Causes Of Nocturnal Joint Pain And Treatment Options
Stretching exercises are very effective in relieving nocturnal arthritis pain. If your hands hurt, use gentle movements to mobilize the joints.
If you have arthritis, you’ve probably heard of nocturnal joint pains that keep you awake and make it impossible to fall asleep. It is a common cause of insomnia.
But why does the pain occur especially at night? Is there a solution for this? Arthritis is usually incurable, only the symptoms can be alleviated.
As the Arthritis Foundation mentions, there are very effective treatments available to relieve nocturnal joint pain and improve the quality of life.
However, the disease itself cannot be cured.
To make everyday life a little easier and, in particular, to reduce joint pain at night, we recommend observing the following tips.
Why is joint pain often more intense at night?
Everyday activities
During the day you are active and in motion, so the joints are warm and even if you sometimes feel pain, it only deepens at night when you no longer move.
Adrenal fatigue
You probably know this illness as chronic fatigue syndrome or burn-out syndrome.
The adrenal glands and the nervous system are affected. This can lead to pain, fatigue, anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, etc.
Therefore, this condition is also often responsible for nighttime joint pain.
stress
During the day we are often plagued by stress, pressure, worries and fears. If these are not managed properly, the levels of cortisol in the blood rise.
nutrition
You know for sure that various active ingredients in the foods we eat every day can cause inflammation and lead to the accumulation of pollutants in the body.
One of the causes of arthritis is inflammation from external agents. These penetrate the organism and at the same time weaken the immune system.
Therefore, you should eat healthy and balanced. Avoid a lot of processed fatty acids and sugars.
Otherwise, the inflammation will become stronger and the pain will be more intense, especially in the evening and at night.
Sedentariness and immobility
If you hardly move and think it’s better to take it easy on your joints and keep them still all day, you are likely to have much more pain at night.
The reason for this is that the joints become stiff and clumsy when they are not moved.
Doing simple stretches in the morning and evening can help reduce pain. It is worth it!
Recommendations against nocturnal joint pain
1. Healthy eating!
Although the causes of arthritis can vary widely, a good and balanced diet can definitely improve the quality of life.
Not only can you use it to build cartilage tissue, but you can also nourish the bones and prevent inflammation.
Very simple remedies, such as the daily consumption of ginger tea or fresh fruit and vegetables, are crucial for this. You should rather avoid ready-made meals.
Here is a list of the best foods for joint pain:
- salmon
- Trout
- avocado
- gelatin
- linseed
- olive oil
- Carrots
- paprika
- tomatoes
- artichokes
- Lemons
- Grapefruit
- pineapple
- papaya
- Strawberries
- blueberries
- dark grapes
- Cherries
- Plums
- nuts
- Hazelnuts
- Almonds
- Dark chocolate
- ginger
- turmeric
- garlic
- broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- spinach
- egg yolk
- Whole grain rice
- Cereals enriched with vitamin D.
2. Cold and heat treatments
You can use the following treatment an hour before going to bed:
- For this you need an ice pack and a water bath with hot water (not boiling) and 3 sprigs of rosemary.
- The ice pack is first placed on the affected area for 20 seconds.
- Then dip the joint – if possible – in the warm water bath with rosemary. Repeat five times to relieve pain.
3. The best natural pain reliever
ginger tea
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger (3 g)
- Glass of water (200 ml)
- 1 tbsp bee honey (25 g)
Preparation:
- Just bring the water to a boil first and then cook the ginger in it for 15 minutes. Then let it steep and sweeten with honey.
When is this tea best drunk?
- We recommend having one cup at breakfast and one hour before bed to relieve joint pain.
4. Stretching exercises before bed
If you do gentle stretching exercises before going to sleep, the cartilage and joints will not be as stiff and immobile. So a good remedy for nightly joint pain is gentle exercise.
For example, you can attach a small weight to your ankles and lift them 5 times. This will make you feel relief at night.
