The modern world is taking humans towards sedentary life. The desk jobs are the best source of this trend. The US has been experiencing 300,000 deaths annually due to inactive life and poor dietary habits of people. Sedentary living is evidenced to have a direct effect on cardiovascular health. Recent studies show that inactivity and lack of physical exercise have adverse impacts on vasculature functions/ vein health of the human body. This results in numbness and ache in limbs, fatigue, obesity, etc. The following article will give you a detailed insight into the impact of inactiveness on vein health.
What is a sedentary lifestyle and how can we define it?
A sedentary lifestyle is a life where a person does not indulge in any physical activity. Instead, he/she lives a sluggish life passing the day doing activities like socializing, watching TV, web series, etc. However, the majority of the professions today demand the employees sit at one place for a stretch of 11-12 hours continuously and do their work. This is also a representation of a sedentary lifestyle.
Effects of Sedentary lifestyle on vein health
Sedentary lifestyle health effects cover a broad spectrum among which we are focusing on vein health on this article. Veins play a significant role in collecting carbon dioxide and waste from muscles and tissues of the body, accommodating them into the blood and transporting the deoxygenated blood to the lungs. But the venous system has a comparatively lower pressure than the arterial system of the body. And thus, the signs of these health impacts are mostly subtle. But they rarely require further laboratory testing.
Vein health issues fall into two major categories:
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Blockage of a vein due to the formation of a blood clot (Thrombosis):
Thrombosis is the vein disease where a blood clot forms in the veins. This blood clots if it remains in one region, creates symptoms like pain, oedema, etc. in that region. The chronic stage of thrombosis is known as pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis where the blood clot travels in the whole body through the blood vessels. This may also lead to blockage of veins near to the vital organs of the body like heart and brain. One of the causes of this blood clot is lack of activeness or physical exercise.
Moreover, sitting in a single position for 11-12 hours will also result in blood clots in calf veins. This is because there is no contraction of muscles around these veins when you are sitting for such a long time. These calf muscles help in healthy blood circulation. The blot clot in calf veins can lead to pain in the calf, oedema, swelling in the calf region, etc.
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Inadequate drainage of venous blood:
The insufficient drainage of venous blood is termed as venous insufficiency. One of its types is superficial insufficiency, where the peripheral veins exactly below the skin layer are affected. These veins are dilated fragments that have structural abnormality either in vein walls or valves. This abnormality leads to back flow of the blood in veins. As a result, the pressure in the veins increases. Such veins are termed as varicose veins. They show a prominent appearance on the skin. Patients with varicose veins may also suffer from symptoms like itching, burning and paining around the varicose vein. The root cause of this vein disorder is obesity and inactive life. Pregnancy can also lead to varicose veins.
Treatment of venous disorders:
Venous disorders are not hard to cure in today’s world. They can be controlled with medications and surgeries (rarely). But medical treatment is mandatory for such disorders. Although none of the venous disorders is fatal, if the blood clots and venous insufficiency are not treated medically, they may lead to pulmonary embolism that has been proved to be fatal.
How to maintain vein health?
As discussed above, a sedentary lifestyle drastically affects vein health. Simple leg exercises can also improve your venous health. Here are the ways in which you can prevent your body from venous disorders:
- If you have to sit in your office consistently for 12 hours, do get up of your chair every one or one and a half hour and have a short walk around your table. You can also perform simple leg exercises that enable the movement of calf muscles which in turn reduces the risk of varicose veins.
- Stop sitting and using your phone or watching TV or web series in your free time. Take a walk in the colony outside your house. If you are young and fit enough, you can perform exercises as simple as skipping or climbing the stairs.
- You can perform yoga every Sunday. These days you are not caught up in the 12-hour sedentary schedule. You can plan your exercise regime for Sunday according to your convenience.
- Unhealthy food habits are also a cause of varicose veins and thrombosis in veins. Avoid eating a lot of junk food. And if it is compulsory for you to eat outside regularly make the right choices for food. For example, prefer fruits and local dishes for burgers, pizzas and sandwiches.
- Obesity can cause the worst effects on veins. Obese people are at the risk of arterial thrombosis along with venous thrombosis. Losing weight is the best option for such people. They must concentrate on building the strength of their muscles and losing fat deposited in the body.
Take away
You may enjoy being sedentary but think of the consequences. Discussed above is one among the several health impacts of a sedentary lifestyle. Being active is always better than being diseased. Think of the money, time and energy that you need to spend in your treatment. Talking about venous health, it is a known fact that veins help in blood circulation and blood is the source of oxygen and nutrients for every cell of the body. And this mandates the proper functions of blood vessels in your body.
Dr. Abhilash Sandhyala is one of the best vascular surgeons in Hyderabad. He is a well-known specialist for varicose veins. He has successfully treated varicose veins for more than 5,000 patients. He has been performing the EVLT procedure for the past 5 years with great results.
You can visit Flow Vascular clinic at H.No: 2-22-298/2/A, Sree Krishna Diagnostic Center Building, 2nd Floor, Beside Kalamandir, KPHB Main Road, Kukatpally, Hyderabad. You can also book an appointment on https://drabhilash.com/book-an-appointment/ or call on (+91) 99896 49498, 99590 33037.
Visit https://drabhilash.com/ to know more about the treatment options for varicose veins.