Whether you’re a frequent gym-goer or an elite athlete, being sore after a tough workout is never fun. After pushing your body to its limits, you may find yourself in pain, unable to climb stairs without wincing or unable to lift your arms above your head. If you’re unable to go about your daily life in ease due to your soreness, it’s time to take action. Take a look at these four pain relief tips that will help you feel brand new.
1. Get some sleep
Sleep is one of the easiest ways to recover. Why? Because when you sleep, your body produces growth hormones that rebuild your muscles and help them heal faster. Sleep can also help you recover from injury if you got hurt exercising or playing a sport. If you’re not getting enough sleep, your body will take longer to repair, which will leave you in pain for longer.
Sleeping while sore can be difficult, though. If tossing and turning results in excruciating pain, try investing in a memory foam mattress. A memory foam mattress is able to adjust to the contours of your body to relieve pain from pressure points like your shoulders, hips, and back. Or, if you don’t want to invest in a new mattress, you can place a memory foam mattress pad over your current mattress.
Before bed, you can also place a heating pad over any tender areas, or try a cooling ice wrap to reduce inflammation, so you wake up feeling like a new person.
2. Try CBD
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a popular pain relief application that more and more people are using to recover faster. Even elite athletes, such as Mike Tyson and Megan Rapinoe, are using CBD to relieve pain. CBD is a popular natural pain reliever because it contains anti-inflammatory agents that reduce swelling and soreness. Additionally, studies have found that CBD can help you fall asleep faster and deeper, which, as we know, is also crucial for recovery.
CBD oil can come in all shapes and sizes and can boost your post-workout recovery. If you’re looking for a topical cream, CBDfx muscle and joint CBD cream is a popular choice. You can also ingest CBD using tinctures and even CBD-infused water.
3. Use recovery tools
After a hard workout, make sure you take preventative measures to reduce soreness and pain post-workout. There are hundreds of recovery tools on the market that can help you stretch, roll out, and recover the pain. Some popular choices include:
- Foam Rollers: These recovery tools are very popular, and you can find them at most gyms or even buy some for your home. From rigid foam rollers that target deep tissues to softer ones that won’t induce as much pain, there are plenty you can choose from.
- Deep tissue massagers: Targeting soreness deep within can be challenging. Deep tissue massagers can take care of that problem by applying pressure to your muscles to circulate blood and lactic acid.
- Recovery pants: If you’re really serious about recovery, invest in a pair of recovery pants. Now, these aren’t pants you’d wear out on the town. Instead, recovery pants apply pressure and cooling to your legs through massage-like pulses.
- Compression socks and sleeves: Unlike recovery pants, you can wear compression socks and sleevesaround town. Compression socks and sleeves compress your muscles and increase circulation to remove built-up lactic acid and blood that causes soreness post-workout.
4. Take an ice bath
Ice baths are another easy resolution to a speedy recovery. Athletes of all kinds rely on ice baths to help their muscles feel better after a tough game or workout regimen. When you submerge yourself in an ice bath, your blood vessels constrict. Once they open back up, metabolic waste is able to flush away and change the circulation of blood and other fluids. This helps reduce inflammation and helps you recover faster.
If you don’t have a bathtub, you can also use ice massage cups that you can place in your freezer and rub on tender muscles when needed. Or, you can get creative by jumping in a cool river nearby or filling a large bucket with cold water and packs of ice.
Key takeaways
Dealing with pain after exercising can make you resent working out and getting stronger. Luckily, there are numerous ways you can take care of your body to relieve pain and recover faster. From taking ice baths to trying natural supplements like CBD, these tips will be your new best friend.
