Tips to reduce morning stiffness due to arthritis

joints How can one start the day right, if the first thing one has to face is stiff joints due to arthritis? Arthritis refers to the swelling and tenderness of one or more of the joints in the body. This swelling could be caused due to an injury, infection, immune system dysfunction or abnormal metabolism leading to gout. Stiff joints, joint pain, redness in joints and decreased range of motion are all signs of arthritis. Joint stiffness tends to make its appearance in the morning after immobilisation of the joints for several hours. Stiffness can affect any joint – the hands, fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, feet, ankles, hips, shoulders, and even the jaw. Stiff joints can cause pain and make it difficult to jump out of bed. Here are some of the ways in which you can treat stiff joints in the morning.Apply heat Apply heat: There is no faster way of removing morning stiffness than the application of heat to the joint. Heat helps to loosen tight muscles and remove associated pain in the process.Take a warm bath Take a warm bath: Just like a heat pack, exposing your stiff joint to warm water would help in removing stiffness from the joints by loosening the tight muscles and soft tissues. You can add Epsom salt to your bath. Epsom salt is a form of magnesium, which can help to reduce muscle tightness and provide relief from morning stiffness.Drink ginger tea Drink ginger tea: Instead of your regular morning coffee, shift to ginger tea. Ginger tea has anti-inflammatory properties that can help to reduce swelling and stiffness in joints. Apart from ginger tea, you can also consume other various anti-inflammatory food like nuts, seeds, oatmeal, yogurt and turmeric tea. Just like ginger tea, they can also help in providing relief from morning stiffness. Try including these anti-inflammatory food items in your breakfast, as it would fuel your body to function properly the rest of the day.Exercise in bed Exercise in bed: Getting out of the bed with a stiff joint can lead to an injury. So while you’re under the sheet, practice various stretching exercises that involve your hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders. Slowly and gently move these joints and get up only after you feel that stiffness and pain has reduced.Take anti-inflammatory medications Take anti-inflammatory medications: Take anti-inflammatory medications an hour before you plan to get out of bed. Keep a small snack ready beside your bed before you go to sleep so that you don’t have to take the medicine on an empty stomach. Wait for the medicine to do its job, and only get up if you feel the stiffness has reduced.