Morning Practice to release stiffness
Stiffness of body or mind
How well you can move an arm, leg, or finger in different directions reflects the joint's range of motion. If you develop joint stiffness, your range of motion is reduced. Your joint doesn't move as well as it once did.
Joint stiffness may occur with or without joint pain. Other signs and symptoms in addition to the joint stiffness will help your doctor figure out what kind of arthritis you have.
Causes of Stiffness In The Morning
Stiffness and joint pain is Vata imbalance, if you are suffering from anxiety, worry, a tendency to overexertion, insomnia, chronic tiredness, mental and emotional anxiety, physical tension and other symptoms of stress, a weakened immune system, headaches, underweight, constipation, skin dryness, mental confusion, emotional conflict, inability to make decisions, impulsiveness, fast and disconnected speech, fantasy, illusions, and sensations of being light headed and removed from thoughts, feelings, or circumstances, then there is a very good sign that your vata is aggravated. Follow the dietary guidelines given to balance vata dosha.
Indications of balanced vata influences are mental alertness and abundance of creative energy, good elimination of waste matters from the body, sound sleep, a strong immune system, enthusiasm, emotional balance, and orderly functioning of the body's systems.
Many sufferers of fibromyalgia, arthritis and rheumatism experience stiffness in the morning, but it's not specifically due to their condition.
Muscle stiffness is caused when the muscles in a certain area of the body contract and become tense. Stiff muscles can happen from a variety of situations. These situations can range from having periods of inactivity to exercising, physical labor or playing sports. If muscles are healthy, muscle stiffness may be caused from an insect bite, an infection, an injury or possibly bleeding in the muscle and various medical conditions.
Muscle stiffness can occur in any area of the body. Any prolonged stiffness should be looked at by a physician to rule out any medical issues that need treated. Muscle stiffness throughout the entire body at one time can be signs of influenza, however, stiffness in the muscles is usually centred around one area of the body at any given time.
Stiff muscles in the neck area can be caused by something as simple as poor sleeping posture or being exposed to cold weather for long periods of time. It can be caused by physical conditions that stem from an injury, whiplash, arthritis or various spinal disorders. Other conditions that cause muscle stiffness in the neck area could be infections such as meningitis or polio.
If there is no serious medical cause, we can summarize the reasons that the majority of people who are stiff in the morning who don't have medical conditions:
Physically in-active
Have old worn-out bedding
Don't sleep well
Eat a poor diet
Often over-weight
Whilst painkillers and muscle relaxants can relief some of the symptoms, they shouldn't be used for the long-term. And ultimately, they won't address the cause.
ยท How To Prevent Morning Stiffness
From reading the list above of probable causes, the steps to prevent it are pretty obvious.
Exercise and being Active: This is one of the best ways to combat stiffness in the morning in my view. It doesn't have to be vigorous to be effective. Half an hour walking is often enough to reduce morning stiffness. Physical activity is vital for our health and well-being, the less we move, the more health problems we will suffer.
Morning, Simple practice: that moves all the joints in all direction as well as the spine that might be good idea.
Evening releasing practice: to remove the physical as well as mental stress that accumulated all day
Check your mattress and bedding; an old, worn-out mattress gives very little support and can lead to muscle fatigue and stiffness. If your mattress is fine, you may want to consider a new pillow.
Check your sleeping posture; spending eight hours in the wrong position won't help your body one bit. Check my page for finding the best sleeping posture for more help.
Eat a better diet; a balanced diet is essential for our health. For the latest advice please visit Eating a Balanced Diet. Eating well and being active will help you to lose excess body fat and also prevent morning stiffness.
Improve Your Posture A poor posture places excessive stress on your joints and muscles. Being more active can help, but the good news is that you don't have to spend hours at a time doing dull corrective exercises to improve your posture. Our self-observation creating Body Awareness.
Get A Good Night Sleep; having a routine can help with winding down at the end of the day. Having a warm shower, doing a few gentle stretches and having a drink of water will prepare you for a good sleep. Check your room temperature is too hot or cold and make sure you're not lying in a draft. Often, reading a good book in bed can help to take your mind of anything troubling you and relax your mind.
Use positive Affirmation; to reconfirm and reaffirm to yourself I am safe and have flexible mind, I'm safe to live with a flexible mind,...
Nermeen Mahmoud
Yoga Therapist & Teachers' Trainer
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