Summertime Swelling? Lymphatic Drainage Therapy Can Help
Simple and enjoyable tips for maximizing summer health and comfort.
Understanding Summertime Swelling
What causes summertime swelling? In the hot summer months, it’s not uncommon to gain pounds of water weight. If you’re already experiencing swelling, the heat can exacerbate symptoms, making them feel increasingly uncomfortable and unmanageable.
Several factors contribute to this increased swelling:
- Fluid-Conserving Hormones: Hormones like aldosterone promote fluid retention by the kidneys and reduce the salt lost in sweat. This imbalance can lead to more swelling and water weight gain.
- Blood Vessel Dilation: Heat causes blood vessels to dilate, increasing blood flow. However, gravity pulls this flow into your arms and legs, which can cause swelling in your hands, legs, and feet.
- Pre-existing Conditions: If you already suffer from swelling due to post-surgical recovery, pregnancy, lymphedema, lipedema, or chronic inflammation, the heat can aggravate your symptoms, making the swelling harder to manage.
Water, water, and more water.
Amazingly, about 60% of our body weight is water. (For context, a gallon of water weighs approximately 8 pounds. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, you’re composed of about 11.25 gallons of water!) And our bodies are designed to support and nurture us.
About 60% of our body weight is water.
In hot weather, our body elegantly performs heat acclimation, making you sweat faster and sooner, requiring that you take in more fluids, speeding and intensifying your thirst signal. It can take about 7-14 days of steady summer heat for our bodies to effectively perform heat acclimation. Ideally we respond with increased water intake and increased activity levels to further promote our body’s adjustment to the heat. When we make these changes, we may find the summertime swelling and extra water pounds melt away.
How to Manage Summertime Swelling
In some cases though, increasing water intake and activity level aren’t possible or aren’t enough to significantly reduce or eliminate the swelling. Instead of delighting in our glorious summer season, we experience an extended period of uncomfortable and joy-limiting heat-induced swelling. Here are some strategies to help reduce summer swelling and enjoy a more comfortable season:
- Get in the Pool: Immersion in cool water provides natural compression. For example, walking in water up to your collarbones can offer significant compression, reducing swelling in your hands, legs, and feet.
- Elevate Swollen Areas: Find a cool, relaxing location to elevate the swollen area when you’re not active.
- Cool Down Techniques:
- Soak towels in ice water, ring them out, and lay them on the swollen area.
- Use a spray bottle filled with ice water to cool your body throughout the day.
- Lightly spray compression garments with ice water and freeze them before wearing.
- Freeze grapes and place them on the swollen area, then enjoy a refreshing snack.
- Timing: Schedule outdoor activities and exercise during the cooler hours of the day.
- Eat Well: Hydrate with summer fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and foods like berries and chia seeds that support hydration.
- Wear Appropriate Clothing: Light-colored, sweat-wicking clothing and compression garments help keep you cool. Apply sunscreen liberally to avoid burns that can increase body temperature and swelling.
Celebrate our incredible local bounty with summer fruits and veggies.
Why Choose Lymphatic Drainage Therapy?
Lymphatic drainage therapy is a delightful and nourishing way to reduce summer swelling. This therapy gently redirects excess fluid and waste toward available lymph nodes, helping to eliminate it from the body. Benefits include:
- Reduced Swelling and Water Weight: Shed excess water weight and reduce swelling.
- Improved Immune Health: Enhance your body’s ability to fight off toxins and immune challengers.
- Overall Well-being: Experience relief from allergies, sinus issues, migraines, and improved pain management. Enjoy faster muscle recovery, better sleep, and decreased overall stress.
What are you waiting for? Book a lymphatic drainage massage today and embrace a more comfortable, less swollen summer. You are worth it.
Disclaimer – This blog is for general information purposes only. Furthermore, the information contained in this blog is not a substitute for medical advice. Always consult your licensed healthcare professional for advice on your specific condition.
