Achy and sore joints are the hallmarks of osteoarthritis. And one of the most frustrating aspects of the joint pain related to arthritis is when it occurs in the morning. Often, the pain can make it hard just to get out of bed.On the positive side, morning joint pain related to osteoarthritis doesn’t last long. “The good news is that the amount of morning stiffness with osteoarthritis is less than 5 to 10 minutes as a rule,” says Nathan Wei, MD, clinical director of the Arthritis and Osteoporosis Center of Maryland. And, he adds, the more you move around, the more quickly you'll loosen up.Of course, just moving around is easier said than done if you have osteoarthritis. Here are simple strategies that can make your mornings with arthritic joint pain more manageable:1. Do more the night before. One easy way to simplify your morning routine is to do the heavy lifting before you go to sleep — like packing your briefcase, laying out clothes, setting the coffeemaker, and setting the table for breakfast.“
I recommend that all of my patients ready things the night before. I do that myself,” says Robin K. Dore, MD, a rheumatologist and clinical professor of medicine at UCLA. “That way, if they are too stiff in the morning or need to sleep in a little if they had a bad night, there is very little that needs to be done before they can start their activities of daily living.”2. Try supportive sleep accessories. Lumbar and cervical pillows are the two main supportive devices our experts recommend to banish morning joint pain.“Sleep aids can definitely be helpful by cushioning tender areas and supporting areas that are painful to move if unsupported,” says Dr. Dore. “Be certain to try different cervical pillows before purchasing one, as individual preferences vary.”3. Perfect your posture. You can avoid a lot of arthritic joint pain in the morning by simply sleeping in the correct position. “The best sleeping posture for an arthritic spine will vary based on the unique aspects of the individual,” says Kirt Kimball, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Orem and Provo, Utah.
“As a rule, lying on your side with cervical and slight lumbar support allows one to flex or extend as needed to find that ‘best’ position.”4. Stretch away the pain. Stretching away arthritic joint pain before you even get out of bed can minimize the pain you experience once you get on your feet. “When doing stretches, it is important to gradually apply stretch rather than bounce against the end point of a particular muscle group,” says Dr. Kimball.“As you attempt to stretch each muscle group, whether it be back, hip, thigh, knee, ankle region, or upper extremity regions, first consider the normal range of motion of that joint. Try to isolate the affected joint such that you are only working one joint at a time, and then take it to the extreme, gradually, and then gently push against that extreme to slowly improve the range of motion. All stretches should be done decisively yet gently and avoiding impact or bounce.”5. Take your time. With osteoarthritis, it’s often best to work your way up to getting out of bed rather than bounding out of bed immediately in the morning.“
Roll to your side; sit up in bed using your arms for support; put your feet on the ground; gently apply force to your feet as you push up on the edge of the bed with your hands,” says Kimball.6. Try a hot shower. “A hot shower is a pleasant way to apply heat energy to your body all at once,” Kimball says. “It can be focused on sore muscles, such as directing the flow of water to a particularly sore muscle group. It can reduce spasm and thus reduce pain by not only the therapeutic effect of heat but also the massage effect of the water pressure.”7. Make your mornings easy. When it comes to osteoarthritis-related joint pain in the morning, good posture applies not only to sleeping but also to getting up and moving around.“The human body was designed for upright functioning,” says Kimball. Working or standing in an upright posture with shoulders back and belly in is the right structural base to move from. “You can’t use your arms well unless they are attached to a stable foundation, including the shoulder and spine,” Kimball explains.
“This applies to the lower extremities as well. We weren’t designed to function at our best bent over or stooped over.”8. Try a new mattress. In some cases, a new mattress can improve your morning joint pain, but make sure to test carefully before you buy.RELATED: 7 Factors That Raise a Man's Risk for Osteoporosis“I advise my patients to get a firm but not an extra-firm mattress,” says Dore. “Some patients prefer a pillow-top to place on top of their mattress." She adds that some patients also like the flexibility of a mattress with memory foam, like the Tempur-Pedic brand, but others find these uncomfortably warm.9. Adjust your medication schedule. If your morning pain is severe, your doctor may advise you to take your arthritis medication at the end of the day.“While most patients take their arthritis medicines in the morning with breakfast, some people might find that taking it in the evening — with food, of course — can lessen the amount of stiffness they have in the morning,” says Dr. Wei.If morning pain gets in the way of starting your day, do as much as you can the night before — your mornings will be less frantic
, and you can ease more comfortably into activity. Better Sleep with Osteoarthritis It’s a vicious cycle. Your osteoarthritis pain keeps you up all night as you struggle to find a comfortable position, and the lack of sleep makes your pain worse the next day and so on and so forth. If you are one of the 27 million people with OA, it can be hard to sleep soundly, but there are 10 tried-and-true things you can do to take back your sleep -- and ease your joint pain.Some antidepressants improve sleep and help relieve pain, says David Pisetsky, MD. He is the chief of rheumatology at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C. “These may be an option,” he says. “Talk to your doctor to see if you are a candidate.” Rule out sleep apnea. Obesity is a risk factor for OA, and it also sets the stage for sleep apnea or pauses in breathing while asleep. Treating the apnea may help with sleep quality, which will in turn, reduce pain, Pisetsky says.“The ideal sleep position depends on which joints ache,” Pisetsky says.
“It is hard to tell people to get into a certain position at night.” Sleep expert Michael J. Breus, PhD, adds: “It is usually best to sleep on your back, assuming you don’t have back pain.” Choose the correct sleeping surface. What you sleep on is as important as how you sleep, Breus says. “People usually say their mattress is hard as a rock and stiff as a board and nothing could be worse if you have OA,” he tells WebMD. “You need a mattress that does a great job of relieving pressure and conforming to your body shape.” It should be firm, but not hard. Mattress toppers can also help accomplish this. Use pillows to ease discomfort. “Placing a pillow under a sore joint can relieve pain and support the joint,” Breus says. Say you are a back sleeper with knee OA; place a pillow under your knees to take the pressure off of them. Take a PM pain reliever. Many over-the-counter pain relievers come in PM or nighttime formulations that help you sleep.” Take it an hour before bed so you have the maximum blood levels when trying to go to sleep,” suggests Martin Jan Bergman, MD.
He is clinical associate professor of medicine, rheumatology, Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA; chief of rheumatology, Taylor Hospital, Ridley Park, Penn.When it comes to relieving joint pain, ice seems to work better than heat at the end of the day, Breus says. Take control of your OA. Are you doing everything you can to manage your joint pain? The best way to improve your sleep is to treat your OA pain effectively, says Bergman. There are many treatments available to help curb pain, including over-the-counter pain relievers, prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, steroid injections, as well as physical therapy programs to help relieve pain.It may be the last thing you feel like doing, but exercise is one of the best things you can do for your OA pain and your sleep. “Exercise as much as you can,” Bergman says. “It will preserve function and make you a little bit more tired around bedtime.” Just make sure you don’t do this too close to bedtime, as it can have opposite effects and get you revved up.