Waking up with stiff or painful joints is often associated with aging, but that may not be what’s causing it. Morning joint stiffness or pain is a common condition experienced by individuals with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.2 As you age, your joint linings produce less synovial fluids to keep the joints lubricated, causing the spongy cushion of cartilage in your joints to dry out and stiffen.1 Getting a full night’s rest feels great and is beneficial to your health, but it also means that your joints are not moving for a long period of time. Staying active and keeping your joints moving is the key to reducing many arthritis symptoms, so inactivity for 6-8 hours while resting is the reason why you feel stiffness and pain in the morning.2 Even if the pain and stiffness lasts for a short period of time, it’s better to find ways to relieve the pain than it is to wait it out. There is no good way to prevent your joints from feeling stiff in the morning, but you can reduce the severity and frequency of this condition by taking some extra steps to treat it once you wake up.1