Leg cramps have nothing to do with your age because they can occur at any stage of your life, whether you are an adult, teen, or senior citizen. Night leg cramps have other names, such as nocturnal cramps or “Charley horse”, which refers to the painful sensation that is felt when the muscles of calves and hamstrings contract. It is not necessary that you experience this pain at night but also during the day while working, running, or jogging.
This involuntary contraction of muscles in men and women can happen due to various reasons like living style, fitness routine, and many more. You can see that leg cramps often occur after the age of 50.
So, is there a way to treat these nighttime leg cramps? To know the effective treatment, you’ll first have to understand the reason behind it.
Potential Reasons Behind Nighttime Leg Cramps
Cramps can occur at any time due to certain activities that trigger the muscles; however, you’ll experience that with age, and the frequency of its occurrence increases. This is either due to medical conditions or other factors that affect the muscles to contract.
Some of the potential reasons behind nighttime leg cramps are:
- Not drinking six to eight glasses of water every day, or you can say dehydration. The inadequate amount of water in your body can make your muscles contract and thus cause pain.
- Medical conditions like Hypertension, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and Heart disease.
- Excessive perspiration during exercise can make you lose important minerals like sodium, potassium, and calcium, thus causing muscle cramps.
- Drinking too much alcohol can be dangerous for your muscle health.
- Pregnancy at later ages can cause pain in calves and hamstrings in women.
- Consumption of lead through various substances.
Symptoms Of Leg Cramps At Night
- The sudden sensation of pain in the leg.
- Contraction of calves and thighs muscle.
- Feeling tight near the feet area.
How To Treat Nighttime Leg Cramps
You can apply muscle relaxant ointments or have painkillers as a temporary treatment for nighttime cramps. Other than that, you can massage the area with warm mustard oil as it relaxes your muscles and relieves you from the cramps.
These pains are inevitable; hence, it is better to avoid them, and the best way to do it is to keep maintaining your blood circulation, metabolism, hormones, and nutrition constraints.
The application of Flexeril, Norflex, and Baclofen can also be somewhat effective during the occurrence of cramps at night.
However, if the pain continues to worsen or gets severe and frequent, then you must immediately contact the doctor. Although leg cramps are not a serious issue, you should not take any chances with your health.
Vitamins To Cure Leg Cramps
You must eat a lot of nuts, seeds, and vegetable oils as they contain a glorious amount of Vitamin E, which is important for your muscle health.
Other than that, you must add Vitamin B1 and B12-rich food items to your daily diet. These play a vital role in the functioning of your muscles and thus help you to cure the cramps.
Sometimes, you lose other minerals like magnesium, calcium, and potassium from your body while doing various activities. When too much of these minerals are lost, and there is a deficiency in the body, your muscles start to contract involuntarily.
Hence, it is crucial to maintain the level of minerals in the body to reduce the frequency of leg cramps.
You can take supplements that can contribute to curing your muscle pain. Dairy products and leafy green vegetables are rich in calcium, so you must include them in your diet.
Balance your meals with other food items like bananas, sweet potatoes, oranges, whole grains, fatty fish, and others to maintain an adequate level of necessary vitamins and minerals in the body.
Conclusion
In conclusion, even though leg cramps are inevitable, they can be prevented if you take care of your physical health. Healthy eating habits, checking up on activities, and taking supplements are some effective strategies that can help you avoid the pain of involuntary muscle contraction. There are several home remedies to treat this muscle pain, but you must go and visit the doctor or your healthcare provider in case your pain worsens or does not subside even after taking the medicine.
