications and keep your veins as healthy as possible.
Make vein health a top priority! Get started on kicking your bad habits by scheduling a visit with Dr. Chane for all of your vein needs: Call 657-206-8491 or request an appointment online.
