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When it comes to the prospects of arthritis, there are a number of things that we are doing wrong. It is important to ensure that you make certain lifestyle changes for arthritis that would be beneficial in helping you lead an eventful life without the overwhelming bout of pain.
All included, it is not that easy as it might seem when it comes down to the lifestyle changes because of the kind of repercussions they bring along. It is quite necessary to ensure that you make healthier switches because at the end of the day, that is what makes the changes.
By the end of this article, you will have a profound knowledge about the lifestyle changes to manage arthritis pain that you possibly had no idea about.
Lifestyle Changes For Arthritis
From the diet you are consuming to the kind of exercises you are indulging in, the possibilities are quite extensive. It goes without saying that the process isn’t the easiest but making gradual changes can actually bring about better impacts on your life and that too, for the better.
Rheumatoid arthritis, which is the most common type of arthritis, has been found to have a quantitative impact on one’s health, affecting their quality of life and way of living as well.
It is important to thus indulge in consistent lifestyle changes because that is what brings forth better impacts on one’s process of recovery.
If you have been wondering what kind of lifestyle switches you can make, we have a few that we want to share with you.
1. Get the Ideal Amount of Sleep Throughout the Day
It goes without saying that sleep isn’t just an activity that you do once or twice a day. The same does have beneficial impacts on your health, helping it to recover while you are sleeping.
For people suffering from arthritis, this is actually an effective way to overcome the problems associated with not just pain but the discomfort and the inflammation as well. It is important that you get the optimum amount of sleep (R) throughout the day because that is what helps your muscles and the bones gain the strength back.
Your body’s healing happens when you are asleep which is why it is important to ensure that you get the ideal 7-9 hours of sleep in a day.
The pain with arthritis (R) might often get worse than you could experience and that often hinders with the sleep cycle. If you have been dealing with the same, it is best suggested to consult a doctor for the same and find better ways to cope with the condition, be it with medication, or something else.
2. Indulge in Some Movement and Exercise
Arthritis, be of any type, is one of those diseases that can affect people in any age. While it is predominant in older people, it is not necessary that the same will only affect people in the older age only.
When it comes to lifestyle changes to prevent arthritis, it is important that you do keep up with an active lifestyle all throughout. Doing so helps in keeping your body in the perfect shape, thus preventing the induction of the disease and even preventing the pain and discomfort that comes along with it.
It doesn’t matter whether you are indulging in a high-intensity workout (R) (R) or even the low impact yoga, it is important that you do it religiously to gain the kind of benefits that you have been looking forward to.
Some of the easy but effective exercise types that you can definitely include are stretching, low impact yoga, aerobic exercises and even the strengthening workouts.
[Also, Read: Hand Exercises for Arthritis to Ease the Pain]
3. Diet Plays a Role Too
You wouldn’t technically believe this but your diet does play a very crucial role in the management of arthritis.
When it comes to the lifestyle changes for arthritis, it is important to ensure that you do indulge in effective ways to keep a diet which is nutritious, balanced and even consists of anti-inflammatory foods (R) (R) that can help keep your pain and inflammation in check.
If you are wondering whether or not there are scientific studies to back the claims up, you are mistaken because there is not one concrete one that proves otherwise.
But, it is always best to be prepared with the best of the nutritious as well as balanced diet to ensure that not only do you gain the best of the results in terms of the nutrients that your body has but also ensure that it manages the unnecessary inflammation in the joints and muscles which can further trigger the pain.
Abstain from alcohol and include more of the healthy vitamins and minerals for overall better health for yourself.
4. Lose those Extra Pounds
Weight loss is a necessity when it comes to arthritis, especially if it is osteoarthritis or psoriatic arthritis. It has been found that people suffering from arthritis are more likely to be overweight in comparison to other people.
It is important to thus ensure that you opt for ways that will help you shed off those extra pounds effectively. Given that the condition affects the muscles and bones, it is important that you shed off those excess pounds (R) to be able to get your body in shape and prevent the risks that come along with it.
Extra weight does have negative impacts on the body, by imposing pressure on the joints which can cause negative impacts on the condition even further.
Not just that, experts believe that weight loss further helps in improving the metabolism which has further been found to have better impacts in helping with the medications, thus helping with the recovery even further.
5. Manage Your Stress
If you didn’t know this, it has been found that the combination of stress and arthritis never gels well. If you are worried about how you can recover from the condition of arthritis, chances are that you are subjecting yourself to an even bigger crisis.
