Sometimes, getting a prescription for the right painkillers could be just what you need to deal with the chronic and acute pains that can make life that much more miserable. That said, a lot of people have been concerned with the increasing reliance on opioids, which can be potentially addictive, while others might simply want to take the natural approach wherever it is available. As such, we’ve taken the time to look at pain relief methods that don’t use any medications.
Improving your relationship with sleep
While being in pain can diminish your ability to sleep, it is important to still make the effort to do what you can to get a good night’s rest when possible. There are a variety of ways to improve your ability to sleep, whether it’s by improving the environment that you sleep in, creating better bedtime routines, and avoiding things that can keep you up too close to be, whether it’s caffeine or exposure to the blue light from our screens. A lack of sleep can increase your sensitivity to pain.
Find a way to relax your body
Another thing that can exacerbate the pain that you feel is stress. Not only does stress cause the body to tense, which can put pressure on the areas where you need relief right now, but it can also affect your breathing, stopping the efficient transmission of oxygen, which can be vital in managing pain naturally. Breathing exercises, especially combined with movements as they might be in yoga, can be greatly effective at helping to make pain a lot more tolerable. Yoga can also release endorphins and serotonin, which can diminish the symptoms of pain and make you more tolerant.
Take the hands-on approach
Physical pain is going to be best dealt with physically, in a lot of cases. There are different services that can help you with this, with some pains better addressed through massage therapy, and others with the help of a physiotherapist. However, a chiropractor might be able to treat a much wider range of conditions than you might be aware of. By addressing the imbalances and maladjustments in the spine, they can manipulate the sensation of pain all throughout the body, so it may be worth taking the time to visit.
Utilizing technology
There are always attempts to use technological devices that can treat pain, and one of the most recent ones has actually proven effective for a lot of people. The devices known as TENS machines work primarily through the concept of electrostimulation and have become much more popular as of late. These machines use brief electrical impulses which target and stimulate specific muscles. This can help your muscles tense and relax, which can relieve the effects of stress that can be so prominent in things like back pain and joint pain as a result of inflammation.
How you deal with your pain is up to you. Just make sure that you also take the time to visit your doctor so that you can deal with the cause effectively, as well.
