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Lifestyle Choices That Can Reduce Your Risk of Blood Clots

The chemical makeup of your blood allows it to clot in order to prevent loss of blood during injury. Despite this benefit, blood clots often do more harm than good and can damage the circulatory system. Clots that enter the bloodstream can make their way to other areas of the body and can cause life-threatening complications like deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.

While most blood clots aren’t an immediate threat to your health, frequent clotting can be serious. If you do experience frequent blood clotting, use these tips to decrease your symptoms and reduce your risk of complications.

Exercise

Blood circulation is critical to blood clot prevention. The better your circulation is, the lower your chance of blood pooling up and clotting. Clotting is often caused by long periods of inactivity, so practicing a regular exercise routine can help you reduce your risk of clots and other conditions related to blood clots, such as diabetes and obesity.

When it comes to exercise, keep these tips in mind:

  •  In the mornings, set aside time for leg exercises that promote good circulation within the legs, a common area for blood clots. Do foot exercises as well.
  •  If your job requires you to be seated for long periods at a time, make sure to get up and move around to increase your circulation. Do this at least once every two hours.
  •  As regularly as you can manage, perform some kind of moderate aerobic exercise. This may include walking, jogging, hiking, swimming, biking or other activities you enjoy.

Watch What You Eat

Your diet plays a big role in your overall circulatory health and in preventing blood clots from becoming a major issue. Here are a few basic areas to consider:

  •  Drink lots of water throughout the day. When you’re dehydrated from a lack of water, the blood in your body will naturally thicken—when this happens, there’s a higher chance it will clot.
  •  If you eat lots of animal fats as part of your normal diet, try to reduce your intake. Animal fats lead to high levels of inflammation and can be bad for overall cardiovascular health.

Other Tips

You can minimize your risk of blood clots in other ways by:

  •  Talk to your doctor about using compression stockings
  •  Wear loose clothing when traveling, and get up to walk around on long flights or train rides
  •  Follow your doctor’s treatment plan for managing heart disease, diabetes and other conditions
  •  Maintain a healthy weight

Your doctor or vein specialist can offer further recommendations for lifestyle changes that may help with blood clot symptoms.

Source:

“Lifestyle Choices That Can Reduce Your Risk Of Blood Clots.” Center for Vein Restoration. https://www.centerforvein.com/lifestyle-choices-can-reduce-risk-blood-clots/

“Blood Clot Risk and What You Can Do.” National Blood Clot Alliance.

https://www.stoptheclot.org/learn_more/dvt.htm

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