Everyone has some vascular disease risk, and family history, age, chronic medical conditions, and lifestyle issues can increase your risk. But making good choices can reduce or stabilize your chance of developing problems. Here’s some advice about making your vascular system as healthy as possible for a long, vibrant life.
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Fat and cholesterol clog blood vessels, reducing circulation. Losing weight can improve vascular health, and so can some things you must do to lose weight. When you eat a low-fat, high-protein, high-fiber diet and exercise at least 30 minutes a day, you can decrease your weight while improving vascular health.
Manage Chronic Conditions
Excess blood sugar can damage and narrow blood vessels, so managing diabetes is crucial to good vascular health. High blood pressure is the most common vascular disease and can cause blood vessels to narrow, leak, or even rupture. Diabetes and high blood pressure can also interact, leading to peripheral artery disease (PAD), and other complications.
Get Treatment
Getting treatment for PAD and other vascular health issues can be as simple as visiting a vascular lab, an alternative to going to a hospital for treatment. This type of facility can diagnose and treat artery disease with procedures that include balloon angioplasty, stenting, and plaque removal. A vascular lab, like Desert Cardiovascular Consultants, may be located in a doctor’s office and usually involves less paperwork and fewer hassles than having a procedure in a hospital.
Avoid Toxic Habits
Treatment may not help if you don’t avoid participating in unhealthy activities that contribute to poor vascular health. You must quit smoking and stop using other forms of tobacco to prevent further damage. Cigarettes contain chemicals that thicken your blood and cause cancer. It can also help vein and artery health to limit alcohol consumption, which narrows leg arteries and can cause high blood pressure.
Reduce Stress
Chronic stress is among the most common health conditions in America and has been proven to negatively impact vascular health by causing plaque to stick inside blood vessels more easily. Stress management can also help keep blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels in check. If your numbers are out of balance because of stress, you may experience other health problems too.
Keeping your vascular system healthy is crucial to overall well-being. When you practice healthy habits, stop toxic ones, manage your health conditions, reduce stress, and get medical intervention when necessary, your veins and arteries can remain healthy for a lifetime.