Due to chronic pain, the daily challenges for arthritis sufferers include even simple tasks such as opening a jar. If this is something that describes you, read on. This article contains several tips on how you might be able to manage your condition and start living more easily.

Before changing your medication, consult your doctor. Keep in mind that certain medications need time to build up to adequate levels inside your body before they provide relief. Another factor to consider is that some types of medications can aggravate your symptoms if you suddenly stop taking them.

Aquatic activities and water aerobics are ideal exercises for arthritis sufferers. Exercising underwater is a great way to stretch muscles and joints, and being in warm water also soothes aching joints. If you can’t swim, why not join a class?

Women who have arthritis should probably not wear high heels. High heels may enhance your appearance, but they can also physically damage your feet. They tend to cause a twisting pressure on your knees, which can only aggravate the arthritis in these crucial, complicated joints. Wear comfortable shoes so your arthritis does not flare up. Your body will appreciate it.

If you have arthritis, you should be very careful to wear good, supportive shoes, especially for exercise. An old pair of exercise shoes will cause your weight to be distributed unevenly. This can cause the pain in your joints to worsen. Buy new workout shoes when you notice the bottoms are wore out unevenly on your old pair.

Managing stress will help you manage your arthritis. Chronic stress causes your body to release chemicals like cortisol, which increases inflammation and arthritis pain. Try to decrease stress by working out and/or working on time management issues.

Being mobile can help prevent your joints from swelling up, so remember to always get in some low-impact exercise. You can try swimming, walking, or anything else that doesn’t require a lot of effort to stay active. If exercising concerns you, speak with your doctor about it.

Yoga is a beneficial hobby you should consider. Yoga relaxes the body and provides great low-impact exercise, two things that are highly effective at easing the pain arthritis can give you in your joints.

Both cold and hot treatments can be effective when alternated. It is easy to overuse your joints, so use both treatment methods as a way to relieve your pain and lower your swelling. Make sure you don’t overdo it however, as too much treatment can cause further health issues. Do not do this more than twice a day.

If you find it difficult to sleep due to pain from arthritis, it may help to take a warm bath with bath salts prior to going to bed. This will allow your body to relax, and the pain from arthritis will lessen, which will help you go to sleep, and stay sleeping for a longer period of time.

Maintaining a healthy body weight reduces the stress placed on arthritic joints. Being overweight can strain your joints, worsening arthritis symptoms as a result. Do not skip meals or deny yourself food in order to shed pounds, but adhere to a diet that provides your body with the necessary nutrients.

Smoking cigarettes can cause a decrease in flexibility, and makes arthritis symptoms worse. Giving up smoking for good may be very difficult, but when you see how much it exacerbates your arthritis symptoms, the trade-off may be worth it.

If you suffer from chronic pain from arthritis, consider going to a sauna for pain relief. The combination of heat and moisture in the sauna can reduce the inflammation, therby reducing the pain. In order to get results from it, you will have to go to the sauna consistently.

Make sure you are consuming your protein. Arthritis sufferers need more protein than other people; the disease robs your body of stored protein faster than normal. Vegetarians are especially at risk for protein deficiency if they have arthritis because meat is the richest source of protein. If you don’t eat meat, double the amount of protein you get from other sources to keep pain or inflammation associated with arthritis to a minimum.

You may want to consider a regular visit to a sauna if you have chronic arthritis. The inflammation of arthritis can be relieved by the moist heat a sauna provides, which will help reduce the pain. It will be necessary to make regular visits to the sauna if you want to see results.

Have your doctor regularly check for deficiencies. When your body gets low on certain nutrients, such as iron or vitamin B-12, your arthritis is more likely to flare up and cause pain. Having these levels checked often can reduce the risk of painful inflammation, by allowing you to keep these levels at a good point.

Trust what your body tells you. Everyone has different symptoms and deals differently with arthritis. Only you will know how this condition affects your body. Pay attention to signals that your body is sending to you, and listen to them. If you are feeling worn out, take a rest.

Listen to your body. Because every case of arthritis is unique, you are the one person who really understands exactly what effects you are experiencing. When your body sends you signals, listen to what it’s trying to tell you and do what it says. If you need to rest, make sure that you do that.

If you’re a chronic arthritis sufferer who experiences problems like those described in the beginning of this article, you know how debilitating your disorder is. We hope you’ve learned something from this article that you can apply to become a happier, healthier person who has an easier time living.