Staying active, managing your weight, and making changes to your diet are a few natural ways to ease arthritis pain. Some alternative therapies may also help improve flexibility or relieve stiffness.

Female stretching with one leg on a bench.

Arthritis refers to a range of conditions that involve pain and inflammation in the joints.

Some types of arthritis are degenerative, which means symptoms typically worsen over time.

For example, osteoarthritis results from the wear and tear of cartilage that causes bones to rub together. This leads to friction, damage, and inflammation.

Other types of arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are autoimmune conditions. These happen when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy joint tissue, causing inflammatory flares.

Doctors can prescribe medication to relieve the pain of arthritis, but they often recommend natural approaches, too.

Keep reading to learn more about 9 ways to help you manage your arthritis pain at home.

1. Manage your weight

Your weight can have a big impact on arthritis symptoms. Extra weight may put more pressure on your joints, especially your knees, hips, and feet.

Guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology and Arthritis Foundation (ACR/AF) recommend losing weight if you have osteoarthritis and overweight or obesity.

Losing 5% of your current body weight if you have obesity is enough to have clinical benefits. However, the more weight you lose, the more benefits you may gain, such as:

improving your mobility
decreasing pain
preventing future damage to your joints

A doctor can help you set a target weight and design a program to help you reach that target.

2. Get enough exercise

If you have arthritis, exercise may help you:

manage your weight
keep your joints flexible
strengthen muscles around your joints to offer more support

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting 150 minutesTrusted Source of physical activity per week. Some good exercise optionsTrusted Source include low-impact exercises, such as:

Speak with a healthcare professional or trainer if you’re not sure where to start. They can help develop an exercise plan that’s right for you.

3. Use hot and cold therapy

Heat and cold treatments may help relieve arthritis pain and inflammation.

Heat treatments may include taking a long, warm shower or bath in the morning to help ease stiffness. You can use an electric blanket or moist heating pad to reduce discomfort overnight.
Cold treatments may help relieve joint pain, swelling, and inflammation. Wrap a gel ice pack or a bag of frozen vegetables in a towel and apply it to painful joints for quick relief. Never apply ice directly to the skin.
Capsaicin, which comes from chili peppers, is a component of some topical ointments and creams that you can buy over the counter. These products provide warmth that can soothe joint pain.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical treatment that involves inserting thin needles into specific points on your body. Some researchTrusted Source suggests that it may help alleviate arthritis pain and improve quality of life and physical function.

The risk of harm with acupuncture is considerably low. However, more research is needed to fully support its benefits for arthritis treatment.

Be sure to find a licensed and certified acupuncturist to carry out this treatment.

5. Use meditation to cope with pain

People with RA are two timesTrusted Source more likely than people without RA to have depression. While RA may impact your mental health, stress, anxiety, and depression may also increase inflammation in your body and worsen arthritis.

Some relaxation techniques may help reduce the pain of arthritis by lowering stress. According to the Arthritis Foundation, these may include:

6. Follow a healthy diet

An anti-inflammatory diet that’s rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole foods can help boost your immune system and your overall health.

Research suggests that dietary choices may affect people living with arthritis. For example, vegan and Mediterranean diets have been associated withTrusted Source decreased disease activity. Omega-3 fatty acids may help decrease joint stiffness and pain.

Below is a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid if you’re living with arthritis.

Foods to eat	Foods to avoid
• fatty fish • olive oil • berries • garlic • ginger • broccoli • walnuts • spinach • grapes	• added sugars • processed meats • gluten • highly-processed foods • foods high in salt • some vegetable oils • foods high in AGEs

It’s important to speak with a healthcare professional before eliminating foods from your diet, as this may lead to nutritional deficiencies.

7. Add turmeric to dishes

Turmeric, the yellow spice common in Indian dishes, contains a chemical called curcumin. This may have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that could help reduce arthritis pain and inflammation.

More research is needed to show how turmeric works. However, adding a small amount of this mild but tasty spice to your dinner is likely to be a safe option.

8. Get a massage

Massage can provide an overall sense of well-being and help manageTrusted Source joint pain, stiffness, and discomfort.

A 2021 studyTrusted Source also found that a Swedish massage could help reduce the amount of pain relievers people take to manage their symptoms of arthritis.

That said, the ACR/AFTrusted Source doesn’t currently recommend massage as a treatment because there’s not enough evidence to confirm that it works. They add, however, that massage is unlikely to pose a risk and may provide indirect benefits, such as reducing stress.

