Neuropathy is described as damage to your peripheral nervous system. This results in a weakened connection between the central and peripheral nervous systems, which causes pain in your hands and legs. Other common symptoms include:
– muscle weakness
– poor balance
– inability to detect pain or temperature changes
– tingling, and more.
While suffering from neuropathy might make things difficult for many, making constant, low-effort changes to your lifestyle can help decrease the pain drastically. Here are some ways you can do so.
- Seek Natural Treatments
Many wish to use non-drug treatments when battling neuropathy. If you’re one of them, these easy ways can help.
Running a warm water bath can help. It relaxes your muscles and boosts blood circulation around the body, easing the pain. Alternatively, cold packs can also help numb the pain in different areas of the body. One can relieve stress through meditation, massages, TENS, and acupuncture as well.
- Reduce Stress On Your Body
A build-up of stress due to daily life can cause neural problems. So if you’re suffering from neuropathy, to begin with, you must reduce mental and physical stress as much as possible.
Due to daytime activities, your nerves might get compressed by night and cause neuropathic pain. Thus, you should use a wheeled walker or wheelchair to decompress your spine when going about your day to help you relieve some pain.
- Get Your Sugar Levels Under Control
Diabetes patients are at a higher risk of neuropathy; excess blood sugar levels can cause damage to your peripheral nervous system, causing a chronic problem, also known as diabetic neuropathy.
Take actionable steps to keep your blood sugar levels in check. For example, maintain an exercise regime, no matter how low-impact, stick to a healthy diet, check your sugar levels constantly, and get routine check-ups from a professional.
- Eat Healthily To Feel Better
Eating healthy is the key to managing pain efficiently. A low-fat diet including whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and moderate amounts of meat, such as fish and poultry, can help.
Starchy, salty foods can increase sodium levels in your bloodstream, increasing the pain. Hence, it’s ideal to limit the intake of white bread, pasta, potatoes in any form, processed meats, packaged food with preservatives, soft drinks and candy, juices, and the like.
Sleep-inducing teas such as chamomile can do wonders for you if you cannot sleep due to pain.
- Get Active Everyday
Managing pain is difficult, but you can feel better with constant exercise. Low-intensity workouts, including aerobics, stretching, and balance training, can improve your bodily functions.
There are special exercises targeted at different areas of the body to help make you feel better and relieve pain effectively. You can consult a specialist if you want to know exercises for neuropathy in legs, the spine, hands, and more.
Some programs also help and conduct exercise groups for older adults to help them, regardless of their medical history. You could benefit from those too!
- Make Lifestyle Changes To Sleep Better
Most neuropathic patients complain of insomnia or difficulty falling asleep due to chronic pain. If you suffer from this issue, consider making lifestyle changes to sleep better.
Stay busy and active during the day, without physically exerting yourself too much to sleep well at night. You can also try altering your sleeping positions or using special pillows and weighted blankets for better sleep. Make your bedroom more cozy and comfortable with minimum lighting to fall asleep faster.
Neuropathy is a serious issue that comes with many pain and other problems. Of course, seeking prescribed medicines from doctors is a great way to fight the issue. However, making small changes in your daily life can help you manage the pain better and more sustainable.