Aleve, which contains the active ingredient naproxen sodium, typically starts to work within about 30 minutes to an hour after taking a dose. The pain relief effects can last for 8 to 12 hours. For chronic inflammation, it may take several days (around 3 days or more) of regular use to begin to feel the full anti-inflammatory benefits, with peak effects usually seen after 2 to 4 weeks of consistent use.
For immediate pain relief from conditions like muscle aches, headaches, or minor arthritis pain, most people notice improvement within the first hour, but the complete effect can take a few hours to reach maximum efficiency.