Ask a doctor to recommend a massage therapist who has experience treating people with arthritis. Alternatively, you could ask a physical therapist to teach you self-massage.

9. Consider herbal supplements

Some herbal supplements may help reduce joint pain. However, scientific research hasn’t confirmed that any specific herb or supplement can treat arthritis.

Some of these herbs include:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t monitor herbs and supplements for quality, purity, or safety. Therefore, you cannot be sure exactly what a product contains. Be sure to buy from a reputable source.

Always talk to a doctor before trying a new supplement, as some can cause side effects and dangerous drug interactions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most effective pain reliever for arthritis?

Some over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers for arthritis may include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), acetaminophen (Tylenol), and capsaicin topical creams. Prescription medications like immunotherapy and corticosteroids could provide pain relief by decreasing inflammation.

How do you stop arthritis from getting worse?

The best way to help prevent arthritis from getting worse is to follow your treatment plan. This may include taking medications, doing daily exercises and stretches, practicing meditation, and eating a well-balanced diet.

How do you stop an arthritis flare-up?

Some ways to help manage arthritis flare-ups may include resting your joints, using heat and ice treatments, and using OTC pain relievers and NSAIDs.

Takeaway

Arthritis refers to a group of conditions that may cause stiffness, inflammation, and pain in your joints.

A treatment plan may help provide pain relief, slow disease progression, and improve your quality of life.

Speak with a healthcare professional if arthritis is impacting your daily functions. They could help develop a management plan that’s right for you.

Last medically reviewed on January 24, 2024

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Medically reviewed by Stella Bard, MD — Written by Mary Ellen Ellis — Updated on January 24, 2024

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Does Magnesium Help You Sleep Better?

Magnesium may improve your sleep by helping to calm you, and relieve anxiety and depression. You can eat more whole foods to see how magnesium affects your sleep. Research shows these supplements may help older adults.

Many people have trouble sleeping, and breaking the cycle of insomnia can be hard.

You can try changing your sleep routine and curbing your caffeine intake, but sometimes these lifestyle interventions fall short.

Supplements are another popular option. One supplement that’s gained some attention as a potential sleep aid is magnesium.

This mineral has wide-ranging effects in the body and may influence some of the processes that promote sleep.

Read on to learn the connection between magnesium and a good night’s sleep.

What Is Magnesium?

Magnesium is one of the most common minerals on earth and is present in many foods (1Trusted Source, 2Trusted Source, 3Trusted Source).

It’s essential for human health and is used in over 600 cellular reactions throughout your body (3Trusted Source).

In fact, every cell and organ need this mineral to function properly. It contributes to bone health, as well as proper brain, heart and muscle function (3Trusted Source).

Magnesium supplements have been linked to a number of benefits, including fighting inflammation, relieving constipation and lowering blood pressure (4Trusted Source, 5Trusted Source).

In addition, magnesium may help treat sleep problems.

Many types of magnesium supplements are available. These include magnesium citrate, magnesium oxide and magnesium chloride.

Summary:

Magnesium is an important mineral that is necessary for overall health. Benefits of these supplements range from fighting inflammation and lowering blood pressure to possibly improving sleep.

It Can Help Your Body and Brain Relax

In order to fall asleep and stay asleep, your body and brain need to relax.

On a chemical level, magnesium aids this process by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, the system responsible for getting you calm and relaxed (6Trusted Source).

First, magnesium regulates neurotransmitters, which send signals throughout the nervous system and brain.

It also regulates the hormone melatonin, which guides sleep-wake cycles in your body (7Trusted Source).

Second, this mineral binds to gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors. GABA is the neurotransmitter responsible for quieting down nerve activity. It is the same neurotransmitter used by sleep drugs like Ambien (8Trusted Source, 9Trusted Source).

By helping to quiet the nervous system, magnesium may help prepare your body and mind for sleep.

Summary:

Magnesium helps activate neurotransmitters that are responsible for calming the body and the mind.

Not Having Enough of It Interferes With Sleep

Not having enough magnesium in your system can cause troubled sleep and even insomnia (10Trusted Source).

Studies in mice have shown that optimal levels of this mineral are needed for normal sleep and that both high and low levels can cause sleep problems (11Trusted Source).

Certain groups of people have a higher risk of magnesium deficiency, including (2Trusted Source):

People with digestive diseases: Issues with your digestive tract can cause your body to not absorb vitamins and minerals properly, resulting in deficiencies.
People with diabetes: Insulin resistance and diabetes are linked with excess magnesium loss.
People with alcohol dependence: Deficiency in this mineral is common among those who drink heavily.
Older adults: Many older adults have less magnesium in their diets than younger adults and may also be less efficient at absorbing it.

If you’re not getting enough magnesium, then you may experience sleep problems.

Summary:

Insufficient magnesium intake is linked to sleep problems. Some populations are particularly at risk of deficiency.

It Helps Regulate Sleep Quality

Not only can magnesium help you get to sleep, but it plays a part in helping you achieve deep and restful sleep as well.

In one study, older adults were given 500 mg of magnesium or a placebo. Overall, the magnesium group had better quality of sleep.

This group also exhibited higher levels of renin and melatonin, two hormones that help regulate sleep (12Trusted Source).

These results were bolstered by another study that gave elderly adults with insomnia a supplement containing 225 mg magnesium, 5 mg melatonin and 11.25 mg zinc.

The participants of this second study also had better sleep compared to the placebo group, although it’s hard to attribute the effect to magnesium since the supplement additionally contained zinc and melatonin (13Trusted Source).

Yet another study found that creating a magnesium deficiency in mice resulted in sleep patterns that were light and restless (14Trusted Source).

This is partially due to this mineral’s influence on the nervous system. It blocks more excitable molecules from binding to neurons, resulting in a calmer nervous system.

However, since the current research has only studied magnesium supplements among older adults with insomnia, it’s not clear whether younger adults would benefit as well.

Summary:

Magnesium acts upon the nervous system and contributes to deep, restful sleep. Several studies have confirmed this effect in older adults.

It May Help Alleviate Anxiety and Depression

Anxiety and depression can both have a negative impact on sleep. Interestingly, magnesium has been shown to help alleviate both of these mood disorders.

This is especially true when there’s a magnesium deficiency, since anxiety, depression and mental confusion are often seen during deficiency (15Trusted Source).

But emerging research also indicates that this mineral could enhance conventional antidepressant treatment and possibly treat anxiety (15Trusted Source, 16Trusted Source).

While how this works isn’t fully understood, it seems to be related to magnesium’s ability to stimulate the calming devices of the nervous system (3Trusted Source).

If your insomnia is related to an underlying mood disorder, then magnesium just might help.

Summary:

Magnesium may help treat anxiety and depression, two mood disorders that can cause sleep problems.

How to Take Magnesium to Help With Sleep

The Institute of Medicine suggests a daily dietary intake of 310–360 mg of magnesium for adult women and 400–420 mg for adult men (1Trusted Source).

You can get magnesium through drinking water and eating foods such as green vegetables, nuts, cereals, meat, fish and fruit (1Trusted Source).

Very few studies have directly tested the effect of magnesium supplements on insomnia, making it hard to recommend specific amounts.

However, the aforementioned clinical trials used amounts in the range of 225–500 mg. The upper limit considered safe from supplements is actually 350 mg per day, so avoid trying this higher dose without medical supervision (2Trusted Source).

Since it’s clear that magnesium deficiency can impair sleep, a good first step is to make sure you’re getting adequate amounts from whole foods.

Summary:

There are no specific recommendations about how much magnesium to take to improve sleep. However, getting adequate amounts through diet could help.

What to Consider When Taking Supplements

If you’re having trouble sleeping, consider lifestyle interventions first, such as cutting back on caffeine, establishing a regular bedtime and avoiding screens before bed.

But if you’d like to try magnesium, there are a few things you should know.

First, the upper limit for supplemental magnesium is 350 mg per day (2Trusted Source).

Additionally, keep in mind that taking it in supplement form may cause side effects, including nausea, cramps or diarrhea (2Trusted Source).

Finally, magnesium supplements can interfere with certain medications, including antibiotics, muscle relaxants and blood pressure medications.

If you have a medical condition or take any medication, consult with a doctor before trying this supplement.

Summary:

The safe upper level for magnesium supplements is 350 mg per day. It may cause side effects and interact with some medications.

The Bottom Line

Magnesium may improve your sleep. It plays an important role in your nervous system, helping to activate mechanisms that quiet and calm you.

It may also help relieve anxiety and depression, which can interfere with sleep.

Currently, the only research showing that these supplements improve sleep has been done in older adults, so it’s not clear how they affect other populations.

If you’d like to try magnesium for sleep, start off by increasing your intake from whole foods.

Tips For Living Better

Natural Relief from Arthritis Pain