Do you wonder why your fingers become dull and cold in the winter? This happens due to poor circulation in your fingers. This usually happens when you have a type of peripheral vascular disease. However, a number of other factors also go into causing poor circulation in your hands. Let's find out more about it.

Symptoms of Poor Circulation in Fingers

• Tingling and Prickling: You may have poor blood circulation if you experience prickling or tingling within any of your fingertips. It is actually the most common symptom associated with poor circulation in the fingers.
• Numbness: People who complain about numbness in the fingertips or the entirety of the hand usually have poor blood flow to the fingers.
• Discoloration: Your fingers are quite likely to be discolored due to poor blood circulation to these extremities. You may notice your fingers become pale or turn blue with this condition.
• Coldness: It is also common to feel your fingers colder than other areas of the body if you have this condition.
• Pain and Discomfort: It is also common to experience pain and discomfort in your fingers when they are not getting enough blood.
• Sores: The formation of sores or ulcers is yet another symptom associated with poor circulation in your fingers. These sores appear on the skin of your fingers, and these sores take long to recover mainly because of limited blood flow to these areas.

Causes of Poor Circulation in Fingers

If you have any symptoms that indicate restricted blood flow to your fingers, you should go see your doctor for further evaluation. There can be many different causes of compromised blood circulation in fingers. Here is more about it.

1. Aging

Your blood vessels may become stiffer and harder due to age. The hardening of blood vessels results in limited flow of blood to certain parts of the body. This is usually the most common cause of poor blood flow in toes and fingers in old people.

2. Raynaud's Disease

Your body constricts your blood vessels when you are in cold temperatures. The same type of constriction may take place when you are under mental or physical stress. When you continue to have this constriction for a prolonged period, you develop a condition called Raynaud's syndrome. In this condition, the blood flow to fingers will be decreased, causing poor blood circulation.

3. Thickening of the Arteries

Also called arteriosclerosis, the condition can cause poor circulation of blood and result in cold, numb fingers and toes. Your arteries may become thick due to high levels of cholesterol or some diseases such as diabetes. The blood cannot move properly through hardened blood vessels, which in turn affects both the lower and upper extremities of the body.

4. Improper Diet

What you eat may also result in poor circulation in fingers. This usually happens when your diet is devoid of minerals, vitamins, and fatty acids for a long time. This causes your veins, arteries, and capillaries to break down, and defective vessels fail to circulate blood efficiently.

5. Inflammation of Veins

You may develop a clot in your veins due to a physical blow, and this clot can cause inflammation of the veins over time. Known as venous thrombosis, the condition can cause poor circulation in toes, fingers, and other extremities of the body.

6. Peripheral Neuropathy

It refers to the damage done to your peripheral nerves, which often causes numbness, weakness, and pain in your feet and hands. Infections, traumatic injuries, and metabolic problems can result in peripheral neuropathy. You may also develop it due to diabetes mellitus and exposure to toxins.

7. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

You develop this condition due to the compression of the medial nerve that runs from your forearm straight into the palm of your hand. You can develop poor blood circulation due to this particular condition.

Treatment of Poor Circulation in Finger

You should see your healthcare provider and discuss your symptoms to confirm if you really have blood circulation problems. Here are some ways to improve your condition:

1. Improve Blood Flow

Keep your feet and hands warm in the winter to promote better flow of blood. You can do it by wearing boots and gloves. Quit smoking because the nicotine found in cigarettes constricts your blood vessels. Eating food high in fiber and low in saturated fat may also help improve your clogged arteries. Besides, consider adding omega-3 fatty acids as well as vitamins A, B6, C, and E in your diet. Do not opt for OTC pseudoephedrine because it can also affect your blood circulation in a negative way.

2. Stay Active

You should have an active lifestyle and exercise regularly. Sometimes, you can see improvement just by wiggling your fingers. Massage your hands and try to move your hands in wide circles to improve the blood flow to your hands. Get a hand exercise ball and squeeze it often to improve the circulation. You can make use of a ball with an elastic band to add some resistance.

3. Treat Raynaud's Disease

You can control the symptoms of Raynaud's or at least make them manageable by avoiding the cold and using relaxation techniques to keep stress at bay. You may consider taking nifedipine in case your symptoms do not improve after taking self-care measures.

4. Treat Peripheral Neuropathy

Identify the underlying cause first to treat peripheral neuropathy. Diabetes may be the cause of trouble, so your aim should be to control your diabetes first to treat peripheral neuropathy. Making some lifestyle changes, such as cutting down on alcohol, quitting smoking, staying active, and maintaining a healthy body weight may also help.

6. Treat Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

If carpal tunnel syndrome is the cause of poor circulation in fingers, consider taking the following measures:

• Take short breaks from repetitive activities that may have caused the issue in the first place.
• Stretch your fingers and rotate your wrists often.
• Take a pain reliever such as naproxen or ibuprofen.
• Make use of a wrist splint that you can wear at night. Ensure the splint is not overly tight.
• Ensure that you do not sleep on your hands or your symptoms will become worse.