What signs indicate ‘thick blood’? Can drinking more water help? Here’s the truth.

Thick blood is a phenomenon rather than a symptom.

“Feeling groggy in the morning, slow thinking, and seeing stars when standing up after squatting? Beware, this is a warning sign of increased blood viscosity!” ——You must have seen such articles in your social media circles.

Accompanied by alarming images of blocked blood vessels, along with threats like “increased blood viscosity can lead to blood clots, heart attacks,” it instantly induces anxiety.

But the question is, can we really judge “blood viscosity” by “morning dizziness, blurred vision, shortness of breath when squatting”? Is “blood viscosity” really the direct cause of heart attacks and strokes?

Today, let’s discuss this seriously misunderstood topic.

Misunderstood “High Blood Viscosity”

First, it is important to clarify that:In the diagnostic system of modern medicine, there is no independent disease diagnosis called “high blood viscosity”.

In medicine, there are indeed “hemorheological” indicators, such as whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, red blood cell deformability, etc., which can describe the state of “increased blood viscosity”. But itis more a description of a phenomenon, rather than a disease name that can be diagnosed and treated independently.

Just like a thermometer can measure that a person has a fever, but “fever” itself is not a disease, it could be due to upper respiratory tract infections, autoimmune diseases, or other different causes. Similarly,increased blood viscosity is just a phenomenon that may accompany diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, but it is not a disease that is clearly defined.