This article is on Essential Lifestyle Tips for Managing Chronic Pain.
If you suffer from chronic pain, you know how challenging it can be to manage daily tasks and functions. In between managing your pain, family, job, and more, your health typically gets left behind in the mix. But for those that deal with chronic pain, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is just as critical as pain medication or physical therapy. If you’ve been looking to manage your exercise and nutrition along with chronic pain, keep reading as International Pain Foundation breaks down essential tips below.
Always Stretch
Low-impact stretches are the way to go for managing chronic pain. According to StretchCoach, stretching can prevent muscle tears, the excess strain on the body, and pain symptoms. In addition, the benefits of stretching are numerous – you will help avoid potential injury while loosening your body up for exercise. If you’re looking for great stretches you could do with chronic pain, check out this guide by Northern Pain Center for more information. If you’re struggling with back pain during exercise or in general due to a larger chest, find supportive bras for harder to fit sizes to ensure proper support while you work out.
Work Out in the Water
Swimming is a great low-impact exercise and is perfect for those with all levels of physical fitness. It is also an excellent way to get in both your strength and cardio while toning your muscles without excessive strain on your muscles and joints. Water is also a fantastic healer and can help relax you like no other. Even playing around in the water or just floating can significantly reduce stress, so try to get into the water whenever you can!
Eat Healthily
You must watch your nutrition to make the most of your condition. While a poor diet full of high fat and sugary foods can fuel chronic pain, a healthy diet can help do the opposite. Eating well will also help you maintain proper blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, and improve digestion and immune functioning. All of these benefits can help you effectively manage your chronic pain. In addition, be sure to eat colorful fruits and veggies full of fiber and micronutrients. Eating foods known to reduce pain like chili peppers, salmon, yogurt, coffee, kale, and sardines can also provide an energy boost while reducing symptoms.
Cut Back on Alcohol
Those with chronic pain often have difficulty with sleep. Consuming a lot of alcohol can exacerbate your sleep issues and reduce the quality of your sleep. In addition, it can slow down your internal systems and make you feel sluggish, which isn’t ideal when you have other symptoms to manage.
Track Your Pain Levels
To effectively treat your pain, you need to know how you are feeling daily. Tracking your pain levels daily with a journal will be super handy in figuring out what food and exercise are working with your condition. Note your pain levels on a scale of 1 to 10, and then see what patterns emerge. This will help you make necessary tweaks and changes that work best with your routine and lifestyle. You can also take this log book to your doctor, who will better understand how you’re dealing with your chronic pain.
If you have a chronic condition or persistent pain, lifestyle changes can pay off. They will be critical to reducing your symptoms and caring for your mind, body, and soul. Be sure to incorporate these tips into your lifestyle to manage your condition to the utmost degree.
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