How to Relieve Morning Stiffness in the Muscles And Joints

Now that we’ve looked at the causes and symptoms of morning stiffness, how can we help relieve them? Let’s have a look at some useful tips.

Tips on How to Relieve or Reduce Morning Stiffness and Pain

There are a number of activities we can do to relieve or even prevent morning stiffness and pain.

Tips for Morning Stiffness and Pain:

Whenever possible, ensure that you get the best sleep possible. The more refreshing the sleep, the less fatigued and rigid the muscles and joints are during the day. People who are habitually tired go to bed tense and wake up with morning stiffness and pain. Also, quality sleep also helps repair any minor damage done to the body due to stress or tension.

Ensure that your mattress properly supports you. The average person spends 1/3 of their lifetime in bed. That’s a lot of time for your body to be under pressure by a worn out or poorly designed mattress. It’s hard to underestimate the effect that a poor mattress can have on your health. Making an investment in a mattress that gives you good support and increases the chance of quality sleep is worth it. As a rule of thumb, go for a medium support mattress. Though many people believe firmer mattresses are more supportive, that’s not actually the case. A firm mattress only supports the heaviest areas of the body. A mattress that is too firm can also add pressure, not support, to certain areas. If your mattress is too soft, there’s no support at all.

One of the best ways to start relieving pain and stiffness is to do some simple, easy exercises in bed before getting up. You can start with overall stretching exercises or concentrate on exercises specifically for the area you have problems with—hips, knees, neck, shoulders, etc. The exercises release stiffness from the muscles and joints while increasing circulation to these areas, further relieving discomfort.

If you still feel you could benefit from some more relaxation, then have a warm or hot shower to relax you. Afterwards, you can add some more stretching exercises to loosen up fully. If you suffer from arthritis, fibromyalgia, or similar, then there are specific exercises online for these conditions. However, speak to your doctor before attempting any exercises for the first time.

Ensure that you eat as healthy a diet as possible. In addition, check the cleanliness of the tap water in your area. Some toxins in the water—especially if you live in inner-city areas—can have some chemicals that build up in the human body leading to toxicity. This can make muscle stiffness and pain more problematic.

Having some form of regular exercise will also help relieve morning stiffness and pain by strengthening the muscles and joints and increasing the circulation to these areas.

If stress and tension is a regular experience for you, then consider starting some relaxation techniques, especially before going to bed.

READ: Release Pain With Pressure

I hope some of the information and tips here will be of benefit to you. However, as always, if you have any concerns or if morning stiffness and pain is a new thing for you, then you should speak to your doctor who will be able to give more in-depth advice and assistance.

SOURCE: hubpages.com