Who hasn't experienced it? You get up in the morning and your circulation goes crazy. You stagger into the bathroom, struggle to get ready, and even at work your circulation hasn't quite kicked into high gear yet. Such circulatory problems, especially in the morning, affect many of us.
One common cause of circulatory problems is low blood pressure, which can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, weakness and nausea. In this blog post, we give you 4 tips on how to boost your circulation and get it going. Exercise, contrast showers, acupuncture or a more ideal sports nutrition can help with circulatory problems. The latter is of course best done with our breakfast products.
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What is the circulatory system?
The blood circulation is there to supply all the cells in our body with nutrients and oxygen. It consists of the heart and blood vessels that run through the whole body. There are two main types of blood vessel – arteries that flow away from the heart and veins that flow back to the heart. The most important blood vessel is the aorta. The total length of all blood vessels in the human body is about 100,000 km. The circulatory system is divided into the systemic circulation and the pulmonary circulation.
What are some possible causes of circulatory problems?
Circulatory problems can often be traced back to low blood pressure. This worsens blood flow to the brain, which then does not receive enough oxygen.
- Lack of exercise – The most common trigger for low blood pressure is spending too much time sitting down. Sitting all day places little demand on the cardiovascular system. This slows down its reaction in stressful situations. If you then stand up abruptly, your circulation can't keep up and is briefly overwhelmed.
- Unhealthy diet, smoking and alcohol – Various other health-impairing behaviors can also lead to low blood pressure. These include smoking, alcohol, drugs, an unhealthy diet, large meals, obesity, stress and other mental health issues.
- Weather fluctuations – People who react strongly to the weather often also suffer from circulatory problems. This is particularly noticeable during temperature fluctuations in spring or fall, or on very hot days in summer. People who are sensitive to the weather suffer from circulatory problems at these times.
- Getting up quickly – Jumping out of bed in the morning isn't easy on the body. Orthostatic hypotension is the term used to describe the low blood pressure that results from getting up too quickly. When you get up from a lying position, the blood flows briefly to your legs before it can be pumped back up.
- Standing for long periods of time – Standing for long periods of time can also lead to low blood pressure.
- Excessive exercise – Not only too little exercise, but also too much can throw your circulation out of balance.
- Medication – Various medications, such as those for depression or high blood pressure, can also affect blood pressure.
- Diseases – And finally, circulatory problems can, of course, also be caused by diseases, such as cardiovascular problems and diseases, an underactive thyroid or varicose veins.
What symptoms do I have if I have circulatory problems?
We already know that if you have low blood pressure, your brain is not getting enough oxygen. But what kind of symptoms can this lead to? Cardiovascular problems include all complaints related to the circulatory system and heart, including dizziness, weakness, fatigue, general disturbances of consciousness and sweating. Problems such as flickering lights or blackouts can occur suddenly. A circulatory problem can also cause you to feel cold quickly, have cold hands and feet and pale skin.
How can I strengthen my circulation?
- Exercise – The best remedy for circulatory problems is exercise. Not getting enough exercise is also one of the most common causes of circulatory problems. Physical activity boosts the metabolism and circulation. It is best to simply integrate movement into your daily routine. It is worth starting the day actively with exercises in bed. Those who do yoga before work, cycle to work or take the stairs instead of the escalator will be rewarded with a strengthened circulation.
- We also advise you to stay active at work. For example, pay a visit to your colleagues instead of texting them, get the coffee from the kitchen and, if possible, get a height-adjustable desk. Ergonomic office chairs also help.
- The most important thing for your circulation is to do some sport now and then. We particularly recommend exercise in the fresh air. When doing sport and when moving in general, you should not, of course, be too intensive and you should also give your body the breaks it needs. Of course, exercising in the fresh air is particularly difficult in winter. Here you will find tips on how to optimally behave when doing sports in the cold season.
- Endurance sports such as running or swimming and sports that improve reaction times such as tennis are particularly good at combating circulatory problems. Yoga and other relaxation exercises also have a stabilizing effect on our circulation.
- It is also important to mention that while you should start the day actively, you should avoid jumping up as soon as the alarm clock goes off. Instead, it makes sense to sit up slowly, stretch or sit on the edge of the bed for a moment.
- Contrast shower – Just like muscles, your circulation needs to be trained. Taking hot and cold showers in turn helps. When you take a warm shower, the blood vessels dilate; when you take a cold shower, they shrink. A contrast shower in the morning can work wonders for circulatory problems. If you don't want to do this, hot and cold foot baths can also help. Visits to the sauna also boost circulation.
- Nutrition – You can also support your circulation with your diet. First and foremost, it is important to drink a lot, preferably water or tea, no sodas or sugary drinks. You should also make sure to drink 2-3 liters per day. If you drink more, your blood pressure should rise. You should also make sure to have a healthy breakfast every day, because breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is practically a must for a balanced and healthy diet. Our cereals and porridges will help you with this.
- Another miracle cure for circulatory problems is salt. Salt binds fluids in the body, causing blood pressure to rise. A salted breakfast can therefore also help against morning circulatory problems.
- Alcohol and other addictive substances should, of course, be avoided. The circulatory system is also strengthened by eating smaller meals. Coffee is also not recommended, as although it boosts the circulation in the short term, it then causes it to drop even further than before – this also applies to energy drinks or sparkling wine.
- Acupressure – Acupressure, or acupoint massage, is a process in which pressure is applied to various points on the body using the thumbs, elbows, palms of the hands or other aids. These points are called meridians and our life energy, Qi/Chi, flows through them. This releases energy and boosts our self-healing powers.
- Acupressure is part of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), which originated in China over the last 2,000 years. An important part of TCM is also the 5-element nutrition. We have developed three delicious, finely balanced porridge varieties based on the principle of 5-element nutrition. These include our sour cherry cocoa oat porridge, our coconut-orange rice porridge, and our apricot-strawberry spelt porridge.
Discover our new 5-element porridges here
What can I do if I have acute circulatory problems?
We would like to give you a few tips that you can use if you have acute circulatory problems and want to get them under control quickly. To avoid fainting during dizzy spells, we advise you to lie down and put your legs up first. This helps to alleviate acute circulatory problems by allowing the blood to flow back to the heart faster.
Since poor circulation is often also associated with a lack of fluids, it is also recommended to drink a lot. As described above, eating something salty also helps. The last tip is to apply cold stimuli, for example by using cold water or a cold washcloth.
Unfortunately, circulatory problems can also be caused by more serious illnesses. We therefore recommend that you consult a doctor if you have persistent circulatory problems.
You can find out more about a healthy diet, which is particularly important for circulatory problems, here.
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