7 Drug-Free Ways to Ease Chronic Pain - Article Health

Natural ways to manage pain
Dealing with pain is never easy. But when the pain comes from a condition that's temporary—the after-effects of surgery, for example, or a minor bump on the head—at least you know the pain will go away in a short period of time.

Touching your partner
Touch bonds us to the people we love, and it also eases pain. Here's proof: When women in pain held the hand of their husband or boyfriend, their heart and respiratory rates synced with the heartbeat and breathing rhythms of their partner—and their discomfort dissipated, according to a recent study published in Scientific Reports.

Breastfeeding
Women often worry that breastfeeding will be painful—and to be fair, it can involve tender nipples, the occasional biting incident, and also an ouch-inducing condition called mastitis. Yet according to research presented at this year’s Euroanaesthesia Congress in Geneva, nursing can actually decrease pain related to a caesarean delivery.

Getting a good night’s sleep
Animal research has shown that chronic sleep deprivation can make pain feel even worse, and studies in humans have also shown that going without sleep can lower your threshold for pain. “How you sleep can determine how you perceive and interpret pain,” says Craig. “It’s all intertwined, which makes it a complicated issue to treat.”

Experiencing virtual reality
Watching calming videos through virtual-reality goggles helped relieve pain in hospitalized patients, reported a recent study in JMIR Mental Health.

"Tuning into" your pain
A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness meditation—which involves paying attention to what you're feeling in the present moment—can help relieve pain, whether it’s acute

Focusing on your breath
As part of his mindfulness training for chronic-pain patients, Garland also teaches people to focus their attention mindfully on their breathing. “This technique can be really useful when people find their mind is becoming fixated on pain and it’s becoming overwhelming,” he says.


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