Do you wake each morning feel exhausted and sore? Do you struggle during the day with pain that disrupts your work? Have you sought out a variety of possible cures in hopes that you will one day know life without pain? If you have answered ‘yes’ then you are like the more than fifty million Americans who have been forced to face chronic pain head on. The statistics about this long term pain are astonishing. With as many as one in three individuals in this country losing at least one hour of sleep each night due to pain, the effort to spread the word about weighted blankets (also known as weighted blankets for ADHD) is worthwhile. However, with each of the fifty million sufferers missing, on average, at least one day of work per year as a result of chronic pain, much more must be done to address the growing problem. Currently, it is costing the American public more than $100 billion each year to medically address pain.
Rethinking the Workspace What surprises many people is the fact that a large percentage of the chronic pain sufferers in this world are not athletes and may not be very active at all. The pain does not necessarily stem from an injury and can even present in an area of the body far from the pain’s origin. Chronic pain is often a symptom of bad posture and it doesn’t have to be the slumped over shoulders that feel the brunt of the discomfort. Instead, the arms, hands, feet, or lower back can feel the burn as a result of excessive slouching. In order to alleviate the discomfort, sometimes a person can simply redesign his or her workspace. This may mean a better chair, an elevated desk, a repositioned keyboard, or changing the tilt of the computer screen. All of these small changes can promote a healthier posture and less pain.
Movement to Heal While some movement can be dangerous during injury, the right sort can often help to stretch tight muscles and promote easier movement in the joints, thereby cutting down the discomfort felt. For instance, a simple lunge, done with one leg set flat on the seat of a chair can provide a very gently stretch to the back of the legs. Adding a very slow rotation, back and forth, can also loosen up the hips and help to alleviate back soreness. Reaching one’s hands over head and holding them there can help to elongate the spine and stretch the shoulders. Finally, to stretch the chest muscles and help to cut down on neck pain, a simple exercise is to place an outstretched hand on a door jam and slowly rotate away from it. Light stretching in the right way can make for big improvements in pain management.
Diet to Heal There are many foods that can help reduce the inflammation that is often responsible for chronic pain. This is a fact that many overlook when searching for relief. A diet that is rich in Omega-3, fruits, vegetables, and protein is great for muscle health and decreased inflammation. Omega-3 is commonly found in fish, seeds, avocado, nuts, and canola oil. Proteins, such as lean meat, poultry, fish, soy, and seafood are wonderful for muscle healing after injury and between workouts as well. While these foods are recommended, those high in Omega-6 fats and sugar are likely to promote increased pain.
Sleep to Heal Mentioned above, weighted blankets for anxiety are often recommended for chronic pain sufferers because there is a hugely significant link between sleep loss and pain levels. If a person is having difficulty sleeping, then it could very well be caused by the pain or by the stress of having to live in pain. Asking a doctor ‘What is a weighted blanket’ can be the very best question if one hopes to reduce pain and related symptoms. Cutting down on caffeine consumption, finding better ways to deal with stress, and maintaining a ‘no technology’ rule in the bedroom can also help a person get more productive rest overnight.
