Summer, Swelling & Your Lymphatic System
Summer gets a lot of credit for being “cleansing”, “detoxifying”, and generally good for us.
Your lymphatic system would like to lodge a mild objection.
Because when it’s hot, your body isn’t floating around blissfully detoxing — it’s working quite hard to not overheat... And that changes fluid movement in very predictable, very physiological ways.
Let’s talk about what’s actually happening, and then what genuinely helps. What heat does to the body. When ambient temperature rises, your body prioritises thermoregulation — keeping core temperature stable. To do this, it makes several coordinated changes:
1. Vasodilation
Blood vessels near the skin widen to increase heat loss.
Good for cooling
Less efficient return of blood and fluid to the heart
This is why your face looks flushed and your legs feel heavy by the end of a hot day.
2. Fluid shift into tissues
As blood vessels dilate, plasma fluid moves out of the bloodstream and into the interstitial spaces (the space between cells). That fluid doesn’t magically disappear. It has to be picked up by the lymphatic system. In heat, more fluid enters tissues than usual, increasing the lymphatic workload.
3. Sweat = water + electrolytes lost
Sweating reduces blood plasma volume.
Lower plasma volume means:
• thicker blood
• slower venous return
• reduced pressure gradients that normally assist lymph flow
Translation: lymph becomes slower and more sluggish, not blocked — just underpowered.
4. Gravity becomes less forgiving
Heat worsens lower limb pooling, especially if you’re standing, sitting, or moving less efficiently. Lymphatic vessels in the legs already work against gravity and don’t have a pump like the heart. Add heat, vasodilation, and fluid shifts, and suddenly your ankles feel like they’ve had a long day at the pub. The result?
That familiar summer feeling:
• Puffiness
• Swollen feet or hands
• Heavy legs
• Facial fullness
• Fatigue
This is normal physiology under heat stress, not a failure of your lymphatic system and definitely not a sign you need to “flush” anything aggressively.
Now let’s talk support
1. Dry skin brushing (gentle or don’t bother)
Your superficial lymphatic vessels sit just under the skin and respond to light mechanical stimulation.
Dry brushing can:
• Stimulate superficial lymph flow
• Encourage movement of interstitial fluid
• Improve sensory input and body awareness
Important note (and this matters):
Pressure should be feather-light.
Red skin, tingling, soreness or “burn” = too much. Aggressive brushing increases inflammation and capillary leakage — the opposite of what you want.
How:
3–5 minutes, light strokes toward lymph node areas, before showering.
2. Hydration (it’s not just “drink more water”)
Lymph is mostly water.
But water without minerals doesn’t stay where you need it.
In heat:
• Plasma volume drops
• Electrolytes are lost
• Fluid distribution becomes inefficient
Support lymph flow by:
• Drinking consistently (not chugging)
• Including electrolytes or mineral-rich fluids
• Adding a pinch of quality salt if appropriate
Well-hydrated lymph flows more easily.
Dehydrated lymph is thicker and slower — basic fluid dynamics, not detox lore.
3. Legs up the wall (one of my favourites)
This one is criminall underrated.
Elevating the legs:
• Improves venous and lymphatic return
• Reduces hydrostatic pressure in the lower limbs
• Assists fluid reabsorption
• Calms the nervous system (which indirectly improves lymph flow)
You don’t need a yoga sequence or a ritual.
5–10 minutes in the evening is enough.
No forcing. No straining. Gravity does the work.
Summer lymph support should feel easy, repetitive, and slightly simple. If swelling, heaviness, or discomfort is persistent or worsening, that’s not something to “push through” — it’s useful clinical information and may need individual assessment.
Your body already knows how to move lymph.
Summer just asks you to work with physiology instead of against it.
— Pauline
