Have cold hands and feet? Here are 5 tips to improve circulation

What’s on this page

• Poor circulation explained
• Signs of poor circulation 
• Causes of poor circulation
• 5 ways to boost your circulation 
• 4 things to avoid if you have poor circulation 

Poor circulation explained

When your heart pumps blood around your body, it’s delivering the essential oxygen and nutrients your muscles and soft tissues need.

But if that blood supply is restricted, you might notice cold hands and feet, pins and needles and feelings of numbness.

And, in extreme cases, poor circulation can lead to pain and long-term sores and ulcers on your skin, because the lack of blood supply causes the tissue to break down and, in some cases, die.

The good news is that there are lots of simple things you can do to boost your circulation. 

Signs of poor circulation 

If your blood is not flowing as well as it should be, you may notice: 

• pins and needles 
• cold hands and feet 
• pale or blue skin 
• muscle weakness 
• numbness 
• pain in your legs when you walk 
• swollen veins 
• sores or ulcers on your skin 

Causes of poor circulation 

You may find you develop poor circulation as you get older. 

It is also linked to having a heart or circulatory disease, or a risk factor for them like high blood pressure or obesity. 

This is because these conditions affect your blood vessels, making them narrower and stiffer. 

This in turn makes it more difficult for blood to flow through them, especially to body parts a long way from the heart like your hands, legs and feet. 

They include: 

• Atherosclerosis: caused by a build-up of fatty material called atheroma (or plaque) in your artery walls (where blood passes from the heart to the rest of the body). This causes the walls of your arteries to harden and narrow until blood cannot pass properly from your heart to the rest of your body. 
• Peripheral arterial disease (PAD): caused by a build-up of atheroma on the walls of your arteries, and usually happens in your legs and feet. It is the same process that occurs in the heart with coronary heart disease.  
• High blood pressure: can damage the walls of the arteries, as well as putting strain on the walls increasing the risk of atherosclerosis and PAD. 
• Heart failure: this is when your heart cannot pump blood around the body as well as it should. 
• Diabetes: high sugar levels (glucose) in your blood can damage your blood vessels over time, which in turn causes the build-up of fatty plaques that narrows the blood vessels. 
• Obesity: excess weight can increase your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, which can lead to poor circulation.  
• Raynaud’s disease: this is a common condition where blood stops flowing properly to your fingers and toes due to stress or cold temperatures. It’s estimated to affect up to 10 million people in the UK, according to the charity Scleroderma and Raynaud's UK. 

5 ways to boost your circulation 

1. Keep your legs elevated 

Try to prop up your feet at least slightly higher than your hips when you’re sitting down. This means gravity makes it easier for the blood in your legs to travel back up to your heart. 

If you often find yourself nodding off when sitting upright in a chair, try to lie down in your bed instead if you’re feeling tired.  

This will stop blood pooling in your legs as you sleep. 

2. Stay active 

Whether it’s walking, swimming or gardening, any form of exercise can help to get your blood pumping. 

The NHS recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise every week. This is exercise that makes you feel warm and breathe a bit faster, but you can still have a conversation. 

Stretching your body can also help to improve your circulation.  

You could try wriggling your toes or rotating your ankles if you have been sitting down for a long time.  

Yoga is a great way to improve blood flow too. 

• Try our chair-based yoga exercises.

3. Drink more water 

Around half of your blood is made of water, so staying hydrated is key. 

If you’re not drinking enough fluid, you will have less blood in your body, and your blood may also become thicker. 

To keep things moving, the UK Government’s Eatwell Guide recommends drinking six to eight glasses of water or fluids a day. 

But if you have heart failure, check with your doctor, as you may need to drink less than this to stop fluid building up in your body. 

• Read more tips on how to stay hydrated.

4. Eat a healthy diet 

If you’re living with excess weight, your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body, as your body is larger. 

You're also at a higher risk of fatty plaques building up in the walls of your arteries. 

As well as regular exercise, changing your diet can help you lose weight. 

Swap meals high in saturated fats for a Mediterranean diet with plenty of fruit, vegetables, oily fish and wholegrains. 

• Read more about the Mediterranean diet. 

5. Wear compression stockings

Speak to your doctor if you’re thinking about using compression stockings to improve your circulation.

These tight socks squeeze your legs to keep blood moving back up to your heart and reduce swelling.

However, they may irritate your skin or cause pain if you do not have the right size, so make sure to get medical advice before you start wearing them.

4 things to avoid if you have poor circulation

1. Direct heat on hands and feet

If your hands and feet feel cold, you may be tempted to warm them with a hot water bottler or a portable heater.

But if your hands and feet are numb, you might not notice if they get too hot. This could cause you to burn or injure your skin.

Instead, wear gloves and socks to keep yourself warm and cosy. 

If you’re getting into a bath to warm yourself up, make sure it’s not too hot, and get in slowly.

2. Dry brushing

Some people claim using a dry, stiff-bristled brush on their skin can improve circulation.

However, while it could temporarily increase blood flow to certain areas in theory, there’s no scientific evidence that dry brushing boosts circulation over time.

In fact, there have not been any clinical trials or studies on the benefits of dry brushing.

It can also irritate or damage your skin, particularly if it’s fragile due to poor blood flow.

3. Wearing tight clothing

While the right pair of compression stockings may improve circulation, wearing tight trousers or shoes can have the opposite effect.

Clothing that puts pressure on certain areas of your body can restrict blood flow. 

Instead, try to wear loose, comfortable clothes and correctly fitting footwear.

4. Smoking

Cigarettes contain chemicals that damage your blood vessels.

This can increase the risk of fatty materials building up on the walls of your arteries and make it harder for your blood to flow around your body.

This can lead to pain and skin ulcers in your legs and feet, because your blood is not delivering the oxygen and nutrients they need.

But you can greatly reduce your risk by quitting smoking.

• Get support to help you quit. 

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