3 Pain Management Tips for Chronic Pain

​Living in chronic pain can take its toll on outer mental and physical health, and it's little wonder that those who struggle with increased pain levels on a daily basis are constantly looking for ways to improve their quality of life and desire to function to the best of their abilities.

In 2023, an estimated  50 million adults were thought to be living with chronic pain, which is only a conservative figure. But what can you do when conventional treatments don't work, or you can't get any relief from your pain no matter what you try?

These tips can offer a ray of hope to those with chronic pain, providing a potential for relief, even if it's temporary.

Move More

There can be the temptation not to move as much when your body hurts. You don't want to trigger any pain points or make things worse, so you do nothing at all. However, this is one of the worst things you can do.

It's important to remember that how much you can do and what you're capable of will vary from person to person, depending on your unique pain and health conditions. But finding ways to move your body daily, whether it's gentle stretching, mobility exercises, swimming, or a short walk, can help keep your joints flexible, muscles moving, and not tense, and boost your mobility. It's entirely up to you and what you can reasonably do, but do try to move as much as possible when you can.

Focus On Sleep

​Pain interrupts sleep, yet sleep can be an excellent tool for managing pain. However, getting good quality sleep when in pain can seem impossible. So, what can you do when you're stuck in this vicious circle?

There is no one-size-fits-all cure for getting a good night's sleep with chronic pain, but you can try things from supplements such as magnesium and lavender or explore quality delta-8 products to help you drift off of a night; you can look into timing your sleeping habits with your circadian rhythm, you can use meditation and gratitude techniques before bed, practice yoga, or you can use distraction techniques to calm the mind and let you drift off, be it using white noise, breathing exercises or visualization techniques; try different things to see what works for you.

Know Your Limits

Know where your limits are for managing and controlling pain, what you can reasonably do each day, and how long your medication, if you take it, is effective will help you find the right balance for your lifestyle. Giving yourself permission to take a step back and acknowledge you aren't physically capable of doing certain things or that different activities cause your pain and energy levels to flare or impact your abilities is a great place to start. While it doesn’t directly affect your pain, knowing your limits allows you to tweak your lifestyle so you function below the threshold, which means you operate within your physical and pain limitations, which, while it isn't pain-free, is a great way to stop you from making things worse.

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