Arthritis Care Awareness Week runs from 14th May to 21st May, with World Autoimmune Arthritis Day falling on 20th May. This year, UK organisations Arthritis Care and Arthritis Research UK are joining forces to raise more awareness for arthritis. Together, they have more volunteers and can run more events and campaigns to do more for people with arthritis. These two wonderful campaigning networks will together work towards a better future for those with arthritis.
You can help, too! Join the campaigner network along with thousands of others to push for better understanding and care for people with arthritis through life-transforming awareness and political action.
Arthritis in the UK
10 million adults in the UK suffer from arthritis, and it also affects children. It is an invisible condition that is often ignored because the effects cannot be seen. People don’t talk about it - unless it’s to wonder if it’s real - because they don’t know what it really is or how it affects people. But it has a great impact on the nation - on those who have it as well as their families, friends, people at work, and more. It is the top cause of pain and disability in the UK.
Arthritis is a common condition, yet it is so misunderstood and therefore often overlooked. It causes pain, stiffness and swelling in the joints that can heavily impact normal functioning. For almost 80% of those with the condition, pain is a daily experience. At work, even simple adjustments can be made to help people with arthritis remain at work and productive - yet it does not often happen. Over 30 million work days are lost as a result. This heavily impacts businesses and workers alike. Almost 90% of those with arthritis describe the condition as debilitating and life-restricting (according to a 2018 survey of 3,000 sufferers).
Arthritis is a term used for several different conditions, which include the autoimmune variety such as rheumatoid arthritis, and osteoarthritis which affects the bones. It can also affect muscles and joints all over the body. In addition to pain, it causes fatigue. There is no cure for arthritis, but there are many different treatments and therapies such as exercises that can help improve quality of life.
Arthritis can attack any part of the body, and even all parts. It can make movement difficult and painful, even the simplest motions of sitting, standing, walking and even holding things. 25% of people with arthritis suffer from it for over 20 years. Without proper care, arthritis has become a major public health concern. We need to improve access to treatments and give more support to medical professionals to help people with arthritis live the normal lives that they long for.
Arthritis has an impact on all aspects of life for someone living with it and anyone in close contact with them. It puts a strain on mental health, personal and professional relationships, and more. It robs people of quality time that they need to spend with loved ones, and making a living for themselves and their families. As a long-term condition, the symptoms of arthritis can have a significant impact on mental health. It takes a huge emotional toll on people, the biggest challenge being acceptance - not being able to do all the things they used to do, struggling with fatigue and worrying about the impact that their disability will have on them and grief about the future of those who depend on them.
Taking Part
At the Bamboo Factory, we are excited about the joint efforts of arthritis awareness organisations in the UK and all the campaigners who will be coming together across the UK to make a greater impact for people with arthritis. For our part, we would like to offer some information about pain and how proper position during sleep can greatly reduce it and its effects, as well as how quality sleep can also reduce other symptoms.
When we sleep, our bodies are able to rest form the normal strains that they endure throughout the day. We don’t think of it much, but even just standing up or holding our heads up and moving around are quite stressful actions. This is especially true for someone with arthritis.
Sleeping in a poor position at night can make matters worse. When your body is in a poor position, it cannot get the rest that it needs because additional strain is being placed on it throughout the night. Instead of being able to relax, the body keeps working, making it grow weaker and weaker with each passing day. Pain is the result - the signal of the body that it is enduring too much, that it needs rest!
The 3D Bamboo Memory Foam Pillow is specially designed to help you get better rest. This pillow is made to conform to your shape so that you can get the support that your head, neck and shoulders need. Your head is a very heavy body part, so it needs to rest on a surface that can support its weight. Being so heavy, the head normally exerts quite a bit of pressure on whatever surface it rests on, which can cause pain as that surface pushes back. This pillow is designed to give the needed support yet not push back rigidly so that you don’t feel that pain from the pressure.
Your neck gets very tired carrying your heavy head around all day - remember, your head doesn’t get to rest on anything but your neck, unlike your legs and arms and torso, which can rest on other surfaces like chairs and floors at different times throughout the day. The neck therefore, though it is quite strong, needs rest most especially. When the neck gets too tired, it can put strain on the shoulders. We don’t normally feel neck pain when the neck gets tired, but I’m sure most of us know what stiff shoulders feel like!
This pillow is made in such a way that you can mould it to conform to the shape of your head, neck and shoulders so you get the perfect cushioning effect when you sleep. The material then gives your tired neck and shoulders the same quality support as the head so they can rest comfortably and power up for the next day, no matter if you sleep on your side, back, or stomach. In addition, when your neck can rest properly, it helps your spine to realign into its proper place. Regular daily activities can cause our spines to be moved in many different ways, and it needs to get back into place or it, too, will feel too much strain and start to give you pain.
The Cooling Memory Foam bamboo Mattress Topper does the same for your body, plus it has a cooling effect to help you sleep more soundly. Research has proved that lower temperatures during sleep help improve its quality. This topper has a layer of cooling gel that helps keep your body temperature at a good level to prevent sleep disruptions. All in all, the memory foam and cooling gel layer together promote better sleep that helps you rest properly to avoid pain and wake up rested. Moreover, when you get quality sleep with less pain, you have more energy and are able to do more - and more productively.
Do you know someone who suffers from body pains? Do you know someone who could use a better night’s sleep? Order today and give the best gift of greater wellness.