7 remedies (and more) to know to relieve your heavy legs
Tired of having feet like poles as soon as summer arrives or your menstruation ? Men or women, the feeling of heavy legs is a daily struggle when you have a poor blood circulation .
Tingling, burning sensation or swelling in the calves and ankles... These symptoms of heaviness in the legs are not to be taken lightly. Because, if poorly controlled, this venous insufficiency can cause nasty varicose veins or phlebitis... To avoid disaster, follow our remedies for swollen legs. Here we go!
Why do we have heavy legs and swollen feet?
THE swelling of the lower limbs is generally due to a single factor: a malfunction of the venous system. In fact, poor valve performance is enough to cause restlessness, cramps or swollen ankles.
Less dilated, these one-way valves allow blood to stagnate in the lower body. While this problem occurs regularly in cases of chronic venous disease, other external circumstances can also cause this venous imbalance.
- Hormonal variation: During menstruation, pregnancy, or treatment for postmenopausal women, estrogen levels increase and impact blood vessel permeability. As a result, blood circulation becomes difficult and ends up stagnating in the lower legs.
- Sedentary lifestyle: Standing for too long or sitting for hours at a desk, these new prolonged postures are not natural for the human body. The lack of movement makes it harder to fight gravity.
- Age: Veins, like our cells, age over the years. This deterioration hinders their proper functioning and therefore good blood circulation.
- Heat: Sunburn in the summer or overexposure to a high temperature source dilates your blood vessels and causes swelling in your legs.
- Excess weight: If the reduction in physical activity is one of the results of obesity and therefore of the lack of nerve impulses, the excess fatty tissue accentuates the pressure in the legs, veins and reduces venous return.
Do you recognize yourself in any of these situations? Don't panic. There's no need to worry if you apply the easy solutions to this discomfort.
How to promote good blood circulation in the legs?
Sometimes it doesn't take much to reduce swelling in your legsAt home or outdoors, simple actions are enough to restart circulation.
Sometimes we need help to keep the blood flowing between our feet and our heart...
- Move, it's the basis! By doing a sporting activity or just a few regular steps during the day, you restart the blood flow to the base of the feet. But be careful to favor activities that don't put too much stress on the arch of the foot, such as swimming, cycling or hiking.
- Use support stockings or socks helps support the walls of your veins.By exerting more pressure on the ankles than on the calf and upper leg, venous return is regulated.
- On public transport, it's less easy to move around. However, it's possible to jog for a few minutes during your car breaks. As for flying, the pressure and heat must be released by regularly pacing back and forth in the aisle. Also consider doing small flexion-extension or rotation movements of the ankles.
Easy tips for getting light legs at home
- Choose comfortable clothing : forget about shoes that make your feet feel cramped and jeans or leggings that are too tight, as they block blood circulation.
- Soothe your feet and calves under cool water. During days at the beach or in the shower after your workday, refresh your legs from ankles to knees. Also the little pleasures of hot baths, hammams or saunas which dilate your veins.
- During your moments of relaxation or during the night, elevate your feet up to 10 cm maximum using cushions or books under your mattress, at the end of the bed. By tilting this, you facilitate blood circulation to the heart.
- Massage your legs : Now that's a pleasant remedy! And a good excuse to treat yourself to a little moment of well-being. Quick and effective, massaging your legs from the bottom up will boost the valvesFor a triple effect, use a refreshing cream based on camphor or menthol and benefit from their soothing and decongestant properties.
- Hygiene and dietary measures : It can't be stressed enough, but in addition to regular exercise, the body needs 1.5 liters of water per day and a balanced diet. To properly drain tissues and nourish your muscles, eat plenty of good proteins, vitamin C, and antioxidants that protect the venous walls.
Muscle stimulation to combat venous insufficiency
By encouraging yourself to walk, do gentle physical activity, and bend over, you work your calf and arch muscles. This continuous muscle stimulation acts like a blood pump, creating the pressure needed to pump blood upward.
Based on this principle, other techniques play the role of circulatory stimulator.
- Let's take the example of foot reflexology ! By activating sensitive areas inside the foot, this therapeutic massage from Chinese alternative medicine connects your feet to the organs and muscles throughout your body. By reactivating blood flow, reduce your joint pain and the feeling of tired legs.
As you will have understood, there are a multitude of solutions to boost your blood circulation, responsible for the feeling of heaviness and of swollen legsWhile some tips may seem easier and more appealing, consulting a doctor and combining all these remedies can help cure this condition, which, despite everything, affects more than 30% of adults.
