9 reasons you shouldn’t ignore body ache
If you are experiencing aches in your body, there are a number of things that could be causing the condition.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to narrow down exactly what your health issue might be without some other symptoms to provide clues. However, you can assess recent your recent activities to possibly discern the cause of your condition.
First, body aches can be associated with the onset of a virus such as influenza or the common cold.
If you recently came into contact with a person that has a contagious virus, there is a chance that they have passed their infection on to you.
However, without additional symptoms or risk factors to assess, it is unlikely that you can definitively determine if a virus is the cause of your condition.
Body aches can also be caused by overexertion at the gym. If you have a poorly designed workout schedule or are not letting muscle groups have sufficient ‘cool down’ time between workout sessions, you are likely to find yourself in a considerable amount of pain.
When working out, one should always be sure to rotate and alternate between the muscle groups that are worked out between consecutive days.
Working out the same muscle groups twice in a row can lead to significant stress on muscle tissues, as it has had inadequate time to recover from the previous workout. This is not a desirable practice. In addition to the discomfort that it produces, this can also lead to muscle damage and sometimes irreversible damage that causes chronic pain.
Some people also find that working out a variety of muscle groups located in different areas of the body generates an uncomfortable body ache. If this is the case for you, you might benefit from a workout schedule that alternates between the upper body and lower body exercises.
Of course, even if you have a well-designed workout plan, you can still cause yourself to experience unusual body aches by overexerting yourself at the gym.
Make sure that you know your limits, and don’t push too far past them. Be certain that you don’t overexert yourself by allowing emotions like anger or rage to overpower a clearheaded approach to your workout. Obviously, it goes without saying that if you’ve been neglecting your workout routine, which you will probably be experiencing aches when you return to the routine.
Arthritis can also cause extreme body aches.
Arthritis body aches are caused by inflammation of your joints, tendons, and ligaments, as well as muscle strains. This can easily cause body aches all over. You should see doctors if you believe you are suffering from arthritis pain.
Certain medications, therapies, and treatments may be needed, and some can actually increase your pain level if not done correctly.
Body aches can also result from an improper sleeping surface.
Consider your bed – do you often find it difficult to fall asleep because of a general feeling of discomfort, or do you find yourself waking up with a bizarre combination of aches and pains? The quality of your bedding material might be causing you discomfort.
It might be worth trying out various sorts of mattress designs and softness at a furniture store or bed specialty store in order to determine if you might improve the quality of your sleep.
It is also important to note that waking up with general body aches can be a symptom of a condition called sleep apnea, whereby the normal breathing process is disrupted during sleep.
Aside from negatively affecting sleep quality (those that suffer from sleep apnea often feel as if they can never awaken fully rested), the condition can also cause effects such as body aches, headaches when awakening, and a feeling of tightness in the chest when awakening.
If you suspect that you might have sleep apnea, it is important that you consult a doctor. Aside from causing annoying symptoms such as snoring and snorting during sleep, it is also a cause of death.
Some individuals that suffer from sleep apnea simply stop breathing, without ever resuming breathing as they normally might. Thankfully, the condition is reasonably simple to treat.
Body aches can also be the result of a condition known as chronic fatigue syndrome.
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition where severe fatigue greatly affects the quality of life. This condition – usually exacerbated by physical exertion or mental exertion – can also include body aches as a symptom.
This condition is often associated with a handful of other symptoms – such a recurring sore throat, tender lymph nodes, headaches, malaise, and un-refreshing sleep. However, this condition is relatively rare.
Body aches can also be the result of improper nutrition.
Your diet might be lacking in essential amino acids, protein, or nutrients such as potassium. This is especially the case if you have an unbalanced diet but maintain an athletic lifestyle. When working out on a regular basis, running, jogging, or playing sports, it is important that you mind your body’s need for proper nutrition.
Try eating a bit healthier than you normally do, and take a multivitamin supplement for a few days. See if this helps resolve your issues. In addition, eating a banana when your muscles are aching can help relieve some of the pain, as the high potassium content of the banana helps soothe your muscles.
Low blood sugar can also cause body aches and occurs when your body’s sugar level reaches below 70 milligrams per deciliter.
Other symptoms may include sweating, weakness, dizziness, and blurred vision. This condition can very easily be cured by monitoring your sugar intake, but if left unattended it can reach low enough levels to cause coma or death. Your doctor will be able to test to see if this is what is causing your body aches.
You may also be suffering from depression, especially if your aches seem to be getting worse over time.
Depression influences the way your brain sends messages to your body and can cause your body to feel pain more intensely and in a different way. For a lot of people suffering from depression, the aches have been present for a while, but once the depression worsens, the pains become more noticeable.
A doctor can diagnose you with depression, and offer you several options for the body aches. You may need to be prescribed more than one type of medicine.
Antidepressants can help with the depression and pains and anti-anxiety medicine can help you sleep better if your depression is causing you to have trouble sleeping, resulting in a lack of rest for your body.
Body aches can be associated with anemia which is a very common blood disorder that affects all types of people.
The most common type is an iron deficiency anemia which causes insignificant amounts of oxygen to be transported throughout your body.
This condition is commonly seen in young girls and women who are pregnant and can easily be fixed by adding iron into your diet.
Other common types of anemia can be caused by hemorrhoids and ulcer or the over a use of aspirin, which is all responsible for internal bleeding. Your doctor can stop the symptoms of body aches, once he/she finds the underlying cause of the bleeding.
If you feel that you must take an over-the-counter pain pill in order to deal with your body aches, you will probably have the most success with a NSAID or a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug.
These include medicines like naproxen sodium (Aleve), and ibuprofen (Motrin or Advil). These drugs help relieve the inflammation that might be causing your pain. Drugs such as aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol) work by inhibiting pain, whereas if your aches are caused by inflammation, the NSAIDs can help relieve the root cause of the pain rather than simply masking it.
Regardless, if you must take over the counter medications for several days in a row to control your body ache pain, or regularly take medications to do so, it is important that you make an appointment with a physician. Long-term body aches can signal underlying health conditions that require professional medical attention.
More than likely if you are experiencing body aches.
Be sure to rest and drink plenty of fluids and you should start feeling better in a day or two. But if your symptoms become persistent, and are accompanied by other unwanted symptoms, it may be best to see your doctor and find out if there is another cause.
In most cases, the cause behind the body aches can be address easily and resolved quickly, but you know your body the best and if it does not feel right, then seek professional medical advice.
