6 Daily Habits That Can Help You Manage Psoriasis

From everydayhealth.com

By Matt McMillen

If you have psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease, you may feel under its control at times. It can dictate the clothes you wear, it can elevate your stress, it can influence how you see yourself and how you think others see you, and the itch that comes with it can make you really, really uncomfortable.

Psoriasis has no cure. But you can develop healthy daily habits that will help you tame your symptoms and lessen the hold psoriasis may have on you. These habits don’t replace the medications your doctor prescribes; instead, think of them as important, complementary parts of your treatment plan.

Top dermatologists recommend adopting the following habits.

1. Stress Relief

“Stress is one of the most common triggers for psoriasis flares,” says Peter Lio, MD, a dermatologist and a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “While it is impossible to eliminate stress entirely, developing a daily stress-management practice can make a meaningful difference.”

Such a practice, says Dr. Lio, requires as little as 5 to 10 minutes a day, and he offers lots of options to choose from, including:

• Meditation
• Breathing exercises
• Prayer
• Journaling
• Gentle yoga
• Spending quiet time outdoors

2. Sleep Hygiene

Stick to a regular sleep schedule that nets you seven to nine hours each night. You’ll find that to be a powerful tool for your overall health, says Lio, who adds that sleep and inflammation go hand in hand. “Poor sleep can worsen stress, affect mood, increase itch perception, and make it more difficult to manage a chronic condition,” he explains. He offers this related tip: practice your stress-management routine at bedtime to potentially help both sleep and stress simultaneously.

“Sleep is going to counter stress,” says Ross Levy, MD, the chair of dermatology for Northwell's Northern Westchester Hospital in Mt. Kisco, New York.

The discomfort of psoriasis can make it difficult to sleep, but other conditions, such as obstructive sleep apnea, also may be to blame. If you struggle with sleep, says Dr. Levy, talk with your doctor, who may recommend a sleep study to pinpoint the cause and guide treatment. But you shouldn’t expect a quick fix. “Sleep patterns take months to change,” says Levy.

3. A Healthy Diet

Lio encourages his patients to adopt healthy eating habits that emphasize whole foods, vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and healthy fats like olive oil, while minimizing highly processed foods.

One eating plan that promotes this approach: the Mediterranean diet, which may help reduce inflammation while supporting your overall health. “While research on its specific benefits for psoriasis is still evolving, it represents a practical and sustainable approach for many people,” says Lio.

Bonus: A nutritious diet can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. “Excess weight is associated with increased inflammation, and weight reduction has been shown to improve psoriasis severity in many patients,” says Lio.

Levy cautions against following very restrictive eating plans. For example, the ketogenic diet has shown benefits for psoriasis in some studies. But the diet drastically limits carbohydrates, and that can be difficult to sustain. Your best bet, he says, is to find what works for you.

“Never think ‘If I don’t do this or that type of diet, I’m in trouble,” says Levy. “That just adds to your stress. Look into an eating plan that’s not complicated, like the Mediterranean diet, and consider eating less red meat or eating a vegetarian diet.”

4. Daily Movement

“Exercise is the quickest and easiest way to reduce stress and get healthier,” says Levy.

You don’t need to join a gym or push yourself to sweaty extremes. A short daily walk, especially when paired with a healthy diet, may ease your psoriasis, says Lio. How? In large part, by helping you toward a healthy weight, says Lio. In addition to walking, experts also recommend other gentle exercises, like yoga and cycling. Aim for 30 minutes of activity a day, four to five days per week.

Daily exercise also can improve your mood. That’s important because psoriasis raises your risk of both depression and anxiety by more than 30 percent.

Finally, exercise — along with a healthy diet — offers protection against the risks psoriasis poses to your overall health, such as heart disease and diabetes, says Lio.

5. Consistent Skin Care

"Regular skin care helps support the skin barrier and can reduce dryness, scaling, itching, and irritation,” says Lio, adding that consistency is critical. He recommends moisturizing daily, particularly right after bathing. It’s also important to find the bathing temperature that’s right for you. For some people, warm water causes itching, while others’ itching gets triggered by cold water. Experiment to determine your best temp and stick to it.

Gently pat yourself dry before applying your moisturizer. You may find it helps to moisturize more than once a day.

Lio says that many of his patients prefer thicker creams or ointments. Oils and heavy ointments may be your go-to if you have super dry skin. If you have thick scaling, moisturizers with salicylic acid offer additional benefits. They aid in lifting and removing those scales, allowing your topical medications to really get into your skin and do their work.

Which moisturizers will work best for you? Ask your dermatologist for recommendations and expect some trial and error.

“You need to experiment to find the ones you like,” says Levy.

6. A Little Time in the Sun

The right amount of sunlight every day may improve your psoriasis, though too much sun exposure can lead to psoriasis flares or worsen your ongoing symptoms. Ask your dermatologist for guidance.

Be sure to use sunscreen if you’re going to be outdoors for longer periods. This will help prevent flares. Do this year round, even on cloudy, cold days.

How to Build a Routine That Sticks

Establishing new healthy habits can feel daunting in the beginning, and such habits can be a challenge to maintain. Work on one habit at a time, says Levy. You and your doctor can determine the best place to start. If sleep’s your biggest issue, for example, focus on that first.

And remember that small changes will add up. Need to improve your diet? Don’t overwhelm yourself by going all in right away. For example, says Levy, if you eat red meat every day, consider slowly cutting back to once every week or two while gradually incorporating more vegetables.

Patience is key. You won’t see results from your new habits right away. In fact, says Levy, it likely will be months before you notice improvements. Keep going!

You can log your progress to help yourself stay on track. Use a journal or smartphone app daily to note your stress level, sleep quality, and other lifestyle factors that you’re working on. Also, jot down your psoriasis symptoms. Over time, says Lio, this may reveal patterns and reinforce positive changes. For example, if your symptoms bother you less when you sleep well, use that as encouragement to keep practicing your new and improved sleep habits.

The Takeaway

• Healthy daily habits, like a nutritious diet, exercise, and good sleep, can improve your psoriasis and complement your medical treatment.
• Psoriasis is a very individual condition, so expect some trial and error before you find the most effective daily habits for you.
• Your new habits will help you improve your overall well-being and offer protection against the health risks that come with psoriasis, such as heart disease and diabetes.

https://www.everydayhealth.com/psoriasis/daily-habits-that-can-help-manage-psoriasis/