Your body may or may be prone to edema due to long journeys, hormone changes, excess salt consumption, insufficient fluid intake, menstrual cycle in women, or genetic factors. You may have witnessed that on social media, on television, in the foods we buy, in tea, and, unfortunately, even the dietitian you go to offers various smoothies, detox waters, and nutritional lists to miraculously relieve edema. With this article, I will try to reveal the facts and explain what you can do to prevent edema formation in your body and to relieve edema.
This article is for healthy people and athletes who want to reduce the water weight in their bodies. If you have severe edema – swelling in your feet or arms – consult your doctor.
What is Edema?
Edema is the presence of more fluid than normal between cells in different tissues, especially in the skin. It is a common health problem and can occur even on a daily basis.
In fact, a large part of our body is already made up of water. However, if your hydration level cannot be balanced due to unhealthy diet and some factors independent of nutrition, your body will tend to retain water. This is referred to colloquially as “water retention”, “edema”, “bloating”. Symptoms can be any of the following:
- Swelling, especially in the abdomen,
- Swollen legs, feet and ankles,
- Swelling of the abdomen, face and buttocks,
- Stiff joints,
- Weight fluctuations, loss of consistency in the scale,
- Indentations in the skin similar to what you see in your fingers when you've been in the bath or shower for a long time.
Why Edema Occurs?
Since edema is a health problem that can be experienced even on a daily basis, it can be caused by many different reasons, as well as by lifestyle changes. In the same way, trying to avoid some situations that may cause edema will reduce the frequency of experiencing edema. Thus, you will be able to prevent edema before it occurs. For this, it is necessary to know the conditions that cause edema:
Changes in cabin pressure and sitting for a long time can cause water retention in your body. dola Taking a flight, going long distances, and frequent travels can cause edema in your body.
Standing or sitting for too long, a sedentary lifestyle can make edema a very severe and frequent problem. Gravity keeps blood in your lower extremities, so it's important to get up and walk around often to boost blood circulation. Even though we are all closed to our homes and working online due to the pandemic, one of the ways to get rid of miraculous edema in such a lifestyle is to try to increase movement inside the house.
Consuming too much salt increases water retention in your body. The increased sodium content added to processed foods and soft drinks to extend their shelf life doesn't help much, either. Therefore, it is necessary to stay away from packaged foods and processed foods.
Some drugs have water retention as a side effect. These include: drugs used in chemotherapy treatments and over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, blood pressure medications, antidepressants. Individuals using these drugs are quite prone to edema.
Individuals with heart failure may face the problem of chronic edema. A weak heart that is not able to pump blood well can cause the body to retain water.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) can cause edema and swelling in the legs.
Weight change during pregnancy, regular If you don't act properly, it may cause edema in your legs and feet.
Block Before Edema Occurs! Ways to Relieve Edema
Edema has become such a big and common health problem that everyone who is concerned about body weight is talking about the edema problem they often experience everywhere. It is necessary to pay attention to some lifestyle factors in order not to experience the problem of edema. If you pay attention to these, you will be applying the most effective ways of removing edema in your life. These methods will enable you to both prevent edema before it occurs, and to eliminate edema even when you experience edema.
Exercise Regularly
Edema and edema status in the short term One of the best ways not to live is exercise. Do the exercise you want, it's the sweat you put out that counts. The sweat you expel with exercise means you will lose water from your body.
The average fluid loss during an hour of exercise is between 0.5–2 liters per hour, depending on factors such as temperature and clothing. In addition, plenty of water is transferred to your muscles during exercise, so that fluid does not accumulate between the tissues and the "soft" appearance caused by edema is reduced. Regular exercise helps to maintain the natural balance of bodily fluids and to remove excess stored water with sweat.
You can also add a sauna after exercise to increase sweat and water loss.
However, be careful here. There is a point that needs to be taken: You should drink plenty of water during exercise.
Make sure to get enough sleep
Sleep routine is as important to health as diet and exercise.
Same It also affects the sympathetic nerves in the kidneys that regulate sleep, sodium and water balance. Adequate sleep can help your body control hydration levels and minimize water retention. Thus, it becomes easier to control edema in the long run.
7-9 hours of sleep per night is sufficient for most.
Stress Less
Stress is the level of cortisol hormone in our body. causes an increase. This hormone is a hormone that directly affects edema. Because stress and cortisol increase the level of ADH (antidiuretic hormone), which controls the water balance in the body. ADH determines how much water is stored in the body in the kidneys.
Therefore, by controlling your stress level, you can maintain your cortisol and ADH levels, which are important for long-term health and disease risk.
Take Care of Your Salt Intake.
The sodium you get from salt on a daily basis is one of the most abundant electrolytes in the human body. It plays an important role in hydration levels. If sodium levels are too low or too high, it will cause imbalances in the body and therefore edema. Especially if insufficient water consumption and lack of exercise are combined with high salt consumption, the level of edema increases considerably.
One study, If people will consume more sodium than they normally get used to during the day, if there will be a change in the level of sodium entering/exiting their body, or if they are going to do something different from their normal lifestyle, they recommend that they consume plenty of water.
Consume Enough Water
Your body will always Time tries to strike a healthy balance, so if you're constantly dehydrated, your body will tend to retain more water to keep your water levels from getting too low, so you'll get edema. That's why reaching your goal of ideal daily water intake is the best way to reduce edema both in the long term and in the short term.
Also, studies say that adequate hydration is also important for overall health, including fat loss and brain function. .
However, the important point here is not to overdo it with water consumption. As always, a balance needs to be struck. If you drink too much water, your body water weight may increase.
You can also monitor your urine color to assess hydration. It should be light yellow or fairly clear, which is a good indication that you're getting enough water.
Focusing on Certain Foods Can Be a Good Remedy
There are some foods you can include in your diet to combat edema. Certain foods and herbs can act as diuretics and reduce water retention. You can combine them with easily digestible foods that do not cause bloating or intolerance. It is necessary to include foods rich in potassium in your daily diet, and if you do not have a health problem such as kidney disease, you should not eat poor in potassium. Dark green leafy vegetables, beans, bananas, avocados, tomatoes, yogurt or other dairy products are healthy and rich in potassium.
Foods rich in magnesium are also recommended in this regard. These include dark chocolate, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, and whole grains.
Avoid Excessive Carbs
Carbohydrates are stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver, but glycogen also contains water. pulls. Every gram of g you store For lycogen, 3–4 grams (0.11–0.14 ounces) of water can be stored with it. Carbs also cause an increase in the hormone insulin, which increases sodium retention and water reabsorption in the kidneys. Individuals get rid of edema in their bodies without a decrease in adipose tissue.
Beware of Caffeine Consumption
Beverages such as coffee and tea have diuretic effects due to caffeine and can help reduce water weight in your body.
However, the important point here is to establish the balance again! Since excessive caffeine consumption will cause excessive water excretion, the water level in the body may decrease considerably and your body may increase its tendency to retain water. Consuming 1 glass of water with each tea and coffee you drink can help you find balance by preventing excessive excretion. p>
Mind Your Habits
One of the best changes you can make is to reduce your intake of processed foods and excessive salt intake. Also, avoid sitting for long periods of time as it can reduce your blood circulation. Physical activity can improve circulation and help you sweat out excess water from your body.
Some medications can also cause water retention, so if you're taking medication and think it may be causing edema, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
Payment. Even though it's not related to your stomach, pay attention to the foods you eat and make sure they don't cause digestive problems or bloating.
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