Why Muscle Pain Due To Cold Weather?

Winter is the most lovable season. The food, clothes, fashion, bonfire, coffee with friends, and calm air mesmerize our senses and make us feel better.

Despite all the natural perks we get, some other cons like pain   affect our physical body. Just like our lips and skin gets dry. One main thing that happens is muscle pain due to cold weather. Especially people who work in a sitting or standing position or aged people get affected a lot. Let's see some solutions to enjoy this weather.

What Are the Causes Of Muscle Pain?

Muscle pain can occur for many reasons, but the most common reason is heavy work of muscles or groups of muscles or due to some viral infection. You can also suffer muscle pain under stress, tension, or minor injuries. Another reason found for aching in muscles is the cold weather. Many people start having muscle and joint pain when the temperature outside drops.

Why Muscle Pain Due To Cold Weather?

You can suffer muscle and joint aches in cold weather for the following reasons.

1- In cold weather, most people stay indoors and inactive. Due to this habit, the muscles and joints of the body become non-versatile and less energetic. Weakening of muscles and non-elasticity may lead to muscle damage and throbbing.

2- The humidity level gets higher, air pressure gets lower, and winds get higher in such weather, which can cause muscle stretches and headaches (such as migraines). Moreover, weather changes worsen cold symptoms, tiredness, muscle weakness, and headaches.

3- As the weather gets colder, joints become stiffer due to thicker fluid (the fluid in joints gets more viscous in cold temperatures). This stiffness causes joint pain and muscle tension.

4- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs on colder and darker days. People suffering from such disorders can have muscle issues because mood swings significantly affect pain.

5- Weak and oversensitive nerves can also cause muscle aches due to cold temperatures. In winter, the weather negatively interferes with blood circulation in nerves, so any previous nerve injury becomes more painful and noticeable.

Connection Of Weather And Muscle Pain

Some surveys show that there is a connection between weather and muscle pain. In 1995, one of the survey reports claimed about 550+ people had muscle aches due to weather changes. The reason for the pain, as described by the report, was "variations in barometric pressure." According to this survey, the decrease in barometric pressure on colder days increases the pain in patients already suffering from chronic pain or arthritis.

However, when the air pressure drops, the air molecules and gasses expand, which further causes gasses and fluids in the body's joints to grow harmoniously. This creates pressure on the nerves and leads them to pain. Moreover, during arthritis and muscle spasms, tissues of different muscles expand and contract in various ways, resulting in stiffness and acute pain.
In another survey in 2006, about 2000+ people reported pain in the dark days of winter.

Upon searching for the reason, the researchers found that when the temperature and hours of sunshine are higher, the number of patients with acute pain is lesser when the sun and temperature are lower, defining cold weather as the reason for pain.

How To Avoid Muscle Pain During Cold Weather?

To avoid muscle pain in cold weather, you should follow the steps below to enjoy the weather without having health issues.

Stay Active and Do Exercise
During winter, you are at home or the office most of the time, especially doing desk work, which means you are less active. To reduce pain due to inactivity, you should start moving around. Do proper exercise for at least 30 minutes.

It will help if you do activities such as yoga, cardio, strength-gaining training, sit-ups, squatting, push-ups, and tai chi that promote oxygen and blood circulation through your muscles. In this way, your muscles start functioning, and their flexibility improves, lowering pain.

Increase in Temperature
On colder days, the muscles work harder to complete the same task you can do effortlessly on warmer days. Because the muscles lose heat in winter and become stiffer, you should increase the temperature inside your home. 

By doing this, you can avoid muscular discomfort and improve your physical activity. You can increase the temperature by turning on the heater, taking warm baths, or putting on layers of clothes.

Stay Hydrated
The central part of our body comprises 73% of water. But in winter, when water consumption is less, the body's muscles and joints suffer more. Dehydration affects the body's organs, such as the skin, kidneys, and bones. 

That's why keeping yourself hydrated even on colder days is an excellent way to avoid muscle pain while ensuring your body's functionality. Water helps keep your system's balance, moisturizes your joints, and maintains your system's flow. It further helps in removing impurities so that your metabolism works perfectly. By staying hydrated, you will have less muscle pain.

Heat Therapy
No wonder you can even release your muscle pain through heat therapy. Applying heat and heat therapy is the most effective way to reduce the effects of pain. So if you're suffering from muscle pain, use a heating pad or warm cloth on the area where you feel pain.

It will help ease your pain as it dilates the blood circulatory system, which improves blood circulation through muscles.

Maintain Good Health
Maintain your health by adding nutritious food to your diet and getting enough sleep. This pattern will help strengthen your muscles and reduce muscle pain.

Medication
Medicine like muscle relaxers and pain relievers can be used only when prescribed to you on a health examination basis. You can buy soma online through a proper prescription or try out other OTC medicine for decreasing muscle pain.

Conclusion

Apart from muscle pain, if you experience pain in your chest, fever, loss of bladder control, and numbness in your limbs, seek medical help immediately because these symptoms are severe and different from usual muscle pain. You can also take painkillers to eliminate the pain, but before taking any pill, ask your doctor first.