6 Steps to Avoid Blood Clots
Take Breaks on a Long Road Trip
"Staying in a static position for more than 2 hours is a no-no if you're at risk for DVT," says Mark Adelman, MD, a professor and chief of the division of vascular and endovascular surgery at the NYU Langone Medical Center in New York City. If you're traveling long distance by car, stop every 60 to 90 minutes and take a short walk. This will stimulate your leg muscles and get your blood flowing to lower the risk of blood pooling and clotting. Because DVT can happen to anyone, stopping to stretch your legs makes sense even if you've never before had a blood clot.
Stay Hydrated on a Long Flight
Take a flight of more than 5 hours, and you could be inviting deep vein thrombosis. What to do? Besides walking the aisles and doing toe lifts at frequent intervals, it's important that you stay well hydrated, but with water. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated tea, coffee, and soda, which all act like mild diuretics. These types of drinks would add to your risk for dehydration. "You don't want to get dehydrated so your blood doesn't get too thick," Dr. Adelman says.
Binge-Watching Your Show? Walk Between Episodes
Sit on the couch to catch up on the most recent season of "Downton Abbey," and you could be risking a blood clot. It's the immobility that puts you at risk, not the mindless TV. So, get up and walk around between episodes. If you're already at greater risk for DVT, talk to your doctor about using compression stockings. As their name states, they put pressure on your calves to encourage blood circulation. "Even over-the-counter compression stockings can be effective," says Curtis Anderson, MD, PhD, an interventional radiologist with South Florida Vascular Associates in Coconut Creek, Fla. A study in the journal "Thrombosis" in 2012 found that people who wore compression stockings were less likely to develop complications from deep vein thrombosis. Knee-length stockings may be just as effective as thigh-length and are easier to wear.
Keep up With Meds When on Vacation
When you take that well-deserved vacation from work and your daily routine, just don't take a break from your medications. If your doctor has told you to take low-dose aspirin or other anticoagulant medicines daily to prevent a blood clot, take them as prescribed no matter where you are or what you're doing. It may be even more important when vacationing — you could very well be lolling around more than usual and not moving enough. If you have trouble remembering, set an alarm on your smartphone as a reminder of this prevention step for DVT.
Keep Moving When You’re Pregnant
When you're pregnant, natural changes in your body reduce blood flow and make your blood more likely to clot, conditions that continue for several weeks after baby is born. As your belly gets bigger, you might feel like slowing down, but it's important that you keep moving to keep your blood flowing. Dr. Anderson suggests sleeping on your left side to improve circulation to your heart and allow your blood to flow more easily to the fetus, uterus, and kidneys. Sleeping on your back can slow circulation.
Raise the Foot of Your Bed
Like sitting in one position for too long, sleeping is static. And when you don't move, you increase the chances of a blood clot forming in your lower leg or thigh. Here's a tip to prevent a DVT overnight: Raise the foot of your bed at night a few inches. For this to work, be sure your legs are higher than your hips. Even if the flu or another illness has you resting in bed during the day, get up and walk around as often as you can.
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