Feeling Sore When You Wake Up?

Hey Angels and Alphas,

Usually, after you go through an intense workout, you might expect to be sore. You push and pull heavy weights, do high-intensity cardio intervals, or run long miles so you expect your muscles and joints to be stressed. It’s okay to find that you’re a little stiff a day or two after your workout.

But feeling pain and soreness after you wake up, especially if you’re not coming out of a heavy workout, can happen for a variety of reasons.

Most experts explain this pretty simply: as you’re moving, the tissue that surrounds your joints starts to secrete a fluid to lubricate your joints. This allows your bones to move past each other more easily.

If you sleep for a period of 7-9 hours, and you stop moving for those stretches of time, this lack of mobility can lead to stiffness, pain, and inflammation.

This may be further exacerbated by your body’s natural response to immediately stifle inflammation when you’re sleeping. A study done about 5 years ago from the University of Manchester discovered that a protein known as cryptochrome is directly linked to our biological clock. What it does is it represses your inflammatory pathways during sleep, basically making your stiffness feel worse when you wake up.

This more general and more temporary soreness is widespread. Everyone experiences it at one point or another. Especially as we age. And it usually goes away within 20 minutes of moving around in the morning.

But if you’re someone who experiences that pain for longer or even chronic periods of time, it’s vital that you diagnose the issue and find out what’s causing this issue. Your best bet? Addressing this with your doctor.

But if you are looking for some ways to reduce morning soreness, whether it’s post-workout soreness or not, we’ve compiled a list of 5 tips you can use instantly to ease and relieve it.

If you’re someone who has experienced stiffness upon waking up, you know for a fact how long and stressful it is to eradicate it. Here are some steps you can take:

1. INSTANTLY GET MOVING

As soon as you wake up, do a warm-up. Sure, exercise can make you sore, but exercising regularly will keep your joints lubricated and your body strong. This will help you feel better in the long term and throughout your day.

Even if you can’t make it to a gym and just do your workout in the morning, there are ways you can instantly get moving in the morning to reduce this soreness and get energized for the day.

If you’re someone who works in an office, make sure you’re always scheduling moving breaks so you’re not sitting and creating even more stiffness as you’re going about your day.

2. YOUR PILLOW MATTERS!

The most vital tip you can get about pillows is this: they should match your sleeping position. If you sleep on your back, you will likely need a different pillow than the people who sleep in their stomach. Naturally, everyone needs a pillow that supports the optimal curve of their neck and aligns it to their head so it prevents soreness and muscle strain as they’re sleeping.

3. GET MORE VITAMIN D & MAGNESIUM

Lacking Vitamin D and Magnesium is a prominent reason of morning soreness. They’re minerals associated with everything from brain function to immune system function, and if you’re deficient in any of the two minerals, you’re putting yourself at risk of soreness and poor muscle and bone health.

They’re both really common in vitamin complexes so no surprises there, you can find them pretty easily. That being said, the best vitamin D source you could find is direct sunlight, as well as eating foods such as egg yolks, fortified dairy, fatty fish, and more.

4. STRETCHING BEFORE BED (AND OTHER WELLNESS PRACTICES)

Doing some yoga or meditation before bed can help you relieve stress and put your body and mind in a relaxed state as you’re winding down and going to sleep. With a simple stretching routine or by engaging in a short meditation, you can prep your mind and body for sound sleep and, with that, eliminate any muscle tension that could be exacerbated during sleep.

5. PACK YOUR DIET WITH ANTI-INFLAMMATORY INGREDIENTS

The anti-inflammatory diet is one of the most customizable and flexible ones. While you will need to skip on certain foods, you’ll always have healthy and delicious options you can choose from. Berries, avocados, fatty fish, nuts, fruits and veggies, alongside the reduced consumption of sugar and refined carbs can do wonders for your body. By consuming a balanced diet full of whole, nutrient-dense foods, you’ll be one step closer to eliminating morning soreness and inflammation from your life once and for all.

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