As life goes on, our bodies weaken and age, becoming more susceptible to pain. Unfortunately, this can lead to a chronic issue where our mornings begin with aches and pain. Starting the day in pain is never a fun situation to be in, especially given that this pain can start at an abnormally young age.
Waking up with an aching body might not surprise you anymore, but you might still be interested in knowing why you feel this way. While there are plenty of causes of bodily pain, it takes something particular to cause chronic pain like this. One of the most common causes of chronic pain is inflammation.
While inflammation might cause your chronic morning pain, it is not as clear-cut as acute inflammatory reactions. Several potential causes of inflammation in the body could apply to your situation. A lifestyle change is often essential to prevent the inflammation from persisting and alleviate your aches. However, the only way to successfully neutralize the inflammation is to learn the underlying cause.
Inflammation rarely occurs out of nowhere and instead serves as a response from your body to damage caused by something else. This article will provide insight into what might be causing your inflammation so you can take steps to alleviate your pain.
Inflammation Caused by Stress
One of the lesser-known causes of chronic inflammation is stress. We live in a society where we are constantly under pressure to fulfill societal, financial, and professional obligations. The odds are good that you suffer from a fair amount of stress yourself. However, the biggest issue with stress is that it can severely affect our health if we do not find ways to relieve it. Unfortunately, such opportunities are rare, given the expectations placed upon us by family, employers, and friends. Making time to relieve stress is critical to ensuring that you are healthy and can prevent you from feeling those familiar aches and pains when you wake up.
You might be wondering how something as common as stress can lead to inflammation severe enough to cause pain every morning when you wake up. After all, the correlation between stress and physical pain might seem like a myth. However, evidence suggests that the more stressed we are, the more susceptible we are to pain. Studies have been conducted to determine the connection between stress and chronic inflammation, with one of the most significant studies being conducted in 2017.
The study evaluated the common pathways of stress-related diseases to see if there is a connection between stress and inflammation. This study was one of the most notable in recent history and determined that most stress-related diseases seem to have inflammation as one of the central symptoms.
Therefore, activities that reduce stress have the added effect of reducing the inflammation that stresses yields. So, if you are constantly and consistently stressed, you might have the answer to why you are feeling these aches from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to sleep.
However, stress is far from the only cause of inflammation-induced pain. Other, more serious causes might bring down your physical health.
Substance Abuse
Chronic consumption of certain substances can cause inflammation. Specifically, the consistent intake of nicotine and alcohol induces inflammation that can contribute to waking pain. These substances are known to lead to health complications when consumed in excess, as they are extremely taxing on the human body. They also contribute to inflammation, meaning your morning pains could signify the consequences of smoking or drinking.
Smoking cigarettes or other nicotine-based products triggers the body's immunologic response, which is meant to trigger inflammation in case of physical injury. However, when triggered by a cigarette, all that is accomplished is inflammation without cause. This inflammation can lead to pain sustained long after you finish smoking.
There is a similar issue with alcohol, as the consumption of alcohol introduces toxins to your system that your organs are forced to try and purge. This toxin purge is extremely stressful on your organs and can cause inflammation. Some forms of alcohol can increase inflammation, whereas others, like red wine, can reduce it.
Using either nicotine or alcohol can cause the inflammation to wear away at your physical health. As a result, you are likely to feel the physical effects for some time, even when you wake up in the morning. Cutting back on your alcohol or nicotine intake can help prevent chronic inflammation from their use and will minimize the pain you feel.
The health risks associated with excessive nicotine or alcohol consumption can be much worse than inflammation. However, it is still a consequence you must keep in mind. That said, there is still more to learn about the potential causes of your morning aches.
Underlying Condition
While inflammation is often associated with several external causes, there are just as many internal causes. Inflammation is one of the most common symptoms of diseases, injuries, and allergic reactions because it results from our body trying to heal. Inflammation becomes a problem because it is painful for the healing process but is not meant to last long. However, when you develop a chronic condition that causes the body to trigger the inflammatory response, the inflammation remains for far longer than is healthy for the body.
Several conditions can lead to chronic inflammation, ranging from minor to severe. However, each condition will bring with them pain symptoms that are exacerbated by the inflammation. That said, one of the most severe causes of inflammation is arthritic conditions like rheumatoid arthritis. The strain of these conditions can cause chronic inflammation that can make the pain you already feel in your bones from the condition even worse.
Another major cause of chronic inflammation is autoimmune disorders, where your body attacks itself. These disorders involve your body mistakenly identifying healthy tissue as harmful and triggering the immune response needed to eliminate it. This leads to several complications and health issues that can leave you in pain. However, the inflammation that arises from these disorders can also lead to chronic pain throughout your life.
