8 strategies to help you get back to restful sleep
Update your sleep software. Sometimes you can achieve a great night’s sleep with a
simple pillow adjustment. The right pillow correctly aligns the part of your spine that’s in
your neck so that muscle tightness doesn’t occur when you sleep. Or you may need a new
mattress. Consider a mattress an investment in your health. “We recommend a firm (but
not TOO firm) mattress for the best-quality sleep,” Dr. Girgis says.
Switch up your diet. Avoid foods that promote inflammation. The Mediterranean diet,
which features a lot of veggies, fruits, whole grains and seafood, may increase the
antioxidants that help reduce inflammation.
Exercise (but don’t overdo it). Movement lubricates joints, which keeps pain and
stiffness at bay. Be careful though: Exercising near bedtime or overtraining can lead to
insomnia. “Shoot for 30 minutes a day, five days a week,” Dr. Girgis says.
Take a vitamin D supplement. Your bones and muscles need vitamin D for optimal
health. Most people don’t get enough vitamin D through their diet, so talk to your doctor
about choosing a supplement or foods with added vitamin D.
Try a new sleeping position. Sleeping on your stomach could be contributing to your
morning pain. Instead, sleep on your back with a pillow under your knees to keep your
spine in a neutral position. Alternatively, you can sleep on your side with a pillow
between your knees.
Keep your muscles supple. Inflammation can occur when muscle mass breaks down.
Find ways to maintain your muscles — gym membership not required.
“Yoga is a great way to maintain muscle mass because you’re using your body weight to
keep muscles healthy,” says Dr. Girgis. “Other options may include lifting a heavy
cookbook as a weight or performing squats at your desk.”
Relieve stress. Exercise, yoga and massage relieve inflammation by increasing blood
flow to your muscles. You can also incorporate mindfulness meditation, which has been
clinically shown to change the way your brain processes pain. Over time, pain intensity
decreases with meditation. To meditate, concentrate just on breathing. If your attention
wanders, return your focus to your breathing or the sounds around you. Start with a
minute and build up to more time.
Stub out cigarettes for good. There are so many reasons to quit smoking, but you
can add pain relief to the list. “Smoking prevents oxygenated blood from reaching bones
and tissues,” says Dr. Girgis. “It also limits the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide in
your blood, making the blood quality lower. The result is weakened muscles.”
“Iron levels naturally drop after a menstrual cycle, and even a small decrease can cause body aches, fatigue, irritability,
and brain fog,” says Mandal. Check your iron levels with your doctor, and boost them either with iron-rich foods —like
red meat, shellfish, and legumes — or a daily iron supplement.
Is this cause for concern?
Body aches are a common symptom of many conditions. The flu is one of the most well-known conditions that can cause
body aches. Aches can also be caused by your everyday life, especially if you stand, walk, or exercise for long periods of
time.
You may just need rest and some treatment at home to relieve your body aches. But some aches, especially ones that
last a long time, may mean that you have an underlying condition. In these cases, you may need to see your doctor for a
diagnosis. They can create a long-term treatment plan to can relieve your aches and other associated symptoms.
Keep reading to learn more about what may be causing your symptoms.
1. Stress
When you’re stressed out, your immune system can’t control its response to inflammation as well. As
a result, your body can’t fight off infections or sickness as well as it usually can. This can cause your
body to ache as it becomes more susceptible to inflammation and infection throughout your body.
Watch out for other symptoms of stress and anxiety, such as:

abnormally high heart rate

increased blood pressure

hot flashes or cold sweats

hyperventilating

abnormal physical shaking

headaches, such as tension headaches or migraines
If you think stress is causing your body aches, make small changes to your daily lifestyle to reduce
your stress as much as possible. Try these steps:

Meditate for a few minutes per day. Focus on your breathing and take your mind off the people
or events causing you stress.

Take a walk or leave a stressful environment to remove yourself from triggers.

Share your feelings of stress with someone you trust to help articulate the cause of your
stress.

If you’re losing sleep over stress, try relaxation techniques before bed or take short naps
throughout the day to refresh yourself.
2. Dehydration
Water is an essential ingredient for your body’s normal and healthy functioning. Without it, your body
can’t properly perform many of its important processes, including breathing and digestion. When you
become dehydrated and these processes don’t work well, you can feel physical pain as a result.
Other symptoms of dehydration include:

dark urine

dizziness or disorientation

exhaustion

extreme thirst
If you don’t drink enough water, especially on a hot or dry day, you can become dehydrated quickly.
You should aim to drink about eight 8-ounce glasses of water every day, plus more if you’re
physically active and sweating.
If you’re dehydrated because of a condition like diarrhea, drink plenty of water until the episode
passes. Drinking water or beverages with extra electrolytes can help keep you hydrated and replace
the electrolytes lost to diarrhea, too.
If you can’t keep water down, see your doctor right away or seek emergency medical help to make
sure you don’t become severely dehydrated.
3. Lack of sleep
Not getting enough sleep can impact your overall health. You need at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep
every night, including the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Your body’s tissues and cells need
proper sleep to stay healthy, and your brain needs it to stay refreshed and alert. Without it, your body
doesn’t have the time to rest and replenish essential energies and processes. This can lead to pain.
Other symptoms of sleep deprivation include:

confusion or disorientation

falling asleep during the day without realizing it

trouble understanding when reading or listening to others

trouble speaking properly

trouble remembering things
Try to establish a consistent sleep schedule every night. Your body needs to follow a daily rhythm, or
circadian rhythm, to stay healthy.
Try techniques to relax before bed, such as:

