Your hands provide a fascinating insight into hydration, nutrition, blood flow and circulation. Our hands are our personal work horses so when they give us trouble, it affects our quality of life. Many of us accept cold, dry hands as normal or that wrinkles or rigid veins are just a part of aging when they are actually signs of poor circulation and potentially even more serious health concerns. Check out the look and feel of your hands and see them in a whole new way.
VEINS? Put your hand on your knee, palm down and look. Do you have raised veins showing above the skin on the back of your hand? No veins – you need more fluid! Now raise your hand and watch to see when they disappear – at your waist? Chest? Chin? Eye level? The higher your hand goes before the veins disappear the better hydrated you are. (NOTE: if they never disappear, they may be rigid indicating poor circulation or a heart condition).
COLOR: What color is the pad of your hand? It should be pink with even tones – this applies to people of all colors. Pink color indicates blood and oxygen levels are good.
CONDITION:
Wrinkled or prune like hands or finger tips? Skin on the pads of your fingers look like a prune even when you’re not in the bathtub? Prune like = dehydrated.
Cracks on the skin around your nails? Dehydration
Brown spots? Ridges on your nails? Poor nail development? These are signs of mineral deficiencies.
FEEL: Cold hands – dry or maybe clammy? This may mean poor circulation and blood flow.
TURGOR? Grasp the skin on the back of your hand between two fingers so that it is tented up - hold for a few seconds and then release. Skin with normal turgor snaps rapidly back to its normal position. Skin with decreased turgor remains elevated and returns slowly to its normal position. Poor turgor means dehydration.
CAPILLARY REFILL (Perfusion): Hold your hand higher than heart-level. Press the soft pad of a finger or your finger nail until it turns white. Take note of the time needed for the color to return once pressure is released. Normal refill time is less than 2 seconds = good blood flow.
TAKE ACTION - by increasing your fluids and including a daily electrolyte supplement like Lyte Balance you can warm up your hands, improve circulation, make them less dry and feel confident knowing you're properly hydrated!