Healthy Habits to Avoid Chronic Pain
There are many unavoidable and unpreventable factors that can contribute to someone’s pain such as aging, accidents, and degenerative conditions from wear and tear. This, however, does not mean that you can’t minimize or control the pain you are experiencing with a few simple fixes.
Eating right > numerous chronic health problems are caused by inflammation and that can directly correlate to what we are putting into our bodies. “The standard American diet is pro- inflammatory”, according to UChicago Medicine. We eat too many carbohydrates, too many bad fats, sugars and processed foods and it is wreaking havoc on our bodies. As Americans this is the worst thing we can do for our bodies and we like a quick fix to help ourselves too which leads to “fad dieting.” The problem with fad diets is that they promote a quick fix with extreme measures, limit what you can eat, and do more harm than good to your health.
Getting enough sleep > when we sleep our bodies are healing themselves and getting rid of any harmful or damaging toxins and substances. We should be getting seven or eight hours of sleep every night. And trying to go to bed at the same time and getting up at the same time will help regulate your circadian rhythm. As well as avoiding the blue light from TV or electronics at least an hour or more before bedtime will improve your sleep quality.
Exercising > you don’t have to be going to a gym or running a marathon, but getting out and going for a light walk, doing some stretching can make all of the difference. Finding something you enjoy and sticking with it is the key to making it a habit. As Dr. Jackson always says…motion is lotion and movement is free.
Reducing stress > doing meditation, yoga, or just relaxing to calm your brain and mind. Just doing this for 10-30 minutes can help reduce cortisol levels and blood pressure. Stress can also make muscles tighten causing more pain so it is important to learn how to release that stress tension in your body.
Midwest Pain Solutions offers no-cost consultations and customized treatment plans to pave the way to your healthy lifestyle. Whether you suffer from chronic pain or just need an adjustment to realign your life, we are here to better your healthy lifestyle!
To learn more visit:
https://health.clevelandclinic.org/lifestyle-changes-to-ease-back-pain/
