Veins that protrude from your body often look large, stiff, and under high pressure. Many people assume that this is the response of the circulatory system to the high demands that result from exercise. Although exercise has effects on the body that can change the appearance of veins and arteries, it is not that new ones appear or that old ones take more stress.
In fact, the appearance of veins under the skin when lifting weights has very little to do with them. Actually, no more veins are generated after lifting weights. The ones you have are flattened from muscle swelling and just seem to bulge out.
How does exercise influence?
Any type of exercise raises your heart rate to some degree. This is a physiological response to an increased need for oxygen in the body, particularly in areas where work is done. The heart rate and the respiratory rate increase to compensate for the increased work, which is fed through the blood flow to places that are being exercised, such as the muscles.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, exercise also fights conditions like high blood pressure, some cancers, and heart disease. It also protects bones that weaken as you age due to loss of calcium.
Role of plasma
Changes in appearance actually have little to do with what happens in the veins themselves, according to Scientific American. In fact, these effects on them are the product of changes in the muscle matter that surrounds them .
Plasma from the body flows into the muscles during exercise, causing them to swell and harden. The tightening of the muscle pushes the inserted venous tissue towards the surface of the muscles and against the skin, making it more visible, while the function of the veins remains virtually unchanged. This "pumped up" effect lasts for only 15 to 30 minutes .
Volume and pressure myth
The long-held belief in the cause of bulging veins was that exercise forced the heart and circulatory system to distribute blood faster, causing increased volume and pressure in the veins that pushed the vein walls and made them stiffer. .
However, a recent study has shown that pressure actually decreases during exercise because circulation improves throughout the body , distributing blood and putting less pressure on any passageway. Volume also remains constant throughout the body and can increase in smaller capillaries while decreasing in larger vessels.
Although bulging veins are a common byproduct of exercise, you can also develop more prominent veins through potentially dangerous health problems. Deep vein thrombosis can contribute to bulging of the veins, which could be a precursor to a blood clot.
Smoking also accentuates them on the surface of the skin, as does excessive stress . Older people are more likely to develop bulging veins for this reason. If you are not sure what is causing your bulging veins, call or see a doctor.
