A few factors can cause problems with your blood circulation and high blood pressure seems to be one of them. In turn, poor blood circulation is often a cause of high blood pressure.
I have friends and colleagues who suffer from bad circulation in the legs and it`s not just a plague of our elderly. I know middle aged and young alike who suffer from this problem. It can cause blockages in your veins that can lead to stroke or heart attack, so it`s not something you can take lightly.
Symptoms
Poor circulation and high blood pressure can both lead to horrible symptoms. If you are trying your best to walk a little for exercise, and to help your condition, pain in the calf muscles can cause you much stress and discouragement. The most obvious of symptoms are:
- Pain in the legs
- Numbness in limbs
- Water Retention
- Coldness in limbs
- Leg Skin Discoloration
- Ulcers
Causes
Circulation and high blood pressure have several factors linking them. The commonest are:
The underlying Health Problems:
- High Blood Pressure
- Atherosclerosis
- Diabetes
- Anaemia
- Blood Vessel Disorders
- Varicose Veins
- DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis)
- Thrombophlebitis
- Heart Disorders
- Circulatory Disorders
- Intermittent Claudication
- Thyroid Disorders
- Pneumonia
- Pregnancy
- Emphysema
- Arterial Insufficiency
- Nerve Disorders
- Asthma
- Bronchitis
The Poor Lifestyle Habits:
- Obesity
- Inactivity
- Smoking
- Cramped Sitting/Standing
- Postures
- Poor Diet
Take atherosclerosis. This is a narrowing of the arteries, which can be caused by high blood pressure, and vise-verse. Either way they both are high risk factors that lead to restricted blood flow. This condition brings with it complications due to a lack of oxygenated blood. Tissues, and muscle are starved of oxygen to revitalize them.
Now consider too the restriction in the venous vessels which lead back to the heart. It causes blood to pool in the legs where blood clots can form. This happens due to failing valves in the veins, and the blood not being pushed back to the heart efficiently.
Varicose veins can also have a part to play in the problem, and they develop through habitual standing for long periods. Age related problems, such as reduced elasticity of blood vessels are also contributing factors.
The condition is also a by-product of diabetes where small vessels become damaged over a long period of time. The disease also causes fluid retention, numbness and swelling, a trigger for poor blood circulation and high blood pressure.
So What is The Solution?
Now most of us don`t like to hear that we need to do more exercise and in particular, walking. Some of us lead very sedentary lives and sit in the same position for hours upon hours.
Now, if you`re cringing at the thought of daily walks when the weather is cold, wet and windy, well I don`t blame you. Relax! You have alternative choices on days like that which will bring beneficial results. And besides, not everyone finds walking easy. Some have debilitating sicknesses that make life rather a struggle.