One of the most common symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis is stiffness in the joints in the morning. Stiffness is common after long periods of inactivity, such as sleeping. Because the joints aren't allowed to move, they become stiff and painful. Swelling may also occur when waking up. For people who have rheumatoid arthritis, the stiffness may linger on for a large part of the day. To alleviate symptoms and reduce your likeliness of getting morning stiffness, consider daily exercises to relax the muscles. These can be performed before going to bed and after waking up.

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