What Does Blood Circulation Do and How Does It Help the Body?
Having good circulation is crucial to maintaining optimal health. While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of how your body operates, the benefits of good blood circulation affect every organ, system, and muscle in your body. From physical healing to mental health, your blood flow is behind it all.
Today, we’re examining the circulatory system to answer the question, “what does blood circulation do?” and see how improving blood flow can positively impact your overall health and wellness.
How Does Blood Circulate Throughout the Body?
The first step to answering the question, “what does blood circulation do?” is to understand how it flows through your body. Blood is pushed throughout the body by your circulatory system (also referred to as the cardiovascular system). Made up of your heart and blood vessels, the circulatory system acts as the transportation system for blood, delivering it to all your organs, tissues, muscles, and other body systems.
How does it do this? Your circulatory system starts by pumping blood from your heart to your lungs in order to get oxygen. This oxygenated blood is then pumped throughout your body, delivering oxygen and nutrients to every organ, tissue, muscle, and body system. Continuing its journey, the oxygen-spend blood is then returned through the vascular system to the heart to start the process all over again.
What Does Blood Circulation Do?
Now you’ve got a better understanding of how the circulatory system works, but what does blood circulation do? What effect does fresh oxygen and nutrients have on the body that keeps it running smoothly?
Simply put, the answer to, “what does blood circulation do?” is everything! Blood circulation affects your lungs, how the body heals itself, aids in digestion, can improve heart health naturally, and even boost your immune system to keep you healthy.
Another function of the circulatory system is to expel waste from your body. It does this by flushing cells and carrying waste to be removed by natural bodily processes. Working nonstop day and night our entire lives, you can see how the benefits of good blood circulation impact the body!
What Are the Benefits of Good Blood Circulation?
If the answer to the question, “what does blood circulation do?” is so extensive within our body, it must have major benefits, right? Absolutely. From pain relief and bodily healing to stress management and cognitive protection, the benefits of good blood circulation are vast.
One of the biggest benefits of good blood circulation is bodily healing. The better your blood flows throughout your body, the faster your body can heal. This can be especially crucial for athletes recovering from sports injuries, active individuals enhancing a post-workout recovery routine, and people looking for chronic pain relief methods.
For example, as blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to your spine, tissues rehydrate and muscles are able to heal more quickly. This can reduce lower back pain, help heal a herniated disc, and generally maintain proper spinal care for long-term health.
Better blood flow also works to reduce inflammation and swelling that may be painful. Answering the question, “what does blood circulation do?” and learning how to improve it may be particularly beneficial for avoiding complications during pregnancy or treating symptoms of age-related diseases like arthritis.
Those examples of the physical benefits of good blood circulation are great, but what about your mental health? As it turns out, better blood flow has been directly correlated to improving mental health, as well. For example, higher cerebral blood flow has been linked to better function of memory retention and mental clarity. Conversely, studies have also shown how lower blood flow is a contributing factor to cognitive decline manifesting as Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. This means that finding ways to improve blood circulation throughout the body not only helps physically, but may improve your mental well-being just as much.
How to Improve Blood Circulation Naturally
We can’t fully explore the question, “what does blood circulation do?” without also considering a few ways to improve it. Sometimes our bodies need a little help to improve blood circulation and make sure we’re getting the maximum benefit from our circulatory system.
Practices like mindful breathing and meditation techniques are popular methods that may help lower cortisol levels naturally, increasing blood flow throughout the body to aid in mental and physical health. Staying physically active is also effective for improving poor blood circulation. Whether you’re at the gym, going for a brisk walk, or even doing full body workout exercises at home, elevating your heart rate for 30 minutes each day may increase blood flow, keeping you at optimal health and reducing the risk of heart disease or stroke.
Aside from physical and mental exercises, there are also a number of tools you could consider to reap the benefits of good blood circulation. For example, a zero gravity chair is designed to increase circulation while reducing stress on the lower back and pelvic regions. Reclining in the zero gravity position, the legs are elevated above the heart level and weight is distributed evenly along the body. This position, based on observations by NASA of astronauts at rest in space, facilitates optimal blood circulation, enhancing how the body heals itself and providing a plethora of other potential health benefits.
Taking the effects of zero gravity position a step further are the bonus features of zero gravity luxury recliners. Choosing a zero gravity chair with massage or a heated zero gravity chair not only deepens your relaxation but may facilitate even better blood flow than the zero gravity position alone. These benefits of zero gravity chairs for all ages stem from their design, making them ideal for people of any lifestyle.
The answer to the question, “what does blood circulation do?” may have surprised you! More than just a simple heartbeat, the circulatory system is central to our mental and physical wellness. From bodily healing to the potential for protecting against mental decline, promoting good blood flow should be a priority for your daily health. Stay active, practice meditation, or choose a zero gravity chair to experience the potential difference these lifestyle adjustments can make!Want to learn more about the potential health benefits of zero gravity chairs? Check out these resources:
