Ease Psoriatic Arthritis Morning Stiffness With These 7 Habits
Rheumatic ConditionsPsoriatic Arthritis
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Your 7-Step Morning Routine to Ease Psoriatic Arthritis Joint Stiffness

Your 7-Step Morning Routine to Ease Psoriatic Arthritis Joint Stiffness
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Updated on March 19, 2024
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For many people who have psoriatic arthritis, waking up is not the highlight of the day. Joint pain and stiffness are often most severe in the mornings.

Inflammatory activity can surge at night because of your body’s circadian rhythms. Plus, the lack of movement while you sleep can contribute to the pain and discomfort you wake up to.

Making a few simple tweaks to your morning routine can help you start each day with less pain and more fluidity. Start by adopting these habits to ease psoriatic arthritis morning stiffness.

1. Set an Early Alarm

Depending on the severity of their symptoms, most people who have psoriatic arthritis need a little extra time to get their bodies going in the morning.

“Give yourself at least 15 extra minutes to ease into your day,” says Carole Dodge, occupational therapy supervisor at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. “If you rush, you give your body less time to warm up, which can make pain and stiffness worse.”

Starting the day more slowly can also lead to less pain at the end of the day, because you aren’t overtaxing yourself straight out of the gate. “If your pain level can be a two instead of a six, that’s preferable,” says Dodge.

2. Take Time to Stretch

Making time for just a few minutes of easy, gentle stretches each morning can help loosen stiff muscles and joints. “I often recommend hand flexibility exercises and simple yoga poses, such as sun salutation,” says Dodge.

In terms of intensity, says Dodge, you should feel a gentle pull in your muscles when you stretch, but if you feel muscle pain, you’re overdoing it. Talk to your doctor about the best morning stretch routine for you.

3. Take a Warm Shower

According to the Arthritis Foundation, heat treatments — showers, baths, heating pads — soothe stiff joints and muscles by improving circulation throughout the body.

But Dodge cautions against making temperatures too hot, which may worsen dry, itchy skin.

If you prefer baths over showers, consider adding sea salt, oatmeal, or a bath gel containing coal tar to both soothe and moisturize your skin, especially if you also have psoriasis.

RELATED: 10 Hot and Cold Therapy Tips to Tame Joint Pain

4. Use a Dressing Stick

Getting dressed in the morning can be a huge hurdle when you wake up with stiff, sore joints. A dressing stick — a stick with a large double hook on one end and a small hook at the other — can help save you from extra bending or having to extend your arms.

It can be used to help you put on button-up shirts, pants, and jackets or cardigans. It’s also helpful for removing jackets, shirts, pants, and socks. If you have trouble grasping with your fingers, the small hook can help you pull zippers up or down.

An occupational therapist can help you learn how to use a dressing stick, or a variety of online videos also show how they’re used.

If bending forward or squatting is difficult, you may want to buy slip-on shoes and use a long-handled shoe horn to help get them on. Sneakers with laces can be converted to slip-on shoes with elastic shoelaces.

5. Brush With an Electric Toothbrush

If you have psoriatic arthritis, pay attention to your oral health. Research has found that psoriatic arthritis is linked to periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory condition that may result in early tooth loss.

Using an electric toothbrush makes prioritizing oral health easier by eliminating the need for manual back-and-forth movement while brushing. The thicker handle of an electric toothbrush also makes it easier to grasp. If you prefer a manual toothbrush, try fitting a tennis ball over the handle or sliding a piece of foam tubing over it to give yourself a better grip.

For flossing, a water flosser, interdental brushes, or disposable flossing picks may be easier to manipulate than conventional dental floss. Talk to your dentist about the best option for your teeth and gums.

6. Eat a Healthy Breakfast

Starting the day with a healthy breakfast of plant-based, fiber-filled foods (and limited added sugars, refined grains, and excess sodium) gives you the energy you need to get through the morning and can set you up for a day of nutritious eating.

Foods that contain omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and phytochemicals can help your body fight inflammation, according to the Arthritis Foundation. Look for breakfast cereals that contain flaxseed or walnuts, which both have high concentrations of omega-3s.

Research has found that people who have psoriatic arthritis often lack vitamin D, so be sure to include foods that are naturally rich in or are fortified with vitamin D in your meals.

RELATED: 7 Easy Breakfasts for Your Anti-Psoriasis Diet

7. Take Your Medication at the Same Time Every Day

When it comes to following your treatment plan, consistency is important. If appropriate, start by taking any daily medications when you wake up each morning.

“It makes things easier, because taking your medication becomes part of your daily routine [rather] than a chore or something you have to remember,” says Dodge.

However, some medications should not be taken on an empty stomach. Ask your doctor if it’s better to take any of your prescribed medications later in the day.

Additional reporting by Nina Wasserman.

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Beth Biggee, MD

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Castle Connolly Top Doctor

Beth Biggee, MD, is medical director and an integrative rheumatologist at Rheumission, a virtual integrative rheumatology practice for people residing in California and Pennsylvania. This first-of-its-kind company offers whole person autoimmune care by a team of integrative rheumatologists, lifestyle medicine practitioners, autoimmune dietitians, psychologists, and care coordinators.

Dr. Biggee also works as a healthcare wellness consultant for Synergy Wellness Center in Hudson, Massachusetts. Teamed with Synergy, she provides in-person lifestyle medicine and holistic consults, and contributes to employee workplace wellness programs. She has over 20 years of experience in rheumatology and holds board certifications in rheumatology and integrative and lifestyle medicine. Dr. Biggee brings a human-centered approach to wellness rather than focusing solely on diseases.

Dr. Biggee graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree from Canisius College, and graduated magna cum laude and as valedictorian from SUNY Health Science Center at Syracuse Medical School. She completed her internship and residency in internal medicine at Yale New Haven Hospital, completed her fellowship in rheumatology at Tufts–New England Medical Center, and completed training in integrative rheumatology at the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Following her training, she attained board certification in rheumatology and internal medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine, attained board certification in integrative medicine through the American Board of Physician Specialties, and attained accreditation as a certified lifestyle medicine physician through the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She is certified in Helms auricular acupuncture and is currently completing coursework for the Aloha Ayurveda integrative medicine course for physicians.

In prior roles, Dr. Biggee taught as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital (an affiliate of Columbia University). She was also clinical associate of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and instructed "introduction to clinical medicine" for medical students at Tufts. She was preceptor for the Lawrence General Hospital Family Medicine Residency.

Dr. Biggee has published in Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, Arthritis in Rheumatism, Current Opinions in Rheumatology, Journal for Musculoskeletal Medicine, Medicine and Health Rhode Island, and Field Guide to Internal Medicine.

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Cathy Garrard

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Cathy Garrard is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing and editing health content. Her work has appeared in print and online for clients such as UnitedHealthcare, SilverSneakers, Bio News, GoodRx, Posit Science, Prevention, Reader's Digest, and dozens of other media outlets and healthcare brands. She also teaches fact-checking and media literacy at the NYU School for Professional Studies.
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Resources
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  4. Gamonal SBL. Is Vitamin D Status Relevant to Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis? A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study. Sao Paulo Medical Journal. September 6, 2022.