Our body is mainly composed of water. It is found in our muscles, blood, bones and organs. Although water is necessary for normal functioning, sometimes the body retains too much water.
This disorder is manifested by swelling of body parts such as legs, arms, stomach. Although temporary swelling is not a major problem, long-term retention can cause a variety of problems, such as renal failure, cytosis, heart problems, early menopause. We present some of the most common causes of excessive water retention, as well as ways to deal with this problem.
Diet
Sodium contains elements necessary for normal functioning of the body, but excessive salt intake leads to a number of problems, such as excessive weight, and water retention.
Recommendation: reduce salt intake to a maximum of 2300 milligrams (one spoon of salt). In addition, try replacing it with spices such as pepper, oregano, ginger and you can also use lemon juice, mustard or vinegar.
Lifestyle
Long sitting or standing leads to water retention in the tissues. You can easily notice this by symptoms such as swollen joints or legs.
Recommendation: It is important to maintain normal blood circulation during the day. If your job requires sitting all day, take breaks to walk or do a couple of exercises. Try to find time for physical activity during the day, 15-30 minutes will be enough.
Medications
Blood pressure medications, beta-blockers, antidepressants and others can lead to some negative side effects, including water retention.
Recommendation: If you notice these symptoms, contact your doctor to adjust your therapy.
Hormones
Women often have problems with swelling under the influence of hormones, either during the menstrual cycle, perimenopause and menopause. Hormones that play the most important role in this are estrogen and progesterone.
Recommendation: First, try to take care of your diet and eliminate foods that lead to swelling and bloating. If this does not give results, visit a doctor. In the extreme case the doctor may prescribe a hormone therapy, which will put your hormones in balance.
Heart problems
One of the symptoms of cardiac disorders is swelling of the legs or abdomen. In such case you may have swelling in combination with weakness, quick heart rate, shortness of breath.
Recommendation: be sure to contact your doctor. He will perform analyzes such as ECG, cardiac or magnetic resonance to determine the cause and begin treatment.