Fight the Fatigue That Comes With Arthritis
Hide Video Transcript
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
At home, take stock of your daytime routine, your nighttime routine, and your mood. During the day, if you're not eating well and you're not moving around, you're probably losing muscle mass. And if your muscles aren't strong, you're not going to be able to get up and enjoy your life and do everything that you want to do.
Exercise is so important for arthritis. It's been shown to cut the pain, help you move better, improve your mood, and increase your energy. Stretching exercises and flexibility exercises are really important.
You want to build your stamina. So aerobic exercise to get your heart pumping is really important. And third, muscle-strengthening exercises are key to build strong muscles that can support your joints and bones. So talk to your doctor or your physical therapist about getting an exercise program together that works for you.
At night, your room should really be a place that's a haven-- cool, quiet, and dark. If arthritis or any other illness is disturbing your sleep, then that really needs to be taken care of.
And last, your mood. Are you depressed or anxious? Now, this could be a side effect of the medications you're on, like steroids. Or it can be a consequence of dealing with chronic pain on an everyday basis. Whatever the various factors are, keep talking to your doctors. They can help you tease out the details and then address the individual issues to really help you overcome the fatigue.
DR. AREFA CASSOOBHOY
Besides pain, fatigue is a common problem that comes with arthritis. Your medical conditions can directly contribute to this, and the treatments you end up on. At home, take stock of your daytime routine, your nighttime routine, and your mood. During the day, if you're not eating well and you're not moving around, you're probably losing muscle mass. And if your muscles aren't strong, you're not going to be able to get up and enjoy your life and do everything that you want to do.
Exercise is so important for arthritis. It's been shown to cut the pain, help you move better, improve your mood, and increase your energy. Stretching exercises and flexibility exercises are really important.
You want to build your stamina. So aerobic exercise to get your heart pumping is really important. And third, muscle-strengthening exercises are key to build strong muscles that can support your joints and bones. So talk to your doctor or your physical therapist about getting an exercise program together that works for you.
At night, your room should really be a place that's a haven-- cool, quiet, and dark. If arthritis or any other illness is disturbing your sleep, then that really needs to be taken care of.
And last, your mood. Are you depressed or anxious? Now, this could be a side effect of the medications you're on, like steroids. Or it can be a consequence of dealing with chronic pain on an everyday basis. Whatever the various factors are, keep talking to your doctors. They can help you tease out the details and then address the individual issues to really help you overcome the fatigue.