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Rheumatoid Arthritis is a long-term condition, so cannot be cured. It can only be managed. To manage Rheumatoid Arthritis pain worse at night, look to your sleep routine for solutions.

Get into a consistent schedule by trying to go to sleep at the same time each night and waking up at the same time each day. go to bed earlier and take naps during the day. Keep your bedroom optimal for sleep — cool, quiet, and dark.

Also, to at least reduce late-night joint pain, you might want to take pain relief medication before you go to bed. Ask your doctor to recommend the right dose, so it works throughout your sleep cycle and not halfway through.

It can be hard to cope with the unpredictable nature of rheumatoid arthritis. Some days, the pain and stiffness can be a lot worse than others, and there’s no means of knowing when a flare-up will occur. Many people living with the condition find it helpful to speak with others in a similar position.

Some popular Rheumatoid Arthritis forums you might find helpful include:

RheumatoidArthritis.Net

National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS)

Smart Patients

Treatment to encourage the remission of Rheumatoid Arthritis symptoms and its associated worsening night pain, needs to be done early. Find out more about this from MayoClinic.

How to Reduce/ Manage Rheumatoid Arthritis Flares:  Video

Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Worse at Night: How to Manage It

One way to manage your Rheumatoid Arthritis pain worse at night is to learn to identify your triggers. RA affects the bodies hormones, causing them to go into overdrive in many cases which can lead to severe pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Worse at Night – How to Manage It: Food/ Drinks Modification

To stop night-time RA joint pain, try cutting back on coffee, tobacco, alcohol, soft drinks and highly processed foods/ meats.

You may need to adjust your lifestyle to avoid these triggers. However, if you feel that you can’t do without one or more of these foods, then at least try and avoid them at night time.

If you’re unsure about which foods trigger your RA symptoms, ask your doctor. He or she may be able to prescribe a herbal supplement to relieve your pain. Or your nutritionist, who might suggest some food list modifications to help ease some of the pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Worse at Night – How to Manage It: Sleeping Position

For some people, the problem of pain at night isn’t helped by lifestyle changes, it’s actually increased by their sleeping position/ habits. If you’ve been diagnosed with RA, try sleeping on your side, allowing your knees, hips and feet to stay relatively flat.

Best Sleeping Positions for Arthritis: Video

Also, elevate your head using pillows to encourage proper spinal alignment. If you are also a wheelchair user, try to sleep on a flat surface as much as possible, using a pillow for support when needed.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Worse at Night – How to Manage It: Quit Smoking

Another strategy to manage and reduce flare-ups of rheumatoid arthritis pain worse at night is to stop smoking.

If you’re a smoker, quit smoking before bedtime, as this can worsen the pain caused by RA.

Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Worse at Night – How to Manage It: Stress Less

Why is it that stress and rheumatoid arthritis seem to go hand in hand? There are a number of reasons.

Firstly, rheumatoid arthritis is an auto-immune disease, meaning that the condition is “self-perpetuating”. Once you have RA, you’re always prone to it.

Secondly, it seems that the more stressed you are the more your body releases certain chemicals in your joints, causing increased sensitivity to joint pain.

So how do we manage stress and rheumatoid arthritis in order to prevent and/or reduce the symptoms associated with this autoimmune disease? First and foremost, we need to reduce our stress levels.

Stress is known to increase the heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels, which further increase the risk for RA and its complications such as damage to the joints.

Listening to slow/ quiet music helps to relieve stress. So too does gentle stretching and exercising.

Arthritis Treatment Meditation Music: Video

Another way to relieve stress is to make out (more) time for the things and people you really enjoy – and which/ who brings out the best in you. Make time for fun!

Rheumatoid Arthritis Pain Worse at Night – How to Manage It: Stretch and Move More

And last but not least, get up from your recliner and move around! Stretch slowly. Exercise gently. Be the sloth if you must, but move anyhow!

As stated earlier, a good way to combat stress and rheumatoid arthritis pain worse at night is to exercise regularly. If you don’t already have an exercise routine, start one today, starting slowly so you can gradually work on building up your strength and endurance. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you begin to feel better, reducing your symptoms.

Also, keep your stress levels down by adding a little bit of physical activity to your day. In fact, the best way to manage stress and RA is to incorporate some form of daily physical activity into your daily life. By doing so, you’ll not only manage your stress and disease activity levels but also improve the health of your joints.

Morning Stretching/ Exercises Tips for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Video

Finally, if you are already exercising, consider adding some extra gentle workouts that will further strengthen your muscles and bones.