To manage your arthritis better, find ways to relax and eliminate stress. When you body undergoes stress, it releases chemicals that can trigger inflammation and increase body pain, affecting your arthritis. You may want to consider brushing up on your time management skills or adding light exercise to help you cope with stress.
It is important that you get the flu shot if you suffer from arthritis. Just like with many other chronic illnesses, arthritis symptoms will get much worse if you get the flu and could even land you in the hospital. The flu shot is a simple shot that you only have to get once a year.
Focus on strength training. People who suffer from arthritis have been shown to increase their flexibility and overall health from performing strength exercises as little as twice a week. Stick with moderate or lighter exercises to get the maximum benefits without causing any undue stress on your joints, which may cause inflammation.
Stay away from heating pads if your arthritis is flaring up. All they are going to do is make your symptoms worse. Instead, apply a cold compress to the area where your arthritis is located. You could even wrap a package of frozen peas or another frozen vegetable in a towel and apply to the area.
Instead of dwelling on the activities you can't do with with your children if you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, spend time finding things that you can do together. Just because you can't go running around the park with them, doesn't make you a bad parent. Take them to the pool or read stories together. The most important thing is that you spend time together, not how you spend it.
Do not skimp on sleep if you are suffering from arthritis. Sleep is your body's chance for rest and recuperation. Without it, your body can never fight back against the painful effects of arthritis. Try to sleep at least eight hours a day, ten on a particularly stressful day. Your body will benefit from greatly from sleep.
In order to have the energy you need to cope with your arthritis symptoms, it is important to get plenty of sleep. Dealing with the pain and inflammation of arthritis can take a toll on your body and leave you feeling fatigued. The best way to keep your energy up is by making sure you are getting enough sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, try eliminating caffeine or talk to your doctor about medications that may help.
Stopping arthritis early can be beneficial. A prevention technique is to implement good typing habits. You should always keep your hands level with your keyboard and keep a raised pad under your mouse. This way you can reduce the strain on your hands and keep yourself from developing problems later in life in your hands.
Stretching should be a daily activity to keep your arthritis symptoms under control. You can prevent injuries just by spending 10 minutes a day stretching all of your major muscle groups. These stretches warm up for your muscles and tendons making them less likely to sustain an injury.
Do not use pain killers to help deal with arthritis pain if you do not have to. Many pain killers are addictive and only help to ease the pain temporarily. If your doctor has prescribed these to you and you are going to use them, make sure you use them as the doctor prescribed.
Avoid cigarette smoke, and if you smoke, quit. The nicotine in cigarettes can reduce blood flow to your extremities, which may reduce inflammation in the short term. However, the reduced blood flow can also damage your joints, meaning that your arthritis will be more severe, more quickly, than if you did not smoke.
Make time in your day to do the things you love. Increased stress levels can lead to more arthritis flare-ups. If you find time to do the activities you enjoy, you'll improve your mood and your energy levels. This kind of effect will lead to lasting improvement for your symptoms.
Create a support system that includes other patients with arthritis. Friends and family members may not always be supportive of the pain you're in, or may simply not understand the crippling nature of the condition. Having friends with arthritis can give you someone to talk to about your pain, who understands the problem and won't judge you, while also taking the stress off of your family, when trying to deal with your issues.
Take family and friends to medical appointments so you can get the information from your doctor right to your loved ones. They will be able to ask questions you might not have thought of and remember items that might slip your mind. It's great to have multiple perspectives on your arthritis care.
Don't give up on finding a way to manage your arthritis pain. Dealing with a debilitating condition can leave you feeling frustrated and hopeless - particularly if you are having trouble finding any treatment options that work. If what you are doing is not working, talk to your doctor about other treatment options or explore alternative treatments such as acupuncture, nutrition or holistic medicine until you find something that helps.
Treat yourself to a massage to help your arthritis pain. Seeing a trained massage therapist can help soothe your sore muscles, reduce your swelling and inflammation. You can also see these same benefits at home by massaging the affected areas for just a few minutes a day. Make sure to use oils or creams to make it as gentle as possible.
Make sure you are getting enough sleep. The stiffness and pain that is common in arthritis can lead to debilitating fatigue, and many of the treatments for the condition can also cause fatigue. Do what you can to ensure a good night's sleep every night, and you'll feel better and be healthier.
Be careful of what herbal remedies you take for arthritis and be sure you speak with your doctor before taking them. People think that because herbal remedies are natural, that they are healthy for you. This is not always the case. In fact, certain herbal remedies can make your arthritis worse.
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Learn how to get migraine relief by preventing the 3 causes of stress. On the job injuries can also happen because of your stress.