Sometimes, leg cramps can simply be caused by your body or leg positioning. Sleeping with your feet pointed downwards can be particularly problematic when it comes to leg cramps. If you experience frequent night leg cramps, experts recommend sleeping on your back with a pillow behind your knees.
Not enough minerals.
Too little potassium, calcium or magnesium in the diet can cause leg cramps. Medicines often prescribed for high blood pressure can cause increased urination, which may drain the body of these minerals.
In general, they're likely the result of tired muscles and nerve problems. The risk of having night leg cramps increases with age. Pregnant people also are more likely to have night leg cramps. Kidney failure, diabetic nerve damage and problems with blood flow are known to cause night leg cramps.
Dr. Goldman suggests some gentle leg stretches or even mild exercise, like a walk or short bike ride, right before bed. But there are also things you can do for your sleep that might help, including adjusting your sleep position. If you sleep on your back, try using pillows to keep your toes pointed upwards.
It's been suggested that drinking 2 to 3 ounces of tonic water before bedtime can prevent leg cramps at night.
But if your symptoms persist even after at-home remedies, it could be more than just leg pain—it could be your heart. Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a condition that is marked by limited blood flow to the limbs, particularly your legs, as a result of plaque buildup in your arteries.
Dark, Leafy Greens
Greens are among the more unexpected foods that deliver minerals that might help with muscle cramps. These are an excellent source of magnesium and potassium that can help replenish low levels of these minerals. Hunnes adds that they can also help with hydration since they're also full of water.
Bananas: A Time-Tested Treatment
You probably know that bananas are a good source of potassium. But they'll also give you magnesium and calcium. That's three out of four nutrients you need to ease muscle cramps tucked under that yellow peel.
Seek medical care right away if you have: Severe cramping that continues. Night leg cramps after coming into contact with a toxin, such as lead.
When To Worry About Leg Cramps. If chronic leg cramping continues outside of exercise and with proper hydration, and/or if you have severe discomfort, swelling or skin redness, this may be a symptom of a more serious health condition.
If too much salt is lost, the level of fluid in the blood will drop. Hyponatremia is a condition that occurs when the sodium in your blood falls below the normal range of 135–145 mEq/L. In severe cases, low sodium levels in the body can lead to muscle cramps, nausea, vomiting and dizziness.
Acetic acid is postulated to mitigate cramping by decreasing alpha motor neuron activity through oropharyngeal stimulation and inhibitory neurotransmitter production, while aiding in the role acetylcholine plays in muscle contraction and relaxation.
Swollen legs, ankles, or feet: When your veins can't push blood upward towards your heart, it can collect in your lower extremities. This blood pooling puts extra pressure on the area, causing fluid buildup and swelling. Muscle cramping: Inconsistent blood flow may lead to muscle cramps, aches, and pains.
High blood pressure can lead to peripheral arterial disease (PAD), where narrowing of the blood vessels restricts the blood flow to the legs and feet, causing pain.
Treating Nocturnal Leg Cramps
Stretch the muscle. Get out of bed and stand with your foot flat on the floor. Press down firmly. Massage the muscle.
Stretch the cramped muscle and gently rub it. For a calf cramp, keep the leg straight while pulling the top of your foot on the side that's cramped toward your face. Also try standing with your weight on your cramped leg and pressing down firmly. This helps ease a cramp in the back of the thigh too.
Vitamin D and Calcium Deficiency are the prime reasons to cause muscle cramps and joint pains. It is important for each of us to know our vitamin levels in the body so that accordingly we can take supplements, and special nutrients to our diet and most importantly if required, seek medical help.
Since magnesium plays a role in neuromuscular transmission and muscle contraction, it has been hypothesised that magnesium deficiency may predispose to muscle cramps. Thus magnesium supplements are often recommended to prevent cramps.
Certain types of herbal tea have anti-inflammatory properties and antispasmodic compounds that can reduce the muscle spasms in the uterus that cause cramping. Drinking chamomile, fennel or ginger tea is an easy, natural way to relieve menstrual cramps.
These cramps may be caused by stress, not stressing enough, overworking your muscles, or not drinking enough water. Although most muscle cramps are harmless, some may be related to an underlying medical condition known as peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a form of peripheral vascular disease (PVD).