7 Healthy Habits To Supplement Your Pain Management Care at Home
When you’re managing chronic pain, you likely know how much it can affect every area of your life. Chronic pain can keep you from enjoying family activities, working on your physical health, and doing basic household tasks.
Many at-home pain management routines rely on over-the-counter pain relief options like ibuprofen, acetaminophen, and naproxen. However, there are also some lifestyle choices you can make to supplement these medications after consulting with your doctor. Read on to learn more.
1. Eat a Balanced Diet
Processed foods and foods that are high in sugar can cause inflammation, which can worsen chronic pain. Instead, opt for whole foods and reduce potentially inflammatory foods like dairy and gluten.
Try to eat a balanced diet that contains fats, carbs, and protein. Plenty of fresh fruits and veggies can increase antioxidant intake and foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids can help reduce pain.
2. Stay Hydrated
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do to support your body as you manage chronic pain. Dehydration can lower muscle function and increase inflammation, which can affect areas such as nerve and joint health.
Experts typically recommend drinking 11 to 15 cups of water per day. If you’re struggling to drink enough water, try switching it up with herbal teas and flavored waters.
3. Exercise Regularly
Gentle forms of low-impact exercise can help slowly strengthen muscles and release tension, both of which can drastically reduce some types of chronic pain. Exercise also increases endorphins, which are the body’s natural pain relievers.
A general outline for an exercise plan might be to start off with 10 minutes of walking per day and slowly increase the amount of time spent walking. Exercises like swimming, biking, and yoga may also factor into a pain management care plan. Talking to your doctor before starting an exercise program is essential.
4. Practice Good Posture
Chronic pain and poor posture often go hand in hand. Slouching or sitting for long periods of time can cause tension in the body and cause muscles to be stretched in ways that aren’t optimal for health.
Instead, try using an ergonomic desk chair that supports good posture. Take regular breaks to stand and walk around during the day or practice gentle stretches to encourage better posture.
5. Get Enough Sleep
Lack of sleep can cause widespread inflammation throughout the body, which only serves to make chronic pain worse. Our bodies also use sleep to rest and heal, which means that depriving our bodies of sleep just decreases our bodies’ ability to heal after an injury.
Get plenty of sleep by establishing a sleep routine and going to bed at the same time every night. Make sure your bedroom is conducive to good sleep by keeping it dark and cool. Turn off all screens about two hours before bed to help encourage sleep.
6. Manage Your Stress
Stress can have harmful effects throughout the body, especially when it comes to chronic pain. Stress not only increases inflammation, but it can also make people more aware of their pain and reduce their ability to handle it.
Practice stress management techniques like meditation, deep breathing, and journaling to help calm down. Yoga is another great tool for stress relief. You can also call a friend or spend some time outdoors to help lower your stress levels.
7. Limit Smoking and Alcohol Consumption
Unfortunately, many people turn to activities like smoking and drinking to help themselves manage pain. However, these activities actually increase inflammation, which can make the pain much worse than it was to begin with. Alcohol also has a dehydrating effect on the body, which can further exacerbate pain.
Try replacing alcohol with tea or juice and cigarettes with a quick walk around the block. When struggling to break these habits, it doesn’t hurt to seek professional help.
When To Call a Doctor
If your pain continues to affect your quality of life no matter what you try, it’s time to call your doctor. An experienced pain management doctor in Stillwater can help identify the root cause of your pain (if you don’t already know what is causing it) and guide you through more clinical pain management options.
Wrapping Things Up
Chronic pain can affect every area of life, and many people find that over-the-counter medications simply aren’t enough. Other people prefer to make lifestyle changes before restoring to daily medication use. In either case, practices like eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and limiting alcohol intake can help reduce pain.
Sources:
Do Omega-3s Help Arthritis? | Cleveland Clinic
Water: How much should you drink every day? | Mayo Clinic
Screen Use Disrupts Precious Sleep Tims | The National Sleep Foundation
