If you’re like me, the weather can often be depressing at this time of the year. Depending on where you live, you could be facing either ongoing rain (the West Coast) or the cold and snow (the Prairies and East Coast) with the exception of those few lovely warm locations in the states that stay beautiful year-round.
For People with Chronic Pain (PwCP), the descent into the colder wetter weather can be a real nightmare. We tend to have more flare-ups in our pain, our symptoms overall become harder to deal with and pain and side effects have a tendency to last longer than usual as well. Sleep disturbances become more frequent also, whether that means more sleep than usual, or less.
Chronic pain symptoms possibly affected by cold weather include:
- Swelling around joints
- Inflammation near the spine
- Muscle stiffness or tightening
Poor circulation is a symptom of many chronic conditions, and most in the scientific community agree that cooler weather affects circulation. For patients with underlying conditions like diabetes, decreased circulation can aggravate problems with joint and back pain.
Take a look at this AccuWeather Arthritis Index for a Monday in 2018 in the US. It showed mixed weather conditions across the country and gave some corresponding issues for how health was affected:
Another theory on the possible connection between cold weather and increased chronic pain involves bodily changes. Blood vessels in limbs constrict, or shrink, to compensate for a loss of heat to maintain the body’s core temperature. As a result, pain signals sent via nerves may be amplified.
While some people with chronic pain do report feeling better when moving to a warmer climate, the body typically adjusts to new climates over time, so relief is likely to be temporary. A good workout, soaking in a tub of warm water, and applying heat packs or warming gel are just a few of the remedies chronic pain sufferers can use to counter changes in pain when cooler weather arrives.
Here are a few of my recommendations for warming products you can find on Amazon.com to help combat the cold and rain:
About the Pajama Gram Robe
- ROOMY FIT – We use natural HIGH-QUALITY FABRICS, so our PJs are designed to accommodate shrinking; We want our customers to be entirely satisfied with our PJs, so WASH BEFORE WEARING for the best fit
- SUPER SOFT– Super-sweet robe featuring long sleeves, side pockets and roll-back cuffs
- SUPER-COMFORTABLE – Made from premium-quality materials, including our super-soft fleece that keeps you exceptionally warm and comfortable
- COMFORT-FOCUSED – Made to keep you comfy for hours of relaxation
About the Multi-Use Electric Blanket
- Using carbon fiber heating material, producing far infrared ray, improving blood circulation.
- Soft fleece material, bring warm touching feeling.
- The heating inner set can be taken out, easy for you to wash the blanket.
- USB can be connected to computer, power bank, convenient for use.
- A necessary equipment in winter, when reading, watching TV, working, you won’t feel cold any more.
I hope this information helps to explain what we Pain Warriors already knew – pain gets worse when the weather does. May these suggestions for warmth and comfort give you some ideas to break the chill and get back to being cozy again until the return of Spring.
There is always hope
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