If you suffer from nocturnal leg cramps, you already realize how uncomfortable they can be. They can wake you up from a sound sleep and you go from being perfectly comfortable to being in extreme pain. The cramps may end up keeping you awake for hours, disturbing your sleep and making the next day uncomfortable.
You will be happy to know that there are ways to prevent and treat painful leg cramps. Many of these treatments can be done at home and are completely natural. Before you start the treatment, however, it’s important to know why you have cramps and what they are doing to you.
What Is behind Nocturnal Leg Cramps?
Nocturnal leg cramps happen mostly or more frequently at night. It can result in a tightening and pain in the leg muscles, typically in the calf muscle, the feet and thighs may also be affected.
The pain associated with the cramping may last for a few seconds or several minutes. Some individuals who have severe cramping may experience up to an hour or more of pain. It also may lead to residual soreness.
Both men and women suffer from nocturnal leg cramps equally but it tends to occur more frequently when you are older than 50.
What Causes Leg Cramps?
The direct cause of leg cramping is not typically known but there are some potential causes that may come from your day-to-day activities, such as:
Sitting for prolonged periods of time
Over-exertion of the muscles for a long period of time
Standing or working on concrete floors
Sitting improperly (sitting with poor posture)
Leg cramps may also come from pre-existing medical conditions, including the following:
Pregnancy
Alcoholism
Dehydration
Parkinson’s Disease
Diabetes
Neuromuscular disorders
Structural disorders, including flat feet, may also lead to nighttime leg cramps.
What Should I Do When a Leg Cramp Happens?
When you experience the start of a leg cramp, it sometimes leaves you unable to move. Taking the right steps at this point may help to reduce the soreness of the leg cramp.
1. Sit on the floor and extend both legs out in front of you. Now flex your feet at the ankles and point your toes toward your knees – you may want to tug on your feet to offer an even better stretch.
2. Get up slowly and walk around a bit. Shaking your legs can also improve blood flow.
3. Gently massage the pained area in a circular motion.
4. Ensure blankets and sheets are not tight enough to make the leg muscles contract.
5. Take a tablespoon of yellow mustard to relieve discomfort.
Why can mustard stop the leg pain? It is because it contains and
acetic acid, which is also found in vinegar. It keeps the body from
producing additional acetylcholine and eases the leg cramps.
How Can You Prevent Leg Cramps?
You can also stop the leg cramps before they begin in many cases by using these remedies. Many of these are done at home and can even be done right before bed to stop the leg cramps at the source.
Take a relaxing, warm bath before you go to sleep to ease any muscle tightness.
Apply a heating pad to the affected area.
Stretch your legs prior to bed.
Partake in water exercises to build leg muscles.
Wear ergonomic shoes for your day and avoid high heels.
Consider consuming more horse chestnut, which has been shown to increase blood flow to the legs.
You may also want to make an appointment to see your doctor. They can check to see if your levels of magnesium and potassium are within acceptable limits. A deficiency in either can be the source of your leg cramps.
Acupuncture may be suggested by your physician. It has helped many people to overcome their discomfort from nocturnal leg cramps.
Perhaps the best thing you can do is to make sure you are moving about during the day. You should also wear shoes that are comfortable and proper for your type of lifestyle. Keeping these things in mind can help you to stop leg cramps and say goodbye to them forever.
Via: Tip Hero
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