It’s frustrating.

Your hands feel swollen, and you don’t know why.

Your fingers feel like sausages, and your ring barely fits. What’s going on?

A doctor might inform you that you’re suffering from edema, but that’s just the technical term for swelling.

Any number of things might be causing it.

But more importantly, any number of things could bring that swelling back to normal.

That’s what we’ll look at today—the top ten ways to reduce swelling in your hands.

it could be time to make an appointment with your doctor.

But more often than not, swelling in your hands doesn’t indicate anything serious.

With a few quick fixes, you can be back to normal in no time.

What are those quick fixes? Glad you asked!

If your hands tend to swell when it’s hot outside or during or after working out, heat could be the reason.

When we’re hot, our bodies naturally expand our blood vessels to cool us down. It helps keep us cool for sure, but also leaves our hands looking bloated.

Since heat is one of the most common reasons for swollen hands, this remedy should be first on your list to try.

You’ll want to find an ice pack (or even a bag of frozen vegetables), wrap it in a towel, and hold it against you

After ten minutes, take a 10-minute break. You can keep alternating like this for a few cycles, or until the swelling goes down.

Another method is to run your hands under cool tap water or immerse them in a container of cold water.

This tip works both ways.

If you’re already swollen, tight clothing and accessories will only make it worse.

But sometimes, that tight clothing itself can be what’s causing the swelling.

Make sure you’re wearing comfortable, loose-fitting clothing.

You can also take off any rings, bracelets, watches, or other accessories that might be cutting off your circulation.

If you’re in the sun or working out, you might want to bump that amount up.

You can still be dehydrated if you’re losing water faster than you’re drinking it.

But what if you don’t eat a lot of salt? You might find sodium sneaking into your diet in other foods.

A number of foods aren’t “salty,” but still have lots of sodium. A single slice of bread, for example, can contain10% of your daily sodium intake or more.

Start checking the nutrition labels of the food you eat regularly. You might find some serious surprises.

(Medication for rheumatoid arthritis may also cause salt retention. If you’re taking this medication and seeing swelling, check with your doctor.)

Since the cartilage holds the joint together, less cartilage leaves the joint with empty space, leading to a feeling of looseness.

If you wake up with swollen hands in the morning or after sitting still for a while, this might be the tip for you.

When we keep our hands still, like when we’re asleep, they can naturally become swollen. The solution is just to keep your hands moving.

One technique to activate more blood flow in your hands is to put your arms in front of you and draw wide circles with them.

You can also gently massage your hands with each stroke moving towards the heart. If you like, you can even sleep with your hands on a pillow to keep them above the heart.

If you’re pregnant, you may notice swelling in the hands and feet happens more frequently. Stretches and massages like this can help.

(But if you’re pregnant and notice swelling around the face or that causes discomfort, contact a doctor.)

You’re right—this is the opposite of tip #1, to cool down your hands.

But it turns out that heat can also help remove swelling in your hands, just like it can reduce swelling and inflammation for a sprained ankle.

To make this work, you can use a heating pad or a washcloth soaked in hot water.

Just like with the ice pack, you’ll want to use it on your hands for ten minutes with a 10-minute break.

First, create a “short” fist by bringing your fingertips down to touch the upper palm, near where your fingers start.

Create a fist, hold it, then release slowly.

Next, create a “long” fist by stretching your fingers down to touch the bottom of your palm, near the wrist.

Make a fist, hold it, then let go.

If this technique is particularly effective, you can also purchase a therapy glove that applies consistent, light compression to the fingers and hand.

Each time your hands swell, note the time, what you were doing, wearing, and anything you’ve recently been eating or drinking.

You may immediately notice a pattern—being outside on a hot day, or after waking in the morning or from a nap.

If you don’t notice a pattern, sharing your journal entries with your doctor will help them figure out what the cause is.

There you go—ten ways to reduce the swelling in your hands.

As we mentioned earlier, swelling usually isn’t a symptom to be worried about. Just try the recommendations in the list above and see what works.

Of course, it’s time to check in with a doctor if you’re seeing swelling on a regular basis.

Either way, these remedies should help bring the swelling down.

And more importantly—make your hands look and feel normal!

[a]Did you mean fluid retention or salt (sodium?) retention? I found fluid retention or fluid buildup as a side effect but not salt retention.

[b]Good question! So the original source I used (Medical News Today) says that it's salt retention, which is where that sentence came from. It looks like medicines cause salt retention, which results in fluid retention. So I'll just keep it as-is since the section is on sodium. :)