Lifestyle Changes that Help with Arthritis

Lifestyle Changes that Help with Arthritis

Tips and tricks you can make to your lifestyle that can be easily implemented, and help you with your arthritis pain.

Rest

The most important change we can make for our lifestyle is to get adequate rest. According to Mayo Clinic adults (ages 18+) should be getting 7 or more hours of sleep. 

Having the proper amount of uninterrupted sleep does a laundry list of good for your health. 

  • Reduce inflammation
  • Help control weight
  • More energy
  • Improve mood

These are just the beginning of what 7+ uninterrupted hours of sleep can do for you. The reason why this is so important for arthritis pain is the reduction of inflammation and increase in energy. 

Reducing inflammation is a crucial part of any arthritis pain management plan. Arthritis is when your joints become inflamed, so this is a key step in combating the pain. 

An increase in energy will allow you to get more done throughout the day, some of which can also help you manage pain caused by arthritis.

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@anniespratt?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Annie Spratt</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/bed?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

Exercise/ Increase Daily Movement

Staying active can also help manage pain that comes from arthritis. Exercise strengthens your muscles which can reduce the stress that is put on your joints. 

This can be done in more ways than one. A few gentle exercises that you can do are:

  • Walking
  • Light stretching

If you can handle it, some more advanced exercises are:

  • Yoga
  • Light weight lifting

Whichever category you fall into, exercise can help improve your quality of life tremendously. It can even help you maintain a healthy weight, which also helps manage your arthritis pain.

Photo by <a href="https://unsplash.com/@yulissatagle?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Yulissa Tagle</a> on <a href="https://unsplash.com/s/photos/light-weight?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText">Unsplash</a>

Weight Loss

Maintaining a healthy weight for your body type helps to reduce stress on your joints. In turn, this avoids unnecessary inflammation if you begin to experience arthritis. 

A good start to finding your healthiest weight is to consult your doctor. They will be best suited with information about what a healthy and realistic weight will be.

You can use a few of the above methods to help maintain your weight. Cutting out unhealthy habits such as smoking can also help improve your sleep, energy, and also help reduce your inflammation linked to arthritis. 

Quitting Smoking

If you smoke and are looking for different reasons to quit, here is one more. Smoking can cause inflammation. It can also increase your risk of getting rheumatoid arthritis. 

Smoking is also known to hinder lung function, which is crucial for staying active. As mentioned above, staying active is a key lifestyle habit that can slow the progression of arthritis.

In Closing

Making just one of these changes can have positive effects on your day-to-day life. Making all of these changes might change your entire life. 

Either way, these lifestyle changes are specifically designed to help you manage your pain from arthritis. Lifestyle changes are the “low hanging fruit” of your pain management plan. 

As always, if your symptoms of arthritis worsen or begin to become more severe, consult your doctor to build a plan that is right for you.

Back to blog