Imagine Dragon's Dan Reynolds on living with 'frustrating' ankylosing spondylitis
Dan Reynolds is much more than the face of 'Imagine Dragons' and a dad of (almost!) four. The 31-year-old frontman of the Grammy-winning band is also campaigning to bring awareness to the painful and hidden disease that is ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which he was diagnosed with in his early 20s.
"I didn't know what the problem was," Reynolds says of his diagnosis process. "I wasn't diagnosed for so long...and the pain just continued and continued and that was super frustrating." The Vegas native was one of the millions living with the disease without realizing it. By that point, he was willing to try anything to alleviate the pain.
"When you've been living in pain for a long time, someone could come up to you and be like 'run and circles and act like an elephant and you'll feel better.' And you'll be like 'okay.' When you're in pain, you're willing to do anything to feel better."
In an effort to spread awareness about AS, Reynolds is partnering with "Monster Pain in the AS" to help others to understand their pain and encourage them to seek treatment. "I really hope people take the time to go to [their website] for the three-minute quiz and avoid the process that took me years to do, which is see a rheumatologist." Then, a professional can help with diagnosis and treatment, which for Reynolds involves some self love, like reading a book.
See more: Reynolds and his family
"You have to be active about [showing self love]," he explains. "I really try to set time aside every single day to do something that I love that de-stresses me." It's a mindset that's necessary to maintain, especially on the road.
"When you're traveling and stuff and you're going from the promo to the stage to vocal warmups to sound checks to a bus with a bunch of people, it's really hard to find time for yourself," Reynolds asserts. "But after all these years, I just prioritize it -- a hundred percent. It's part of a stress regiment. Stress is one of the main triggers of ankylosing spondylitis so I take it very seriously."
Another part of controlling the disease? Eating healthy, a lifestyle he tries to implement with his three daughters.
"We try not to be obsessive about [eating healthy] because I want them to still eat candy and enjoy life. We try to make it the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of the time we try to keep them close to an anti-inflammatory diet because they're prone to [AS] already genetically."
Of course, there *are* foods Reynold's refuses to give up. "I will never give up pizza, doughnuts and cereal. Those three things I eat very little of, because they're everything I shouldn't be eating, but damn, I love them," he concludes.
See more: 'Imagine Dragons' on stage
