SWOLLEN FEET IN THE HEAT? 3 TIPS FOR HOT DAYS

The lovely summer is here with bright evenings and sunny warm days. When it gets hot outside, feet, legs and fingers tend to swell up easily. The feet feel heavy and clumsy. The fingers are stiff and they can barely bend. This is a result of the body trying to lower the skin's temperature in the summer heat by increasing the blood flow in the body. Feet and legs swell up!

Why do feet swell in the summer heat?

When it's hot outside, the blood vessels dilate so that more blood can be transported around the body and thus lower our body temperature. The increased amount of blood is cooling down the body!

In the legs, there is then an increased pressure on the blood vessels but also on the valves that should help the blood to be transported back up to the heart. Because the blood vessels dilated due to the heat, the valves may have difficulty closing tightly. Then the blood collects and the feet and ankles swell. Read more about why legs and feet swell here.

Here are 3 quick tips on how to prevent swollen feet in the heat

1. Cool feet and legs in cold water

Cooling your feet and hands in cold water feels tempting on a hot summer day. Feel free to pour in some epsom salt, which is said to be good for swollen feet.

2. Keep your feet in a high position

As soon as you get the chance, keep your feet up. Take the opportunity when you read a good book, or why not while sleeping. Place a pillow under your feet to keep them elevated.

3. Support socks, support socks and again support socks

The idea of putting on support socks on a hot summer's day doesn´t sound so good to many people's ears. Don't despair, there are now short support socks in cool organic cotton that counteracts swollen feet in the heat.

Click through to our Socks in the Summer Heat page. There, we list all the socks we recommend for the summer heat.