8 Simple Tips to Lower Inflammation

Inflammation is one of the most common causes of pain and limited mobility. Keep reading for 8 everyday tips to help you reduce your inflammation and pain levels and live your best life. You can also check out this post to learn more about what inflammation is and what causes inflammation. 

#1 Eat Anti-Inflammatory Foods and Hydrate

When it comes to inflammation, you are what you eat (and drink). Your body processes inflammation more efficiently when you’re filling up with a healthy balance of proteins, carbs, and fats, and drinking lots of water every day. [1] To get chronic inflammation under control, try to eat mostly whole foods, and prioritize antioxidant consumption. Antioxidants are important because they help reduce free radicals, which are molecules created through normal metabolism that can build up and lead to inflammation. 

#2 Cut Out the Inflammatory Junk Foods

If it comes in a box and has a laundry list of ingredients, then it’s probably a food to avoid. Highly processed foods are loaded with artificial flavors and ingredients that can make it harder for your body to process. [1] To help keep inflammation in check, try cutting back on these food items:

• Refined carbs like white bread and pasta, chips, crackers, etc.
• Processed meats like hot dogs and bologna
• Alcoholic drinks
• Sugary drinks like sodas and fruit juices 
• Sugary snacks like ice cream
• Trans fats with hydrogenated ingredients

#3 Use a Food Sensitivity Test to Pinpoint Trouble Items in Your Diet

The types of food listed above are generally good to avoid, but everyone’s body and dietary tolerance are different. To get serious about eating well and reducing inflammation, it helps to find out which foods you’re most sensitive to. Taking a simple food sensitivity test is a great place to start learning about which foods your body prefers, and which foods are most inflammatory. You can find at-home food sensitivity tests online for under $200.

If you’re interested in learning more about the gut microbiome, and how certain foods interact with your body, check out this interview Joovv did with Dr. Steven Gundry. 

#4 Insist on Restful Sleep

Getting quality sleep every night is crucial for your body’s ability to process inflammation. If you’re sleeping irregularly or not getting enough sleep, you’re at a higher risk for developing inflammation problems. This scientific article explains how short term sleep deprivation can lead to acute inflammation problems, while chronic sleep issues can likewise cause chronic inflammation issues. Even a single night of poor sleep can raise inflammation levels in the body. [2]

It’s pretty clear that sleep quality and inflammation are closely related. Of course, getting 8 hours of restful sleep every night is easier said than done. One good way to improve sleep is to limit exposure to bright, artificial blue light before you go to bed. Check out Joovv’s sleep tips for more helpful ways to improve your slumber. 

#5 Exercise Regularly….

It’s much harder to manage inflammation problems when you live a sedentary lifestyle. Even if you eat and sleep well, it might be difficult to overcome inflammation issues if you spend most of your time sitting indoors. So stand up and get out there! Move your body every day, even if it’s just a walk or some stretching. Exercise gets your heart moving and your blood flowing, which helps clear out unwanted inflammation in the process. 

#6 ....But Always Prioritize Recovery

Proper rest is just as important as the exercise itself. Exercise can help clear inflammation, but it can also cause inflammation problems if you push yourself too hard and don’t focus on the recovery aspect of training. An acute inflammation spike is to be expected after a strenuous exercise like a run. But if you don’t give your body time and space to recovery, you can make it much harder to process normal inflammation. 

"The recovery becomes more important than the training itself"

 

Joovv talked to NFL legend Drew Brees about recovery and training. We asked if football players take recovery more seriously than they used to. Drew Brees said: “Absolutely… Especially as you get older, there becomes more of a premium on your recovery. The recovery becomes more important than the training itself.” 

Learn more about inflammation, athletics, and exercise in this post. 

#7 Red Light Therapy for Inflammation and Pain

Taking in healthy light every day is essential for inflammation management, just like sleep, diet, and exercise. Light therapy treatments have been shown to help your body’s natural inflammation process as you recover from illness or injury. Check out this paper by Dr. Michael Hamblin of Harvard Medical School to learn more about red light therapy’s effects on inflammation. Dr. Hamblin is one of the world’s leading photomedicine researchers, and believes light therapy produces an “overall reduction in inflammation.” [3]

Light therapy can help the healing process after damage or strain. Check out this post to see why light is better than ice for an injury. 

#8 Seek Balance in Your Life and Diet

There’s no silver bullet for lowering inflammation. Not all of these tips will work the same for every person because so much depends on your individual body type and sensitivity to foods. With that in mind, anyone can benefit from seeking out greater balance in their life, diet, and cellular health.

One of the big advantages of using an in-home light therapy device like a Joovv, is that it promotes greater cellular balance. A Joovv delivers red and NIR wavelengths of light directly to your skin and cells, where the light stimulates the mitochondria and supports more efficient cellular energy production. [4,5,6]

Humans thrive when we’re closest to a state of homeostasis, creating and using energy efficiently. Maintaining a balanced cellular environment is a crucial aspect of good health, and getting healthy light every day is one of the key components to biological balance, just like exercise, diet, and sleep. 

For more tips on healthy living, check out the Joovv Blog.