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.
But some experts do recommend that you take a vitamin B12 complex or magnesium for leg cramps.
This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study found a greater reduction of nocturnal leg cramps among the group that took magnesium oxide monohydrate, a particular magnesium supplement, as compared with the placebo group. So, it remains possible that magnesium supplements can help with leg cramps.
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.
It's been suggested that drinking 2 to 3 ounces of tonic water before bedtime can prevent leg cramps at night.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Apply heat or cold.
Use a warm towel or heating pad on tense or tight muscles. Taking a warm bath or directing the stream of a hot shower onto the cramped muscle also can help. Rubbing the sore muscle with ice also might relieve pain.
Firmly massaging the sore muscle will increase blood flow to the area and help relieve the cramp. Heat. Applying heat will also increase blood flow and relax the cramping muscle. Use a heating pad, hot towel or a stream of hot water in the shower.
These cramps may be caused by stress, not stressing enough, overworking your muscles, or not drinking enough water.
Most of the time, there's no known cause for night leg cramps. 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.
If you only get leg cramps occasionally, it is not a cause for concern and a medical diagnosis is not required. A visit to your GP will only be necessary if you get leg cramps frequently, or if they are so painful they disrupt your sleep and you are unable to function normally the next day.
Very low magnesium levels may cause:
Nausea. Constipation. Headaches. Nighttime leg cramps.
Apple cider vinegar helps to facilitate the production of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter responsible for nerve impulses that facilitate muscle contraction. ACV can also lower your ph and acidify the body. A symptom of being too alkaline is cramping, so lowering your ph with ACV can help.
So naturally the assumption was that eating more salt would prevent the cramps. A biological explanation for this is that the lack of salt and accompanying dehydration causes the spaces between the cells of the muscles to contract, which then increases pressure on the nerve terminals, leading to pain.