Stress management is important when it comes to arthritis and there are several ways in which one can do so. If you have been stressed lately, it is important to ensure that you find ways to keep that in check.
Deep breathing techniques, as well as meditation, have been found to have beneficial impacts in handling the condition of stress, thus imposing benefits in the recovery of the condition of arthritis too.
Alternatively, if none of these makes an impact for you, try and indulge in some creative hobbies, or simply just do things that would keep you happy and your mind refreshed.
6. Ease Down and Relax
Overworking yourself is possibly one of the most common reasons that affect and deteriorate the condition behind arthritis.
If you know that your pain and the inflammation are getting worse with each passing day, you should either consult a doctor or ensure that you take it easy through the process. This is what helps you get a better perspective into the kind of recovery that you need for your body.
Additionally, if you are in pain, just stop what you are doing and sit back and relax for some time. This itself is more than enough when it comes to the tips to manage arthritis pain.
7. The Right Shoe Matter
Wearing the correct size shoe is important when you are suffering from arthritis. Swollen toes and feet is quite common in people with arthritis which is why it is important to ensure that you stick to the shoes that leave space in them.
Don’t go for the perfect sized shoes because the same does have the capability of leaving no room in case your feet swell or something similar.
Try and opt for the shoes with comfortable and cushioned heels and soles because they help in keeping your feet protected. There are also doctor prescribed shoes available which further help in keeping your feet and your walking stance in the correct way.
8. Maintain a Straight Posture
Yet another factor behind the lifestyle changes for arthritis that makes a difference includes the fact that you should always maintain a straight posture.
A slouching posture does have the capability of inducing negative impacts on the body and is one of the most important factors to look out for the people suffering from musculoskeletal issues.
Posture is the key and it is important that you get that as soon as you possibly can.
9. Take Good Care of Your Eyes
Next on the agenda is to look out for your eyes. Not many people know this but psoriatic arthritis does have the capability of ending up causing problems for the eyes.
Uveitis, which is an inflammation of the eyes, is a very common condition that affects the people suffering from psoriatic arthritis.
If you have been struggling with this, it is important that you get your eyes checked by the doctor from time to time to ensure that the condition isn’t getting worse and is in control as well.
Early diagnosis of this condition can actually help in keeping it in check and preventing it from getting worse over the course of time.
10. Take Care of Your Medications
It might not necessarily be a very important one of the lifestyle changes to manage arthritis pain but it is important to ensure that you keep a routine when it comes to your medications and such.
With such a condition, it is very important that you don’t skip out on your medications. Keep a chart sorted and follow it accordingly, to ensure that you have the best kind of care for your health without any issues altogether.
It is important to seek professional help if you experience consistent joint pains and inflammation which isn’t going down following a few days.
11. Join a Support Group
A life with arthritis isn’t the easiest. It does bring forth a number of challenges and if you have been struggling alone, it is time to make changes to that.
One of the lifestyle changes for arthritis that you wouldn’t regret is joining a support group. It has been found to be of a lot of help in preventing not just the pain and burden but also provide with the satisfaction of knowing that you aren’t the only one suffering.
Making friends who know what kind of pain and hardship you are going through can definitely help overcome the pain and the struggles that you thought you were struggling with alone.
12. Keep your Blood Pressure in Check
Yet another one of the lifestyle changes to prevent arthritis or to manage it is to ensure that you keep your blood pressure in check.
People with psoriatic arthritis have been found to have 30% higher blood pressure in comparison to the non-arthritic people. This is one of the primary reasons why it is important to ensure that you do keep a close check on the blood pressure and ensure that it doesn’t necessarily affect your health all the more.
Higher blood pressure does impose the risks associated with cardiovascular health which is why it is necessary to ensure that you do keep an eye out on the same.
13. Hot Showers Help Too
If you have been struggling with the prospect of arthritis, one of the best ways to keep that in check is by ensuring that you opt for hot showers because they have actually been found to have beneficial impacts altogether.
Taking a hot shower can not just help with the stress but even help in keeping the pain as well as the inflammation in check as well which is an added bonus.
All you need to do is ensure that you don’t go overboard with the same and keep it in check all the more.
When it comes to the lifestyle changes for arthritis, the possibilities are actually quite extensive. It is important to ensure that you do abide by them and find the best ways to keep the same in check without any kind of issues whatsoever. We have mentioned the top 13 ways and we hope that it helps in promoting the recovery through the process even more so.
