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September is Pain Awareness Month
How to Have Less Pain All Day
Whether you wake up stiff and sore or suffer more as the day wears on, these tips can help ease and prevent pain from morning to night. If your joints and muscles have been achy and sore for weeks (or months or even years), you’re not alone. More than half of older adults report having pain over the past month, often in more than one spot on the body.
Sometimes the cause is clear, maybe you’re healing from surgery or an injury, or you have osteoarthritis. Other times, there’s no obvious explanation. Either way, pain is no fun, and it can get in the way of working or doing what you love.
While pain medications can help, they’re often not ideal to use long term, says pain management specialist Medhat Mikhael, MD. Even over-the-counter (OTC) pain medicines carry a risk of side effects like stomach bleeding and liver problems. But the good news is that there are many other lifestyle strategies that can help. Here are some simple and effective solutions for finding relief from pain at the time of day it bothers you most:
How to have less pain in the morning:
- Do some simple stretches-The best way to increase blood flow to areas like your back, knees and hips is to loosen them up with stretches.
- Go for a morning walk-Once you’ve warmed up your joints with stretches, some movement can make you feel better, under one condition: Walk outdoors when it’s a warm, sunny day, not when it’s freezing cold.
- Take a warm shower-Warm water on tight muscles and joints can work wonders when it comes to relieving morning stiffness.
- Eat a good breakfast-If you do take medications or supplements such as fish oil to relieve pain, it’s important to take them with food to avoid a possible stomach upset.
How to have less pain during the day:
- Take a brain break-One way to break the cycle of pain is by trying a mindfulness exercise.
- Change the menu-Foods that are processed or high in fat or sugar may be tasty, but they also promote inflammation, which can worsen arthritis.
- Keep moving-If you find that you spend most of your day sitting, try to get up and move every 30 to 60 minutes.
How to have less pain at night:
- Switch up your sleeping position-It’s also a good idea to follow the Goldilocks rule when it comes to pillows and mattresses: Not too soft, and not too hard, but somewhere in between.
- Play with temperature-To help bring on sleep, it’s recommended that you set your thermostat to about 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Get a good rubdown-One safe option to help relieve nighttime pain is an over-the-counter cream with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like diclofenac (found in Voltaren and generic brands)
Chronic pain affects 1 in 5 American adults, and it can really slow you down. Hopefully these tips can give you some relief and ease common pain.
For information about reducing daily pain, visit here.
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