Heat Risks to Vascular Health in Summer Months

Heat and Vascular Health: Summer Vascular Risks

Do you look forward to summer? Long, sunny days, time to relax, and fun in the sunshine make summer a favorite season for many. While you may enjoy basking in the sun, make sure you’re protecting your health. You know you should slather on the sunscreen, but do you give any thought to your heart? Heat can be rough on your cardiovascular system, making your heart work harder and straining your veins. Let’s look at the risks of high temperatures, and the steps you can take to keep your heart and vascular system in good shape all summer long.

Summer Leg Swelling: Circulation in Hot Weather

One thing your body does to cool off in the summer is to widen your veins. This is called vasodilation, and it increases blood flow near the skin. However, as your blood vessels dilate, fluid can pool in your extremities, making your skin look shiny and tight. You may experience heat edema, in which dents appear in your skin if you press your finger into the swollen appendage. Those pits will remain for several seconds. When a person spends significant time standing in heat, veins dilating meet the force of gravity, and this can cause edema. However, your risk for swollen legs also rises if you are pregnant, eat too much salt, are having premenstrual symptoms, or are taking certain medications. Diseases like kidney, liver, lung, or thyroid disease can lead to legs swelling, and when heat and chronic venous insufficiency are also a bad combination. Congestive heart failure, cirrhosis, severe long-term protein deficiency, and deep vein thrombosis are all risk factors for leg swelling in summer. However, even a perfectly healthy person without underlying medical issues can experience swollen extremities in the heat, especially when air conditioning is limited or outdoor exercise gets intense.

Heat and Varicose Veins: Common Vein Symptoms in Summer

For people with varicose veins, vasodilation is likely to make the condition worse in summer. Your already weakened veins will have an even harder time pushing blood toward your heart when they are expanded. More blood will pool in your lower extremities, and your legs are likely to ache, itch, swell, and feel heavy. The expansion of your blood vessels can also cause blood pressure to drop, and this can lead to complications like irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) for people with existing cardiovascular issues.

High Risk Groups and Conditions

When the heat is intense, your veins dilate, your heart pumps faster, and you sweat. All of these are automatic mechanisms to help you stay cool, but they can cause complications, particularly for people in high risk groups. Anyone can feel the cardiovascular effects of the summer heat, but some are at higher risk of complications, including:

Older people
Those with existing heart, kidney, or lung conditions
People with respiratory conditions
Overweight or obese people
Children, especially infants

Prevention: Summer Vein Health Tips for Warm Weather Blood Flow

What can you do to protect your cardiovascular system from the heat?

Stay hydrated: Sweating helps keep you cool, but causes you to lose fluids quickly, so drink plenty of water. You can also help your hydration by eating water-rich foods like melons, cucumbers, and lettuce.
Keep your cool: Stay indoors during peak hours, to minimize your heat exposure. When you are outside, seek shade, wear lightweight clothing, and consider a cooling towel or personal fan.
Limit salt intake: Salty foods can cause you to retain water, which will put more pressure on your veins, so it’s best to cut the sodium when it’s hot out.
Go for a swim: Swimming is a great exercise for supporting your veins, because cool water helps your veins constrict, and the buoyancy of water supports your body weight and takes pressure off of your legs. Even walking in the pool or doing simple exercises can be beneficial to vascular health.

Concerned About Vascular Symptoms in Summer? Contact ReVaMP Heart & Vascular

At ReVaMP Heart & Vascular Institute, our dedicated physicians specialize in treating a wide range of cardiovascular conditions, with leading-edge technologies, innovative procedures, and a patient-centered approach. Since 2021, we have been serving patients within the Philadelphia and Southern NJ regions, treating a wide range of cardiovascular conditions, with a focus on preventative and minimally invasive care. We provide coronary, structural, peripheral arterial, and vascular disease interventions, in order to enhance our patients’ quality of life and renew their health and well-being. With our tailored approach, we take the time to understand each patient’s needs, in order to craft a treatment plan that enhances quality of life. For more information about our modern, patient-focused cardiovascular care and treatment, contact us today for more information.