drinking hot tea or other hot beverage

meditating

listening to music or a podcast

having white noise in the room, such as from a fan
4. Cold or flu
A cold and the flu are both viral infections that cause inflammation. These infections attack your body,
and your immune system attempts to fight them off. Inflammation, especially in your throat, chest, and
lungs, can be painful. The rest of your body might ache, too, as your body works hard to fight the
infection.
Other common symptoms of a cold or flu include:

sore throat

hoarse voice

sneezing or coughing

thick, colored mucus

headaches or earaches
Getting rest, drinking plenty of water, and gargling with warm salt water to ease your throat pain can
help your body get over a cold or the flu quickly. Over-the-counter medications, such as
pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) and ibuprofen (Advil), can help relieve your symptoms and aches.
If you have cold or flu symptoms for more than a few weeks, or if you can’t eat, drink, or breathe
properly, see your doctor. They can help treat your infection.
5. Anemia
Anemia happens when your body doesn’t have enough properly functioning red blood cells, so your
body tissues can’t get enough oxygen. With anemia, many parts of your body can feel fatigued
because they don’t get enough oxygen to remain healthy or to function properly.
Other symptoms of anemia include:

exhaustion

abnormal heart rate

dizziness or disorientation

head or chest pain

cold feet or hands

pale skin
Anemia has many causes. If you don’t have enough iron, folate, or vitamin B-12 in your system,
taking a supplement for the deficiency may treat your anemia.
If supplements don’t help, see your doctor for an examination and possible diagnosis so that you can
treat the underlying condition.
6. Vitamin D deficiency
Hypocalcemia, or a low blood calcium level, can happen when you don’t have enough vitamin D in
your body. Many of your body’s important organs, such as your kidneys and muscles, rely on calcium
to work properly. Your bones also need calcium to stay healthy. Without enough vitamin D to help you
absorb calcium, you can feel aching in these organs and in your bones.
Other symptoms include:

body cramps

muscle twitching or spasms

dizziness or confusion

numbness

seizures
7. Mononucleosis
Mononucleosis is best known as mono, also called “the kissing disease.” It’s an infection caused by
the Epstein-Barr virus. It’s very contagious, and one of the most common symptoms is body aches.
Aches and fatigue may be caused in a generalized fashion or from inflammation and swelling
blocking your airway.
Other symptoms include:

extreme exhaustion

swollen tonsils or lymph nodes

rash

sore throat

fever
8. Pneumonia
Pneumonia is a lung infection that can affect your whole respiratory system, which is responsible for
your breathing, sweating, and other important functions. If you can’t breathe well, your body can’t get
enough oxygen to keep your red blood cells and tissues healthy. This can cause aches and pain all
over your body.
Other symptoms include:

coughing

pain in your chest

exhaustion

nausea

vomiting

diarrhea

shortness of breath

hot flashes and cold sweats

fever
9. Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is a condition where your entire body, including your muscles and bones, can feel
exhausted, achy, and sensitive. The cause of fibromyalgia is uncertain, but stressful events such as
physical trauma, surgery, and infections may trigger it.
Other symptoms include:

trouble sleeping

sensitivity to light or sound

stiffness, especially in the morning

trouble remembering or thinking

tingling sensations in your hands and feet
10. Chronic fatigue syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a condition that causes you to feel exhausted and weak, no matter
how much rest or sleep you get. It often causes insomnia. Because your body doesn’t feel rested or
replenished, CFS can also cause aches in the muscles and joints throughout your body.
Other symptoms include:

trouble sleeping

sore throat

headaches

trouble remembering or thinking

dizziness or confusion
11. Arthritis
Arthritis happens when your joints become inflamed. This can be caused by:

the cartilage around your joints breaking down, as in osteoarthritis

infection in a joint

autoimmune conditions that wear away the lining around your joints, such as rheumatoid
arthritis or SLE
These can all cause aches in your joints and limit your movement.
Other symptoms of arthritis include:

stiffness in your joints

swelling, warmth, or redness around the joint

not being able to move a joint all the way
12. Lupus
Lupus happens when your immune system attacks the tissues around your body, including blood
vessels, organs, and joints. Because of the damage and inflammation caused by this autoimmune
condition, pain and aches in the body are common.
Other symptoms include:

exhaustion

rash

fever

swelling or redness around joints

seizures

sensitivity to sunlight
13. Lyme disease
Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi spreading to your body through a tick
bite. Aches are a common symptom, especially in your muscles and joints. If Lyme disease goes
untreated, it can cause neuromuscular and joint conditions, such as arthritis and facial paralysis.
Other symptoms include:

exhaustion

hot flashes and cold sweats

fever

headaches
14. Histoplasmosis
Histoplasmosis is a fungal infection caused by airborne spores from the soil or the droppings of bats
or birds. These are common around construction projects, farmlands, or caves, where large amounts
of spores are released into the air.
Body aches are a common symptom of histoplasmosis. Other symptoms include:

chills

fever

chest pain

headaches

coughing
15. Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is thought to be an autoimmune condition. It’s a central nervous system
condition in which the tissue around your nerve cells, called myelin, breaks down because of constant
inflammation. The damage interrupts your nervous system’s ability to transmit sensations properly. As
a result, you can feel aches, pain, tingling, or other abnormal sensations.
Other symptoms include:

weakness

exhaustion

blurry vision

temporary or permanent blindness, typically in only one eye

trouble walking or staying balanced

trouble remembering or thinking