Will Arthritis Get Worse?

Short answer? Yes, arthritis will get worse if you don't do anything to prevent degeneration. But the goods news is, there's a lot that you can do to slow the progression of the disease.

 It starts with the idea of taking an active role in your health. Get the following 4 areas in check to make a massive impact on how your body fights arthritis pain.

1. Nutrition: Eating for Arthritis Relief

Taking care of your health and fighting back against arthritis starts from the inside out. Learn ways to heal your body through nutrition and reap the benefits of healthful longevity for years to come.

Did You Know?

An anti-inflammatory diet replaces sugary, starchy foods with healthy and nutritious whole foods!

Foods that Help Prevent Arthritis Pain

• Fish, like tuna, mackerel, and herring 
• Olive oil 
• Cherries 
• Oranges, limes, grapefruit 
• Beans, like kidney and red
• Broccoli and Spinach 
• Walnuts 
• Whole Grains 
• Green Tea 
• Garlic, Ginger, and Tumeric

Foods to Avoid if You Have Arthritis

• Sugary, refined carbs in your food and drinks
• Anti-inflammatory foods from your FIT test
• AGE foods, which are foods that are grilled or cooked at high temps for a long time
• Fried foods 
• Packaged foods (They're full of preservatives!)
• Salty foods (Salt makes everything swell)

If you want to know what's causing your inflammation, a food inflammation test (FIT) is a great way to start. The test works by signaling which foods are causing an inflammatory action in your body. Ask your pharmacist or doctor about taking one today.

2. Exercise for Arthritis Relief

Keeping your body healthy and moving is one of the most incredible things you can do to combat arthritis pain.

Look, we get it. When you're feeling the pain of arthritis, it can be tough to muster the energy to work out. But the best thing you can do for your health is to make exercise a DAILY priority. You'll reap a million health benefits by keeping everything moving.

Hire a Professional 

It's absolutely worth it to hire a personal trainer or physical therapist that's trained to help with your arthritis. Both know exercises that will help keep you fluid and moving well. Physical therapists can also help heal you from inflammation and reverse any damage to your joints. Talk with your doctor about a prescription, and some will be covered by your insurance. Always look for a professional that's been accredited by the American Physical Therapy Association.

3. Sleeping with Arthritis

When you have arthritis, it can be hard to sleep well. On the flip side, when you can't sleep well, it can lead to increasing numbers of health problems, including the worsening of osteoarthritis. It's a vicious cycle that leaves everyone feeling awful.

7 Tips for Getting Better Sleep with Arthritis

1. Turn off electronics. Shut down your smartphone time, turn off the T.V. and close your laptop at least one hour before bedtime. The blue lights from your gadgets prevent your brain from releasing melatonin that helps you know it's time to sleep. 
2. Light exercise. Taking a brisk walk after dinner or a quick swim may be just enough to wear you out before bed. But make sure to do it no closer than 90 minutes before bedtime. 
3. Take a hot bath. A warm bath can help relax muscles and joints, plus it will get you in the mood for sleep. It works by dropping your body temperature. This temp plunge is critical to help you fall asleep and stay asleep. A warm bath opens vessels and brings blood to the surface of your skin, as well as to your extremities like your feet and hands. This allows you to dump a bunch of heat quickly and fall asleep mo asleep more efficiently. 
4. Try tea time. Having a warm cup of chamomile or sleepy time tea before bed can help relax your mind enough to ease off to sleep. 
5. Sleep like a bat. When you sleep, your room should feel like a cave. It should be dark and cool. The optimal range for this is between 65 and 68 degrees F, which is the perfect temperature for dropping your body temp and prepping you for long-lasting sleep.
6. Makeover your room. Rooms should be for sleeping. Get rid of your children's toys or any activities that make you want to do anything other than sleeping. For amazing results, ditch the T.V. in bed routine. (We know, that's a tough one!) 
7. Set your cycle. Sleep hygiene works the best when you help your daily sleep cycle. A normal sleep pattern helps you fall asleep when you're tired and wake-up when the sun rises. Artificial light and our new daily schedule prevent us from following our natural cycles. To help set your circadian rhythm, go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. This trains your body to regulate its sleep naturally.

4. Mindfulness: Get Your Mind Right for Dealing with Arthritis Pain

Everyday stressors play a significant role in our happiness and how we feel pain. The best thing you can do to combat pain is to adopt a positive mindset. In the book "The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work" by Shawn Acho by Shawn Achor, you'll find tidbits of knowledge and research that add up to big benefits for having a positive mindset. A happy, positive outlook changes the way your brain computes the world. It's really the secret ingredient to a long and happy life.

Your brain has way more control over your pain than you ever imagined possible. In a meditation study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA Internal Medicine), researchers looked closely at 47 trials with 3515 participants. What they found was that mindful meditation reduced anxiety, depression, and pain. That's fantastic news showing mindful meditation can fight your arthritis symptoms.