Joint movement tends to become stiffer and less flexible as people age. Needless to say, this can make completing certain tasks extremely uncomfortable, if not outright painful. However, instead of accepting joint discomfort as an inescapable fact of life, people dealing with this issue are urged to grab the bull by the horns and seek treatment posthaste. You may even be surprised to discover how easy reducing stiffness and inflexibility truly is. Anyone looking for effective ways to promote joint health can benefit from the following measures.
Exercise Consistently
Physical fitness can prove beneficial on a variety of fronts. From increased stamina to improved outlook, exercising on a regular basis can be a boon to both your physical health and mental well-being. Unsurprisingly, working out consistently can also prove advantageous to your joints. However, people who suffer from arthritis and other forms of joint pain tend to avoid physical activity, as they believe it stands to heighten their discomfort.
While joint pain sufferers having an aversion to exercise is perfectly understandable, such behavior can also result in even more pain and stiffness. With this in mind, make an effort to engage in exercise that involves joint movement on a consistent basis. A good power-walk, for example, can give your joints a robust workout and help stave off stiffness and pain. At minimum, take care to aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day.
Regularly Consult with Your Physician
Joint pain and stiffness are problems you’ll need to stay on top of if you don’t want them to get worse. Among other things, this entails consulting with your physician on a regular basis. For example, if you’re afflicted by chronic joint issues, it’s important to keep your doctor abreast of your pain levels, as well as the effectiveness of any treatments they’ve prescribed.
So, if you’ve yet to speak to a doctor about any joint issues you’re experiencing, there’s no time like the present to pick up the phone. If you’ve been trying to resolve the issue(s) without professional medical advice, there’s a good chance that you’ve wasted a fair amount of time, money and effort. Your doctor should be able to determine the root cause(s) of your joint problems and recommend an appropriate, effective course of treatment. Additionally, if you have questions such as “What does collagen do?” or want to learn more about collagen’s anti-inflammatory effects or the role it plays in building joint cartilage, don’t hesitate to consult your physician.
Practice Good Sleep Habits
Your quality of slumber can affect many areas of your life. From job performance to personal relationships, sleep quality plays an important role in overall functionality. However, unbeknownst to many joint pain sufferers, sleep habits stand to exacerbate – or quell – certain joint issues. So, if your sleep quality leaves a lot to be desired, this may tie directly into any joint issues you’re experiencing.
Since sleep deprivation can cause achy, painful joints, it’s strongly recommended that you give yourself a bedtime that allows for at least seven to eight hours of slumber. People who have grown accustomed to going to bed at excessively late hours are likely to take some time to adjust to a set sleep schedule. And while this is likely to prove difficult at first, your internal clock should adjust within a matter of weeks – provided, of course, you adhere to your new sleep schedule. To help ensure a speedy adjustment, make sure to adhere to said schedule on weekends, as well as weeknights.
Furthermore, if relaxing your brain and/or body in preparation for proper slumber is something with which you have trouble, you may need to engage in a pre-bedtime routine. This routine should involve shutting off any screens 30 minutes to one hour before your self-assigned bedtime and engaging in activities that calm you down both physically and emotionally. Such activities include deep breathing, meditation, reading and journaling.
The older we get, the less we can afford to take joint health for granted. Furthermore, as anyone who’s suffered from chronic joint stiffness or persistent joint pain can attest, there are not problems you want to go through life with. So, if your current lifestyle involves engaging in behaviors that are harmful to joint health, it’s in your best interest to correct these mistakes on the double. To this end, take care to heed the invaluable pointers outlined above.
