Staying hydrated can lower risk of developing blood clots

While your blood’s ability to clot is a crucial part of recovery from a scrape or more serious injury, blood clots can be dangerous or even deadly outside of that realm.

Up to 900,000 Americans each year develop a blood clot, which is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some 60,000 to 100,000 people die each year from blood clot complications.

Technically, anyone can develop a blood clot and at any time. But certain risk factors increase the odds you’ll develop one, according to cardiologists. If you have one of these risk factors and engage in a very common morning habit, you may raise your risk level even more, according to Cheng-Han Chen, interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California.

The formation of blood clots is a complicated process, and it’s hard to say that doing any one thing will dramatically change your risk level. But given how devastating, debilitating and even deadly blood clots can be, it’s understandable to want to do what you can to lower your risk.

Here’s what cardiologists suggest you do for your morning routine to influence your blood clot risk, plus other advice to support good cardiovascular health.

A simple morning routine

First, it’s crucial to understand the risks associated with blood clots. The biggest health concerns and complications with blood clots are deep vein thrombosis, which is a blood clot in the deep veins of the body, and pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot in the lungs, according to the CDC.

Deep vein thrombosis can break off and travel in the body, creating various health issues, including pulmonary embolism, which can be deadly. It’s also possible to have a blood clot in the brain, which is called cerebral venous thrombosis. This is a rare complication of a blood clot, but it accounts for up to 3 percent of all strokes.

Common risk factors for blood clots include getting older, having heart or lung disease, sitting for long periods and being overweight or obese, per the CDC. But being dehydrated can also raise your risk of developing blood clots, according to the American Heart Association.

That’s why cardiologists say it’s often helpful to drink water before your morning cup of coffee. “Coffee is a mild diuretic that increases fluid loss, and many people start their day already dehydrated from overnight water loss,” says Dr. Catherine Weinberg, director of Adult Congenital Heart Disease at Northwell’s Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. Starting the day with plain water helps you properly hydrate before you start using anything that might work against your hydration, she explains.

Because coffee encourages your body to lose fluid, it mimics not drinking enough water, says Dr. Anne Curtis, cardiologist and professor at the University of Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. “That leads to concentration of the blood and a higher risk of clotting,” she says.

That’s where drinking water before coffee comes in. “Think of it as priming the pump — you’re ensuring your circulatory system starts the day in optimal condition,” Weinberg says. “Even 8 ounces of water before your morning brew can make a meaningful difference in blood viscosity throughout the day.”

It’s worth noting that this is also a potential issue with tea and any other caffeinated beverage, Chen says.

Why dehydration raises risk

The big concern with being dehydrated and making things worse by drinking coffee before you have water in the morning is that it increases the thickness of your blood, Chen says. (This is known as your blood’s viscosity.) “That could then lead to an increased risk of blood clotting in your veins,” he says.

When you’re well hydrated, you have more blood volume, points out Dr. Alfonso H. Waller, chief of the Division of Cardiology at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. “Then, blood can flow freely without issue,” he says. “When you’re dehydrated, that’s not always the case.”

This doesn’t mean you’re destined to get a blood clot if you forget this rule and have coffee first thing. But Chen says it’s important for people who already have blood clot risk factors to be mindful of their hydration to try to avoid making their risk level even higher.

Just keep this in mind, says Dr. Dawn Warner Kershner, a cardiologist with The Heart Center at Mercy in Baltimore: “Drinking water does not directly prevent blood clots. However, it is helpful.”

Other steps to take

If you have an underlying risk factor for blood clots, such as obesity or heart disease, Chen says, it’s crucial to try to manage your conditions as best as you can. “This will naturally lower your risk of blood clots,” he says.

Beyond that, it’s important to stay mobile during your day, including getting up and walking around every hour when you travel and changing positions while you’re seated, according to the AHA.

But staying well hydrated is also an important factor in lowering your risk of blood clots.

“Many people don’t realize that mild, chronic dehydration is a significant yet completely preventable clot risk factor,” Weinberg says.