Leg Muscle Spasms: 4 Home Remedies To Stop Cramping At Night

In our life, most people have experienced leg muscle cramps, especially in the middle of the night, the spasms can often wake people up. They are spontaneous tonic contractions of muscles. The most common muscle spasms that occur in the leg and toes are unbearable pain and can last from a few seconds to tens of seconds.

The Causes Of Leg Muscle Spasms

Leg cramps are a common disease. It usually occurs in the calf muscles, and when it occurs, the leg muscles become tight and painful. And the thighs and feet can feel pain and tenderness for hours. But people still see this physical ailment as harmless. Health Researchers have found many reasons that may trigger leg muscle spasms.

Calcium Deficiency

Calcium ions play a crucial role in the regulation of muscle contraction. When the concentration of calcium ions in the blood is too low, the muscles are easily excited and contracted, causing muscle spasms. Usually hypocalcemic cramps are common in the elderly, menopausal women, children with calcium deficiency, vitamin D deficiency, or patients with severe liver or kidney disease.

Excessive Fatigue

Strenuous exercise can make muscles tense, which can lead to temporary regional blood vessels narrowing, poor blood supply, and cause muscle spasms. When there is an exercise for a long time, but without enough water and salt replenishment, the loss of electrolytes results in electrolyte imbalance. At this time, abnormal muscle excitability is also prone to spasms.

Low Temperature

Besides that, if the legs are exposed to low temperatures for a long period of time, it may trigger leg muscle spasms. While the temperature drops, in order to get reduce heat loss, the legs, especially the calf will contract. In addition, An inaccurate sleeping posture, such as prolonged prone, will cause a certain muscle in the calf to appear “passive contracture”, causing leg spasms.

The Leg Cramp Treatment

More or less, we may experience muscle spasms. But no worries, we can pay more attention and follow these tips to avoid the cramps happening again.

• Keep the room at a comfortable temperature when sleeping
• Make a plan to exercise, not to excessive
• Appropriate calcium and other supplementations

In addition, if your legs cramp, you can use the following method to prevent the recurrence of muscle spasms.

Before going to sleep, use hot water at around 100 °F for 5 minutes to 10 minutes. The footbath water is better than the position of the ankle and neck.

A Brief Summary Of Calf Muscle Contraction

Calf muscle spasms are very common in our lives. The major causes are calcium deficiency, low temperature, and severe fatigue. To avoid and stop getting camps again, it can be done by moderate exercise and a healthy diet, and necessary supplements. And, the warmth of the legs and feet is also important. Other activities like massage treatments and stretching which help blood circulation are also recommended.