Do you feel as though your joints ache more during the cold winter months? If so, you aren’t imagining this sensation. Colder temperatures are known to cause achy joints that don’t move as well. When the cold sets in, your muscles will become increasingly tensed up, which leads to a reduction in how flexible and mobile your joints are. The cold temperatures can also be generally uncomfortable, which may worsen how you feel. If you have joint pain this winter, the following details seven helpful tips that should give you some relief.
1. Avoid Gaining Weight
You can reduce the amount of joint pain you feel this winter by avoiding gaining weight. While this might be difficult during the holiday season, a small amount of extra weight can begin to adversely affect your knees as well as other joints.
Keep in mind that many gyms offer discounts at the start of the new year, which is a great time to join the gym and start losing any excess weight you’ve gained over the holidays. If you want to lose an average of one pound per week, try to lose 500 more calories than you consume each day.
2. Stay Active
Even though many people find it easier to be active during the warm spring and summer months, you still need to be active once the winter season rolls around. As long as you bundle up in at least two layers, try taking a brisk walk several times each week. If you have a gym membership, don’t hesitate to use it.
3. Drink Lots of Water
Staying hydrated is essential when temperatures start to drop. Once cold weather arrives, the dryer air can make you feel more achy, tired, and dehydrated. If you don’t like drinking water, some warm tea can give you the hydration you need during the day. Additional options to consider include soup and bone broth. Try to drink around eight glasses of water every day.
4. Eat a Balanced Diet
You need to maintain a healthy diet at all times of the year. During the winter, having a well-balanced diet should keep your body in great condition, which reduces the possibility that you experience joint pain and achy sensations. Make sure that you eat a wide variety of vegetables, whole grains, meats, and fruits to get the nutrients you need.
If you have a sensitivity to some foods or food groups, speak with a physician to determine what you should substitute these foods with. Along with reducing your joint pain, maintaining a balanced diet should help you avoid weight gain.
5. Keep Warm Indoors
While you’re indoors, make sure that you stay warm and comfortable, which should make it easier for you to move around. Try to keep your indoor temperatures at a reasonable level. If heating your home to a comfortable temperature is too expensive, wear multiple layers. A heating pad should also relieve your aching joints.
In the event that you have diabetes or similar health issues, you shouldn’t use hot water bottles or heating pads for too long. In the event that you have some nerve cell damage, it may be difficult for you to tell how hot the heating pad or hot water bottle has become, which increases the possibility that you burn yourself. If you have any questions about this, speak with your physician.
6. Get Enough Sleep
Everyone requires an ample amount of rest every night, which ensures that the body can effectively repair itself. If you’re able to get around eight hours of deep each night, your joint pain and inflammation should be reduced substantially.
7. Consider Taking Supplements
Another solution that can help you mitigate joint pain during the winter is to take certain health supplements, If you decide to take pain relievers or anti-inflammatory medications for your pain, you should only do so if you can be supervised by your primary care physician. It’s possible for medications and supplements to cause side effects. Vitamin D is considered to be the most beneficial vitamin for joint pain.
These solutions should relieve your pain and allow you to be healthy and comfortable during the cold weather. If you have tried all of these remedies and are still experiencing a considerable amount of joint pain in your hands and legs, consider seeking physical therapy from our Tulsa chiropractor.
