Can Sitting Too Much Cause Venous Disease?

Published on: January 5, 2018

We all do it. Every single day, a significant portion of our time is going to be sitting down. Whether it is driving ourselves to work, eating our favorite dinner, or checking out the newest movie in the cinema, we’re parked with our bottoms down relaxing. What may be unknown to most is that prolonged periods of sitting are harmful to your health and can result in many vein problems. While many treatment options exist to treat varicose veins, it is important to know and understand many of the preventive tips out there. Through understanding how venous diseases work and what you can do to prevent it, you can live a healthier lifestyle.

How Sitting Causes Venous Disease

Recent research has shown that long periods of sitting can cause swelling in the veins in your legs and begin to show venous insufficiency signs. This occurs when your blood can’t circulate throughout the legs properly, causing your veins to work even harder. Such stress can cause swelling in the legs, resulting in those nasty spider veins, varicose veins, and possibly even blood clots. The way you sit can also impact blood flow in your legs even more. Sitting when your legs are bent or crossed can result in a greater risk of swelling and blood clots.

Preventive Tips – Venous Insufficiency Signs

A big problem with American workdays is the eight hours or more of straight sitting. Breaking up these arduous hours can lead to healthy circulation, but will take time. Research indicates that standing for portions of your work day can help your circulation, with a goal of workers standing for at least half of their day. Increasing the number of activities while standing, such as answering the phone, taking the stairs, and walking to lunch can help make this task easier to acquire. Exercise is also an important preventative measure for vein problems. While exercise cannot treat vein problems once venous insufficiency signs have taken effect, it will make it easier for you to spend more time on your feet throughout the day.

Explore Your Options

Preventing possible vein problems is not something most individuals consider during their daily routines, but is something that needs to be done. Through special care—making sure you are standing for longer periods of time and maintaining an active lifestyle—you will be more likely to continue to have healthy veins. Make sure to stand up today and get those legs moving! You will be glad you did.

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