Pain is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. You may feel it anywhere in your body as a pricking, throbbing, burning, or aching sensation that can be sharp or dull. Pain is either acute or chronic, with chronic pain lasting for weeks, months, or even years.
The cause of constant pain doesn’t have to be an injury, but rather it may be due to environmental or psychological factors. The good news is that chronic pain can be resolved: Research shows the relationship between a healthy lifestyle and an overall lower level of pain among study participants.
Therefore, patients who are suffering from chronic pain are often prescribed new lifestyle habits that can help them to control and reduce their level of pain. Let’s talk about a few examples of these lifestyle changes you can implement to help reduce your pain, and where you can go to find pain relief that works for you.
Healthy Techniques to Reduce Pain
Several easy ways to tamp down your pain include the following:
Reducing Your Stress Levels
Since psychological factors strongly affect and even induce pain, keeping your stress levels low is critical in pain control. It is best to learn and implement healthy ways to cope with stress: Meditation, taking breaks, and positive thinking can all help you to manage your pain successfully.
Getting Plenty of Sleep at Night
When you sleep, your body is able to repair itself, and your brain is rested and restored for another day. A lack of sleep will therefore negatively affect how you feel the next day.
If you have chronic pain, lack of sleep can only intensify the pain because your body is not getting the rest it needs. Developing proper sleep habits involves, first, getting to sleep at around the same time every night. This can help to begin combatting the fatigue that can increase your perception of pain.
Exercising Daily
Getting at least a little exercise every day means incorporating whatever you enjoy doing. (Otherwise, you’ll stop exercising, and we don’t want that!) Take your dog for a short walk several times a day, find active chores to accomplish such as doing the dishes or vacuuming, and go shopping or run errands.
Following a Healthy Diet
Research shows that eating healthy foods and getting proper nutrition can help to alleviate pain in your body. Since pain is often caused by inflammation, eating foods that have anti-inflammatory compounds can help to ease the pain.
Foods that help fight inflammation include:
- Whole grains
- Broccoli
- Kale
- Red grapes
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Nuts
- Fish
Boca Raton Pain Doctor
If you would like to find out how to alleviate your chronic pain, talk to a doctor who specializes in alleviating pain on a more long-term basis. Lasting relief from pain requires a comprehensive medical approach. Dr. Jonathan Kamerlink at Kamerlink Pain Institute can provide effective interventional pain management methods to help you start enjoying living your life once again.
If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Kamerlink, call our Boca Raton pain clinic today at (561) 404-7667. We look forward to seeing you!
