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Why Are Some People More Prone to Blocked Blood Vessels? How to Self-Test Your Vascular Resistance

Why Are Some People More Prone to Blocked Blood Vessels? How to Self-Test Your Vascular Resistance

Feb 09, 2025 | 0 comments posted by Nature Target

Did you know that blood vessels also have resistance, similar to how the body’s immune system fights off illness? Just as a lowered immune system makes the body vulnerable to disease, reduced vascular resistance can also lead to health problems, such as cardiovascular diseases, and even cause heart attacks. There’s one simple test that can help you assess the strength of your vascular resistance.

Why Are Some People More Prone to Blocked Blood Vessels?

Vascular resistance refers to the ability of blood vessels to resist diseases or harmful factors. Under normal circumstances, healthy blood vessels can withstand environmental factors and potential risks. However, there are times when our vascular resistance weakens, which increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. These include conditions like myocardial infarction (heart attack) and stroke. Vascular diseases don’t occur randomly.

The progression from healthy to diseased blood vessels follows this path:

- Reduced endothelial function (decreased vascular resistance)

- Damage to the vascular structure (further decrease in vascular resistance)

- Plaque formation

- Arterial narrowing

- Plaque rupture

- Blood clot formation

- Heart attack

In simple terms, when blood vessels are healthy and have strong resistance, the risk of cardiovascular diseases is lower.

A Simple Test to Assess Vascular Resistance

You can do a simple self-test to evaluate your vascular resistance by watching how your palm changes color:

Repeatedly make a fist and open your hand, then clench your fist.
Press your fingers on the radial artery and ulnar artery at the base of your palm, then spread your fingers (this will cause your palm to turn pale).
Release the pressure on the ulnar artery but continue pressing on the radial artery. Watch how the color of your palm changes.

Watch how the color of your palm changes.

If the palm takes more than 10 seconds to go from pale to pink after releasing the ulnar artery, it may indicate that your vascular resistance is weakened. This test provides a rough estimate of the strength of your vascular resistance.

5 Ways to Improve Vascular Resistance

Quit Smoking: Smoking is one of the most important factors in protecting cardiovascular health.
Control Blood Pressure, Blood Lipids, and Blood Sugar: Poor management of blood pressure, lipids, and blood sugar can weaken vascular resistance and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Balance Work and Rest: Rest is crucial, especially sleep. Aim for 7 to 9 hours of quality sleep every night.
Exercise: Activities like brisk walking and jogging are great for cardiovascular health. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per week.
Regular Checkups: In addition to improving your lifestyle, it’s also recommended to get an annual health checkup. This helps with early detection of potential issues and protects vascular health by screening all body systems.