Blood vessel narrowing is a condition where blood vessels constrict, restricting blood flow. This can lead to serious health issues, including heart disease, stroke, aneurysms (bulging of blood vessels), and chronic kidney disease.
Atherosclerosis, a common cause of blood vessel narrowing, often develops from everyday habits that seem insignificant. What are these habits?
Habits that can trigger blood vessel narrowing
Some seemingly insignificant daily habits can contribute to the narrowing of blood vessels. To prevent this condition and related health problems, it’s important to replace these bad habits with healthier ones.
Unhealthy diet
Eating too much saturated fat, trans fat, salt, and sugar can cause plaque buildup in the arteries, increasing the risk of heart disease.
Saturated fats are commonly found in red meat, high-fat dairy products, and cooking oils such as coconut and palm oil. Many packaged foods, including fast food and cookies, contain trans fats. These fats not only increase LDL (bad cholesterol), but also lower HDL (good cholesterol).
Lack of physical activity
A sedentary lifestyle and lack of exercise can worsen cardiovascular health. Regular physical activity helps improve blood circulation, maintain stable blood pressure, and increase HDL (good cholesterol) levels. Without regular exercise, the risk of blood vessel narrowing significantly increases.
Smoking
Smoking is a major risk factor for blood vessel narrowing due to the nicotine and harmful chemicals in cigarettes.
Nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes can damage the inner lining of arteries, leading to inflammation and plaque buildup. Smoking also increases blood pressure and reduces oxygen levels in the blood, speeding up the process of atherosclerosis.
Excessive alcohol consumption
Drinking large amounts of alcohol can damage the liver and affect cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. Alcohol can also raise blood pressure, contributing to blood vessel narrowing.
Lack of sleep
Not getting enough or good quality sleep can harm cardiovascular health. Lack of sleep increases the risk of high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes, all of which contribute to blood vessel narrowing.
Stress
When stressed, your body releases hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which can raise blood pressure and cause inflammation in the arteries. Chronic stress can also lead to unhealthy behaviors like smoking, overeating, or excessive alcohol consumption, all of which are risk factors for blood vessel narrowing.
To prevent blood vessel narrowing and other cardiovascular problems, eat a well-balanced diet, exercise regularly, quit smoking, manage stress, and get regular check-ups.
If you have any questions about blood vessel health, you can make use of the consultation features that are available in the Ai Care application by downloading the Ai Care application from the App Store or Play Store.
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- Sean Edbert Lim, MBBS
Cleveland Clinic (2024). Atherosclerosis. Available from: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16753-atherosclerosis-arterial-disease
WebMD (2023). Atherosclerosis: Symptoms, Causes, and Prevention. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/what-is-atherosclerosis
Better Health Channel. Peripheral vascular disease. Available from: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/peripheral-vascular-disease
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (2022). How Smoking Affects the Heart and Blood Vessels. Available from: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/heart/smoking
Monika Arora, et all (2022). The Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Health: Myths and Measures. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9306675/
Robert J. Henning (2021). Obesity and obesity-induced inflammatory disease contribute to atherosclerosis: a review of the pathophysiology and treatment of obesity. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8449192/
