What lifestyle modifications should I advise to patients experiencing Raynaud's symptoms?

Lifestyle modifications for patients with Raynaud's phenomenon should focus on minimizing cold exposure and avoiding triggers that provoke vasospasm. Advise patients to keep their whole body warm, including hands and feet, by wearing layered clothing, mittens or gloves, warm footwear, and head coverings in cold environments to prevent vasoconstriction and reduce episode frequency ¹. Local warming techniques such as hand and foot warming devices or heat packs may help prevent or shorten attacks, but caution is needed to avoid heat-induced injury ¹.

Patients should be counselled to avoid sudden temperature changes and cold exposure whenever possible. Smoking cessation is strongly recommended as smoking exacerbates Raynaud's symptoms through endothelial dysfunction and impaired vasodilatation, increasing severity and frequency of episodes ¹. Similarly, reducing caffeine intake may help as caffeine can contribute to vasoconstriction ¹.

Stress management techniques, including relaxation methods, should be advised to help reduce symptom triggers related to emotional stress. Patients should also avoid other known triggers such as occupational vibration exposure if possible ¹.

These lifestyle measures are often sufficient to control primary Raynaud's phenomenon without pharmacological intervention (Curtiss, 2024a; Nawaz et al., 2022). Maintaining warmth of the entire body is emphasized to prevent reflex vasoconstriction of the extremities, a key pathophysiological mechanism in Raynaud's ¹; (Nawaz et al., 2022). Smoking and caffeine avoidance are supported by both UK guidelines and recent literature as important modifiable risk factors ¹; (Curtiss, 2024a). Stress reduction is also recognized as beneficial in expert reviews (Wigley, 2016; Nawaz et al., 2022).