Some of the most common autoimmune disorders include:
- Type 1 Diabetes
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Psoriasis
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Addison's Disease
- Graves' Disease
- Sjögren's Syndrome
- Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Pernicious Anemia
- Celiac Disease
Not all of these autoimmune disorders will result in inflammation. However, almost all of them will cause pain in one way or another. So, any of these disorders could be the culprit behind your morning aches.
Finally, another condition that can induce chronic inflammation and subsequent pain has to do with your overall weight. Obesity is directly connected to chronic inflammation since the added weight puts more strain on your body.
The more weight your body has to carry, the more stress your skeletal structure is forced to endure. This stress on your bones can lead to unintentional damage that has you feeling the ramifications every morning. In addition to making it more challenging to go about your daily life, the inflammation gets worse concerning the weight you have put on.
While these underlying conditions might contribute to your inflammation, there is another consideration. Your physical habits will influence your inflammation levels.
Poor Exercise Habits
Exercising is a healthy habit important to keeping your body in the best possible shape. However, exercise is meant to be completed in separate sessions where you can focus on different parts of your body with each visit to the gym.
Exercise is a stellar example of how it is possible to have too much of a good thing. When you exercise to put on muscle, you intentionally damage your muscles, so they heal to be bigger and more resilient than before you exercised. This damage triggers an inflammatory response from the immune system so your body can heal properly.
The body needs time to recover between workouts as forcing this inflammation can lead to long-term complications. Anyone who has had an intense workout has likely woken up the next day with muscle soreness and general pain. However, overexercising your body can lead to inflammation, becoming a chronic issue that can severely impact your physical health. The more you wear down your muscles, the more inflamed they will become to heal and the longer the inflammation lasts. This means you are far more likely to wake up the next morning feeling intense pain exceeding what you would feel following a moderate workout routine.
However, the opposite is equally true. You might also suffer from inflammation if you do not exercise enough and lead a sedentary lifestyle. This is because your body will lose its natural resilience and be more susceptible to damage from minor sources.
While exercise is an excellent way to stay in shape and keep yourself healthy, it is not something you should pursue without any moderation. Rather, you should follow a well-regulated workout routine to avoid experiencing inflammation that doubles the pain you are liable to experience. However, you might be looking for a potential solution if you are dealing with inflammation-based pain.
Natural Tools For Fighting Inflammation
Inflammation is a common issue we have sought to fight with whatever tools we can. Unfortunately, the most common solution for inflammation is pharmaceutical intervention via NSAIDs or steroids. You can reverse some causes of inflammation through a lifestyle change. However, a natural product has been proven to reduce inflammation, making it a powerful tool in protecting against morning aches and pain. We are referring to turmeric curcumin, a compound in the spice Curcuma longa.
Curcumin is a known anti-inflammatory that has become very popular in recent history with modern health practices. Curcumin's anti-inflammatory effects have been known to rival mainstream pharmaceuticals in effectiveness. While this claim is easy to make, curcumin's uses have been corroborated by research conducted to measure the benefits curcumin has on physical health. For example, a study discovered that curcumin could reduce inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis, one of the more common and painful sources of inflammation.
One study, in particular, took a group of patients who suffered from knee osteoarthritis and gave them 40 mg of curcumin. The patients took the capsules once every 12 hours, and those who were taking the curcumin experienced reduced symptoms.
The anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin are not limited to protecting you from arthritis symptoms but can be used for general inflammation. It is also known to produce a beneficial effect on inflammatory bowel disease and pancreatitis, primarily related to inflammation. Therefore, using curcumin to reduce inflammation could easily reduce the pain you feel in the mornings.
So, it might be beneficial for you to seek out a curcumin supplement so you can reap the benefits it has to offer for inflammation. The only question is where you can find a reliable product.
The Nu Healthier You
Morning aches and pains are common as we age and wear away at our bodies. However, there is a high chance that your morning aches are caused by inflammation, which is entirely manageable. You can reduce your inflammation and morning pain with the right supplements and tools. The only question left is where you can find a quality supplement you can use to manage your inflammation.
That said, it is important to remember that some conditions require medical attention and cannot be eliminated with supplements. Therefore, we recommend you consult with your primary care physician before introducing any new substance to your diet.
We at NuVitality are here to help. We offer a range of natural supplements designed to maximize the benefits they have to offer. One of our best products is a turmeric curcumin supplement you can use to manage your inflammation and reduce your pain. Our supplements are mixed with black pepper to ensure that the curcumin's bioavailability does not suffer. So, if you want to use curcumin to reduce your pain, visit our website today and take the first step to the Nu, healthier you.
Additionally, if you ever have any questions or concerns regarding anything we've mentioned in one of our articles, please feel free to reach out and contact us at any time! We'd be more than happy to answer any of your questions and clear up any concerns you may be having!