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The extra red blood cells make your blood thicker than normal. As a result, blood clots can form more easily. These clots can block blood flow through your arteries and veins, which can cause a heart attack or stroke. Thicker blood also doesn't flow as quickly to your body as normal blood.
While having thinner blood may stave off any alarming blood circulation issues, blood that is too thin may lead to complications as well. With a lack of platelets in the blood to increase viscosity, continual bleeding â where your wounds and cuts have trouble forming blood clots to stop the bleeding â may cause some amount of frustration, and may even end up becoming a dangerous problem.