Something as simple as changing your sleeping position could help reduce varicose veins symptoms. Instead of reclining on your back or stomach, switch to sleeping on your left side. That's helpful because the body's largest vein, the vena cava, is on the right side.
Elevating your legs while you sleep can help your circulation and prevent swelling. It's best to elevate your legs above the level of your heart. Wedge-shaped pillows make this easier to do. You can also use pillows or folded blankets you have on hand to elevate your legs in bed to help circulation.
Elevate Your Feet While Sleeping
Elevating your feet while you sleep will help the blood flow from your varicose veins. That, in turn, will reduce the symptoms. You don't need to get an expensive hospital bed to do this. Instead, put a pillow at the end of the mattress.
Elevating your legs above the level of your heart can help facilitate blood circulation at night and help prevent varicose veins. A wedge pillow can be especially helpful to place between your legs or under your knees.
Do: Exercise regularly, walking, swimming, cycling are all great low-impact exercises that get the circulation moving properly. Focus on smaller periods of activity more regularly and build up from there. Read more: Exercise & varicose veins. Don't: Over-strain yourself.
Walking is especially good for people who suffer from varicose veins, due to the fact that walking is a very low-impact workout. There is no jarring or pounding of your legs — just a simple movement that helps strengthen your calf muscles without straining your body.
Being overweight puts extra pressure on your veins, which means they have to work harder to send the blood back to your heart. This can put increased pressure on the valves, making them more prone to leaking. The impact of body weight on the development of varicose veins appears to be more significant in women.
Although massage may provide temporary relief from varicose vein symptoms, it is not an effective treatment for varicose veins. Additionally, massage can be dangerous for individuals with deep vein thrombosis.
Salty foods, sugar-laced treats and refined carbohydrates top the list of what not to eat when you suffer from varicose veins. The sodium in salt can cause the body to retain water. As a result, blood volume increases, and blood pressure rises, both of which put pressure on the venous system.
Putting pressure on varicose veins heightens the risk of a rupture. Given that massage is based around putting pressure on your body, it's not recommended that varicose vein patients get their legs massaged. In addition, it's possible for a blood clot to be dislodged during a massage.
Exercise. Exercise can help relieve symptoms and slow the progression of varicose veins by improving blood circulation in your legs. Try to walk every day. Bicycling and swimming are also recommended for varicose veins.
Keep your legs elevated
Just keep a pillow or a folded towel under your feet and keep the feet at a level 3-4 inches above the body. Doing so helps alleviate the pressure on the legs. Sleeping in this posture also facilitates the easier flow of blood towards the heart, thereby relieving the symptoms.
What to Watch For. If you are experiencing pain or you notice swelling or discoloration of your lower legs, these can be signs of a more serious problem and you should consult a doctor. Other symptoms might include burning, cramping, itching or throbbing in the legs, and some might experience restless leg syndrome.
Apples: Fruits like apples, bananas and pears are high in fibre content. High fibre fruits lower the chances of inflammation and help with your overall health.
Any exercises that put excessive pressure on your legs and your abs may worsen your varicose veins. For example, crunches, squats, and sit-ups can create too much stress in your veins. You should also avoid doing planks or other postures that strain your abdominal muscles.
Healthcare professionals are uncertain why varicose veins only happen on one side of the body. Some believe it could be because you experienced an injury to that side of the body which caused damage to the veins or the valves of the veins. Others believe it is just a natural part of having varicose veins.
Prolonged standing can cause veins to overwork and blood may pool in the leg veins, increasing pressure in those veins, causing the valves to become weak and inefficient leading to varicose veins. Sitting for several hours instead of standing is not a solution.
Symptoms include leg swelling, pain and tenderness, and red/bluish discoloration of the skin. This clot may develop into an embolus which travels through the bloodstream to other parts of the body. If it becomes lodged, it may hinder blood flow to organs like the heart and lungs.
Pain and discomfort caused by varicose veins can be managed with over-the-counter NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), such as aspirin or ibuprofen, or pain relievers such as acetaminophen.