How normal is it to feel achey in the morning?

[GonnaBeYoniThisChristmas]

Is it normal to have slightly achey shoulders, back and ankles when I wake each morning? It usually loosens up over the day but I notice it increasingly. I dont know if this is just ageing and normal, or if I should be taking cod liver oil or something, or if others bound out of bed feeling 100% every day.

For context, I’m 44, about average weight and height. I do a bit of exercise (gym class or pilates class twice a week) and walk about 25 mins a day for commute. But I do a sedentary desk job so I’m not exactly active.

It can be caused by perimenopause, it can also be the symptom of something else, for some rheumatological conditions morning stiffness lasting in excess of 30 mins is one of the diagnostic criteria.

In my case it is psoriatic arthritis and taking HRT thinking it was perimenopause triggered a massive flare that is still going albeit a bit reduced by medication, 3 years later. With hindsight I had developed it some years previously and spent a lot of time in remission. It is common for menopause to exacerbate symptoms of things like that. The odds are in your favour of it being perimenopause though.

Thanks so much everyone. Seems like a perimeno chat with GP would be a good idea. I feel wary of HRT because I had years of bad experience with hormonal contraception but the number of good experiences suggests it can be very helpful.

Our mattress is on the old side, but it feels more systemic than just the back/shoulder/hip ache of an uncomfortable bed.

What's your sugar intake like? My aches are connected to sugar. As soon as I cut it out - no more pain. It's motivated me to just cut out the sugar as the difference to how I feel is huge.

Could definitely track sugar as a cause a bit more. I posted this morning because my aches were bad and I’d had wine and pavlova last night which was more sugary than usual. Might try it for a week and see….thanks @TheScenicWay

I'm 57 and never had that, I'd definitely agree with seeing your GP, I also know people who have had it see big improvements with cutting dairy or sugar.

@GonnaBeYoniThisChristmas it sounds like it might be the same for you then. Give it a go and see how amazing you feel even in just a few days. Good luck.

I’m 44 (almost 45) and not achy at all. Eat a good diet , get plenty of exercise and see if that improves things.

@GonnaBeYoniThisChristmas I get where you are coming from regarding being wary due to your past experiences with hormonal contraception. However I think the doses of hormones in HRT are much lower than the pill plus HRT is replacing the hormones your body is lacking. So I think of HRT as 'topping up' your hormones back to a more stable level rather than much higher than normal with the pill.