Varicose veins have a host of symptoms such as swelling and gnarled veins, but did you know they can also zap your energy?
The leaking of blood from varicose veins leaves our bodies with less oxygen and nutrients than before, along with waste that isn’t being delivered from your legs. This all causes leg heaviness, fatigue, and energy loss. Because of this pain and fatigue, you might have trouble sleeping, which makes things worse.
Loss of sleep due to fatigue doesn’t allow us to fully recover overnight because of the havoc it wreaks on our rest with the pain of this chronic venous insufficiency.
So how exactly do varicose veins affect our sleep and beloved resting time? Let’s find out.
Restless Leg Syndrome
Vein disease can cause restless leg syndrome, which is an uncontrollable need to move your legs. Restless leg syndrome typically happens at night when you’re sitting, lying, and can have a jerking feeling.
Studies show that someone with restless leg syndrome might be likely to have varicose veins too.
Since restless leg syndrome happens mostly at night when you should be sleeping, you are losing valuable rest.
Nocturnal Leg Cramps
Another reason for fatigue would be nocturnal leg cramps, a condition that is just like what it sounds like. Although nocturnal leg cramps are likely to occur in the nighttime, like restless legs syndrome, they are a painful cramp that can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. This can greatly affect your ability to sleep at night.
They are harmless, but still the pain is something that none of us want. Nocturnal leg cramps might wake up those with varicose veins, inhibiting people from getting the rest they need in order to avoid being tired the next morning.
Lack of Oxygen and Nutrients to the Body
Veins affected by chronic venous insufficiency allow for blood to flow backwards, instead of towards the heart, caused by damaged vein valves and the pull of gravity.
When blood cannot travel because of these varicose veins, then the ability to deliver oxygen and nutrients is damaged, causing you to feel sleepy, sluggish, and tired all the time. This particular effect of varicose veins can affect the entire circulatory system, causing even more health issues, followed by pain and fatigue.
Lack of Sleep and Our Health
Sleep is certainly one of the most significant factors when it comes to our health, therefore when sleep is blocked by the painful effect of varicose veins, we cannot help but feel extremely tired. Lack of sleep can lead to long term medical conditions and even more exhaustion.
In order for you to be the healthiest you can be, sleep must be a priority. This can be a problem with varicose veins, but there are still many ways to solve that! You don’t have to live with pain that inhibits the rest you need, so try some of these treatments and lifestyle improvements for a better rest with varicose veins:
Don’t Be Sedentary
Whether you spend a long time sitting or standing, both can cause irritation and pain in those who have varicose veins. Studies have proven that exercise reduces some of the fatigue by moving some of the blood from your legs back to your lungs, where it can bring more oxygen to you.
Compression Stockings
The pressure from these compression stockings help people feel less tired by helping veins with blood flow much like exercise. Compression stockings have shown to stop evening swelling, allowing you to be more relaxed and rested than before.
Elevate Feet
Another simple way to get rid of pain and fatigue caused by varicose veins is to elevate your feet for a few hours everyday. Since those with varicose veins have weakened muscle cells and veins, getting blood to circulate is harder, therefore elevating your feet is a good practice to reduce swelling by helping blood circulate manually.
Don’t Walk a Lot
Although small walks might improve the state of fatigue you are in, extremely long walks may make muscles in your legs sore, causing more irritation to varicose veins, which can disturb your sleep as well.
Stay Hydrated
Drinking the right amount of water is extremely beneficial to those with varicose veins. It makes sure that the muscles that support your veins are strong and improves blood flow too.
Don’t Smoke
Cigarette smoke has a damaging effect on the venous system, lowering the amount of oxygen found in the blood and causing veins to become even more inflamed and injured.
Seeking Vein treatment
There are many non-invasive treatment options such as sclerotherapy, a treatment where a solution helps to close off damaged veins, and laser treatments, which close which help the varicose veins fade and disappear. There are many options for those who want to get treated for painful varicose veins!
Our vein specialists can give you a free consultation for pinpointing the veins that cause your tiredness and loss of energy, recommending treatment options that can rid you from chronic venous insufficiency.
You don’t have to live with the pain and fatigue of varicose veins and the symptoms will not go away by themselves, so get your free consultation and plan treatment for your varicose veins now!
