Persistent stress of any kind tends to place your pain alarm system on high alert. Work deliberately on decreasing your stressors when possible, or on anti-stress strategies like mindfulness meditation and exercise.
Sleep
Insufficient or disturbed sleep means your brain produces less endogenous opioids. Follow this link to see some strategies to improve your sleep.
Exercise & Physical Activity
Getting out and doing physical activity is one of the most powerful tools in our pain management kit. It is good for our overall physical and mental health, and is great to get the endogenous opioids pumping! A session with our physiotherapist or doctor can help ensure we are doing the most appropriate form of exercise for our situation.
Smoking
The chemicals in cigarette smoke significantly decrease the amount of endogenous opioids that are released in your brain.
Mental Health
People with anxiety or depression have been shown to have a higher risk of chronic pain. Getting appropriate medical attention and support for our mental health can be a significant part of managing our pain better.
Attitudes Towards Pain
Pain memories, fear of pain, feelings of helplessness in the face of our pain… unhelpful beliefs or attitudes about our pain can make it much more difficult to manage.
Behaviours
Avoiding activities ‘just in case’ they are painful, or being fearful of movement. These sorts of behaviours tend to decrease our overall activity level, decrease the output of endogenous opioids, and make it harder for us to manage our pain.
Compensation
Many studies have shown that people involved in Workers Compensation or motor vehicle accident claims tend to experience more pain than those who have similar injuries without compensation. This may be because of the stress caused by being in a complex, confusing and disempowering system.
Diagnoses
Fixating on getting a ‘named’ diagnosis of our problem can result in having unnecessary, expensive tests, and receiving conflicting opinions and diagnoses. Many pain problems do not fit a neat diagnosis and there comes a time when we are better off putting our attention on managing the pain rather than searching for the cause or name.
Emotions
As mentioned, depression, anxiety, stress and fear all tend to increase the sensitivity of our pain alarm system. We can take care of our emotional health by deliberately choosing to do things that make us happy or give us joy, and by spending time with people who help us feel energised and empowered.
Family
An unsupportive family environment can certainly add to our stress levels, and therefore to our pain. But an overly supportive family can have the same effect, by doing too much for us, or by stifling our independence and empowerment to look after ourselves.
Work
If we enjoy our work, and have a supportive work environment, the risk of chronic pain decreases. Prolonged inability to work results in financial stress, which can further sensitise the pain alarm system.