Though many organizations consider various elements and aspects of health in the design of their employee wellness programs, one of the more significant elements affecting employee productivity is often overlooked: circulation. Millions of adults develop habits detrimental to their circulation, such as spending hours seated at a desk, working on their feet in a factory, traveling between meetings, or commuting for long hours. The veins in the legs are especially vulnerable.
Impeded circulation contributes to a number of symptoms that can reduce productivity including fatigue and heaviness in the legs, swelling, discomfort, and decreased range of movement. Dismissed by many as a natural result of the rigor of demanding jobs or the aging process, these symptoms may actually be medically neglected venous disorders.
Employees who experience persistent leg heaviness, swelling, or visible varicose veins should not assume these symptoms are simply part of a demanding job, as an evaluation by board-certified vein specialists in Wayne NJ can help identify underlying vein disease and appropriate treatment options before the condition progresses.
Why Healthy Circulation Matters
The health of the circulatory system is critical for every body’s operation. An important function of this system is the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to body tissue and the removal of waste. Healthy arteries and veins are vital to this process.
Veins in the legs carry blood back to the heart against gravity. There are small one-way valves in veins to stop blood from flowing back down. Weakened valves result in blood pooling in the lower legs, causing increased pressure in the veins.
This can lead to chronic venous insufficiency, pain, leg swelling, and varicose veins which get progressively worse and hinder normal activity.
The Modern Workplace and Circulatory Health
Today’s work habits and environments further strain the veins. Office workers may spend the entire workday, 8 or more hours, seated and moving very little. Health workers, teachers, retail and warehouse workers, factory workers and even drivers spend the entire workday standing in one place. Business travelers also get very little movement on long trips.
In all these situations leg muscles remain inactive. Calf muscles become a natural pump for moving blood to the heart. Minimal movement leads to blood pooling in the lower legs. Over the course of months to years, this can lead to chronic circulation problems.
Early Symptoms Employees Often Ignore
Circulatory problems do not have obvious symptoms at first. Many employees notice easy to dismiss, minor changes. Legs feel more tired at the end of the day. Swelling around the ankles returns every day after the swelling subsides overnight. There may also be a sensation of heaviness, cramping, or muscle twitches.
Because these symptoms are gradual, employees often think these are just signs of aging, or perhaps due to their busy schedules and full work days.
If these employees choose to ignore the warning signs, they may unknowingly allow more serious vein issues to develop.
How Poor Circulation Affects Productivity at Work
A focus on productivity at work will always integrate circulation.Discomfort in the legs can affect a person’s ability to focus on and complete difficult tasks. If employees have leg discomfort and/or swelling, it can result in movement and/or position disruptions. It can result in breaks that are not part of the work schedule and discomfort even during work meetings.
Discomfort can also affect circulation and even cause chronic fatigue.
Conditions at work that are more physical can also increase circulation issues that lead to fatigue and discomfort. These issues can cause increases in employees not being at work, less productivity at work, and a decline in satisfaction with the work.
Circulation and Mental Wellness
Physical issues that impact circulation can also impact mood and mental wellness. Employees that have circulation issues due to chronic discomfort can become irritable, frustrated, and lose their motivation. This discomfort can lead to poor sleep, fatigue, and no emotional resilience. Increased discomfort can lead to decreased physical activity and worsened circulation.
The workplace can support circulation improvement with limited organizational change.
Movement at work becomes circulation. Frequent standing, stretching, or walking breaks, especially when teamed with an adjustable desk, create more opportunities to break the circulation stalling cycle of sitting. Adjustable desks also allow for reduced static positions.
Particularly for employees who are on their feet for most of the day, walking becomes circulation. Good posture, adequate hydration, and movement all help improve circulation.
Simple, but effective improvements to employee wellness are often seen in improved overall employee satisfaction.
Lifestyle Habits That Protect Vein Health
Circulation does not end at work. Daily, regular movement improves the body and the circulation system. Of the many activities that promote movement, the ones that create the least amount of impact are the ones that help circulation the most.
Maintaining a healthy weight also helps circulation and can be further aided by a healthy diet, which can be as simple as balancing the variety of food at every meal.
Reducing the amount of time spent sitting during leisure activities can also help circulation. Taking brief walking breaks, even while watching TV, can help circulation.
Noticing lifestyle choices that help circulation, when done repetitively, can lead to significant improvements.
Understanding Chronic Venous Disease
Varicose veins are often thought of as being just a cosmetic problem. However, chronic venous disease is a progressive medical condition which weakens circulation even more the longer it goes untreated. Symptoms become more severe in all areas, not just the legs.
Without proper attention chronic venous insufficiency can be problematic for your health leading to skin problems, persistent swelling, and severe leg ulcers that become hard to heal.
Understanding vein disease as a medical problem as opposed to a cosmetic one can lead to patients getting diagnosed and treated sooner.
The Growth of Modern Vein Treatments
The past two decades have been beneficial for patients regarding vein treatments. Many bothersome conditions can now be treated in an outpatient setting using modern approaches that are far less invasive. For example, endovenous laser treatments, radiofrequency ablation, ultrasound-guided sclerotherapy, and ambulatory/phlebectomy now have a much smaller role in venous surgery than they have in the past.
When a patient goes to a vein specialist, the physician will do a thorough clinical assessment and order duplex ultrasound imaging to evaluate and assess the vascular flow of the problematic area before any treatment is proposed.
Why Circulatory Health Should Be a Priority for Businesses
It is becoming increasingly clear to business owners that healthy employees directly result in a successful business.
When employees have the opportunity to work in a less stressful environment that is designed around their health and wellness, productivity at work increases, and employees want to stay at the company and work there for many years. The greatest bonus of this investment is that employees are more active and healthy beyond the years of employment.
Promoting good vascular health offers employees a valuable wellness benefit and helps build a healthier workplace culture.
Conclusion
Circulatory problems are a ‘silent’ healthcare challenge at the office and deserve a greater focus. Extended hours of either sitting or standing at work, coupled with a lack of movement, can put a lot of strain on the veins and potentially lead to chronic venous disease. The early symptoms of these conditions can include a sensation of heaviness, swelling, aching or fatigue. These symptoms can be overwhelming and can have a negative effect on productivity and focus at work, and they diminish one’s overall quality of life.
The good news is, as a preventive healthcare issue, enhancing vascular health is quite easily within reach. It is very much within an individual’s control, and an organization can play an active role, to facilitate improvement with simple measures that involve more movement at work during the day and healthy lifestyle habits, wellness initiatives and early medical assessments. Circulation health is an integral part of employee wellness, individuals and organizations can foster a work environment that is healthier and more efficient.
