Random aches and pains can ring alarm bells in your head; however, it’s extremely rare that these are cause for concern. Before you head for an MSK ultrasound scan, it’s a good idea to rule out the other possibilities. What a lot of people don’t know is that some aches and pains can simply be a result of lifestyle choices, meaning that changing your habits may alleviate some of the pains that you may be having. With this being said, if your pain is unbearable, unusual, or in an area of concern, you should contact the appropriate medical professional to receive a diagnosis.
Stress
It’s not too well-known that stress can have a massive physical impact on your body. This is because when your body is dealing with stress, your immune system isn’t as well-equipped to monitor its response to inflammation. Consequently, your body won’t be as capable of combatting sickness or infections, meaning that you’ll be more vulnerable to infections and inflammation throughout the body, resulting in aches or pains. 60% of the US population is plagued by stress, which presents itself in the form of headaches, migraines, bodily shakes, hyperventilating, cold sweats, hot flashes, heightened blood pressure, and an increased heartrate.
Dehydration
Everyone knows that water is essential to the healthy functioning of the body; despite this, as many as 80% of Americans don’t drink enough water. In the absence of proper hydration, your body will struggle to digest and even breathe. As a result, you might experience physical pain as your body attempts to perform these functions. You may also experience extreme thirst, exhaustion, disorientation, dizziness, and dark urine. Everyone should aim to drink around eight glasses of water per day, plus more than this if you’re particularly active or it’s an especially hot day.
A Lack of Sleep
A lot of people underestimate the power of sleep and will try and get by each day on less than six hours of sleep. Despite this, you should get at least six to eight hours of sleep every night as your cells and tissues require this to remain healthy. If you don’t sleep long enough to allow your body to replenish its essential energies, you could experience pain. Similarly, sleep deprivation may result in memory problems, speech problems, problems with listening or reading, problems staying awake, disorientation, or confusion. However, if you establish a solid sleep schedule, you may find that aches, pains, and the aforementioned issues begin to disappear.
Cold or Flu
Cold and flu are each a viral infection that results in inflammation, which your immune system must try to fight off. Since your body is investing all of its energy into fighting this infection, you may experience aches and pains in your body. The most common symptoms include earaches, headaches, thick, colored mucus, coughing, sneezing, a hoarse voice, and a sore throat. If you do have a cold or the flu, you shouldn’t have symptoms for more than two weeks at the very most. If your symptoms exceed this timeframe, you should visit your doctor as this could indicate something other than a cold.
Anemia
Anemia is a result of limited red blood cells, which leads to your tissues struggling to obtain oxygen. Since certain areas of your body may struggle to get enough oxygen, they might feel fatigued and achy. Similarly, you might have pale skin, cold hands and feet, chest or head pain, disorientation or dizziness, an abnormal heartrate, and feel exhausted a lot of the time. Your doctor can prescribe you supplements to help treat and alleviate symptoms of anemia.
