Why do I wake up feeling achy and sore?

February 11, 2011 6:03 AM

I wake up feeling achy and sore, and can't figure out why. Do you have any ideas?

Every day I wake up feeling achy/sore/tired in my hands, legs and shoulders. Today, for example, I can feel the soreness in my shoulders and at rest my legs and hands feel tired and sore. I'm not doing enough exercise to cause this to happen (though I do run every other day). I've changed my mattress and pillows going both soft and hard. Nothing helps. Does anyone have any ideas on how I can pinpoint or fix this problem?

posted by gadha to grab bag (22 answers total)

Dehydration can make you feel like you have the flu.

Is there fresh air in your bedroom?

Could you be tensing up while you sleep? Do you have someone who could check on your position at various hours of the night.

Try yoga on the days you don't run.

Try meditation of some kind every day.

I hope you figure this out and feel better soon.
posted by mareli at 6:13 AM on February 11, 2011

Perhaps not doing enough exercise is the problem. How is your diet? How much sleep are you getting and what is the environment you sleep in like? I suspect if you want a useful answer you'll probably need to be a bit more specific.
posted by dougrayrankin at 6:14 AM on February 11, 2011

Heaps of ideas.. REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder, Periodic Limb Movement Disorder, vitamin deficiencies, stress or anxiety causing you to curl into fetal position, and so on.

But I'm not a doctor, and you probably need to see one. Ask about sleep clinics, where you'll be watched and monitored while you sleep to see what's going on.
posted by Ahab at 6:16 AM on February 11, 2011

I would talk to your doctor and see about getting a sleep study done. There are a number of issues that could cause those symptoms.
posted by baggers at 6:16 AM on February 11, 2011

Try a humidifier, it may just do the trick.
posted by Salamandrous at 6:20 AM on February 11, 2011

I'm very careful about my diet and eat mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, a little carbs and plenty of protein. I exercise 3 times a week at least, running for at least 3 miles every time. I'm not overly stressed or worried, I feel fine during the day - just achy and sore.
posted by gadha at 6:26 AM on February 11, 2011

This is exactly how I feel every morning. For me, it's a result of psoriatic arthritis and the first symptom I noticed, particularly in my hands, before diagnosis. Do you have even a mild case of psoriasis? Does it get better after a shower and a little time in the morning? That's a classic sign.

In any case, it is worth a trip to the doctor if possible, as others have noted it could be one of many things.
posted by ..ooOOoo....ooOOoo.. at 6:29 AM on February 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

I had something very similar until I have invested into a new mattress. Haven't had it since.
posted by mooselini at 6:33 AM on February 11, 2011

nting mooselini.

Flip or turn your mattress if you haven't already. If that doesn't help and you have a second or guest bedroom: try sleeping a night or two in that bed instead and see if you have the same problems. If you do: time to buy a new mattress.

Other option if you don't have it already: Try out a memory form topper. I use to have painful back problems until I got one as a birthday gift and it was night and day how much better I felt. I absolutely couldn't believe it: all those commericals? They're actually true.
posted by royalsong at 6:47 AM on February 11, 2011

a little carbs and plenty of protein

I would increase carbs and fat over time so your body can use protein to rebuild.
posted by zeek321 at 6:49 AM on February 11, 2011

Definitely try a humidifier. I always feel like that on the nights I forget to turn it on before going to bed.
posted by eatcake at 7:03 AM on February 11, 2011

Seconding the psoriatic arthritis thought. It's worth checking for now, as it's a degenerative condition. As it progresses it feels very much like common cold symptoms (achy, tired, etc.)
posted by segedy at 7:15 AM on February 11, 2011

This is exactly how I feel every morning. For me, it's a result of psoriatic arthritis and the first symptom I noticed, particularly in my hands, before diagnosis. Do you have even a mild case of psoriasis? Does it get better after a shower and a little time in the morning? That's a classic sign.

Thirding this. Your symptoms sound (to my non-doctor ears) so much like mine I was coming in to post exactly that. I have psoriatic arthritis as well (with no visible psoriasis at all) and your symptoms sound a great deal like mine. It took my doctors forever to diagnose, by the way, so perhaps see a rheumatologist and suggest that possibility. Or even see a dermatologist and suggest the same.
posted by The Bellman at 7:21 AM on February 11, 2011

Ding ding ding! I too have a case of Psoriatic Arthritis and have stiff / achy mornings. Especially so if I sleep badly, or am in an unfamiliar bed, or have done a lots of exercise the day before.
posted by Tapioca at 7:44 AM on February 11, 2011

I felt like that every day for years until I was diagnosed with an auto immune syndrome and started taking medication -- now I practically jump out of bed in the morning instead of feeling like I got hit by a truck. Get a blood test and see if you've got something going on psoriatic arthitis or something similar.
posted by backwords at 8:25 AM on February 11, 2011

I awake every morning feeling like shit so I can relate. I nth the suggestions of getting a memory foam mattress as it has helped quite a bit despite the fact I am still stiff.
Also see a doctor.
posted by handbanana at 8:36 AM on February 11, 2011

Arthritis or fibromyalgia. I've got a few autoimmune diseases and mornings are ROUGH. Feel like someone's taken a baseball bat to me.

It's worth checking with your doc. Not, like, TODAY ... but when you can. Rule things out, nip it in the bud if it's something like autoimmune, etc.
posted by crankyrogalsky at 8:41 AM on February 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

Not all primary care physicians are up to speed on autoimmune disorders. You might want to seek a referral to a rheumatologist. I've got some kind of autoimmune problem (it isn't serious but neatly defies diagnosis) and I'm inclined to think this may be your problem, assuming simple causes like bad mattresses are ruled out.
posted by workerant at 9:01 AM on February 11, 2011

How old is your pillow? Agree it could be that you just need to flip your mattress, but it's also amazing how much pain a nonsupportive pillow can put you in after what seems like a good night's sleep. You could try switching and see if it makes a difference.
posted by Mchelly at 9:15 AM on February 11, 2011 [1 favorite]

shoot - just saw you already tried changing pillows. One of these days I'll remember to preview. Sorry.
posted by Mchelly at 9:16 AM on February 11, 2011

While there could be something medically wrong with you, it could also just be your mattress. I've had two major back surgeries in my life. While I'm still pretty young, a regular mattress just wasn't doing it for me anymore. I bought a deluxe tempurpedic mattress and WOW my life changed immediately. I used to wake up every day with pretty bad back pain. Now I wake up in the morning with no back pain. I swear by this mattress. It was expensive yes, but for my wife and I it's worth every penny. I would say this...tempurpedic is something you either love or hate. It's not for everyone. Go to the store, test one out. I believe they still do a 90 day money back guarantee or something along those lines. So if you don't like it you can have them take it back. Hope this helps!
posted by ljs30 at 12:49 PM on February 11, 2011

When it's especially cold and I don't have enough blankets on, I tend to wake up achy from bringing my knees up close to my body, and tensing my muscles up all night to compensate. Kind of hard not to notice, but could it be that you're just too damn cold?
posted by ultrabuff at 1:01 AM on February 12, 2011