Leg cramps during sleep are not just a matter of calcium deficiency

Many people may have had this experience: sleeping soundly at night, suddenly one leg cramps, and the pain wakes people up from their dreams. Usually, we simply attribute leg cramps to calcium deficiency. However, the truth is not that simple. Leg cramps may be related to a variety of factors, and even some potential disease signals. Let's learn about it together!

Zeqiao original copyright contact

Why do legs cramp?

1. Calcium deficiency

Calcium deficiency is indeed a common cause of leg cramps. Calcium helps muscles work properly, and if there is not enough calcium ions in the blood, the muscles will become overexcited, causing cramps. Teenagers are especially prone to calcium deficiency because their bodies are growing rapidly.

2. Improper sleeping posture

If you have an incorrect sleeping posture, such as lying on your back for a long time with the quilt pressing on the soles of your feet, or lying on your stomach for a long time with the soles of your feet against the bed, your muscles may suddenly contract due to being in an absolutely relaxed state for a long time, causing cramps.

3. Vigorous exercise

When you exercise, your muscles contract and relax quickly. If you exercise too vigorously and your muscles don't have enough time to relax, you may get a cramp.

4. Cold stimulation

Leg cramps are likely to occur if the temperature is too low at night or if you exercise in a cold environment without doing warm-up exercises.

5. Excessive fatigue

Long-distance travel, mountain climbing and other activities can cause excessive fatigue in the calf muscles. Every time you climb, one foot needs to support the weight of the whole body, and the strength required by the muscles of this leg to lift the foot will be 6 times the body weight. When the muscles are fatigued to a certain extent, cramps will occur.

6. Lack of trace elements

In addition to calcium, trace elements such as potassium, sodium, and magnesium also affect muscle function. Lack of these elements may also cause leg cramps.

Leg cramps during sleep may be related to these 3 diseases

1. Lumbar disc herniation

Lumbar disc herniation is a common spinal disease that mainly occurs in middle-aged and elderly people. When the lumbar disc herniates, it will compress the sciatic nerve roots of the lower limbs and affect the function of the nerves in the lower limbs. Mild symptoms include numbness and pain in the lower limbs, while severe cases will cause continuous muscle spasms, pain and other discomforts.

Zeqiao original copyright contact

2. Lower limb arteriosclerosis obliterans

Lower limb arteriosclerosis obliterans is mainly caused by local arteriosclerosis or arterial thrombosis, leading to blood vessel blockage.

Early patients often experience symptoms such as coldness, numbness, and leg muscle cramps, which can easily be mistaken for calcium deficiency or lumbar disease in the elderly, thus delaying the disease.

Zeqiao original copyright contact

Because of ischemia and hypoxia of the affected limb, the calf muscles will cramp, feel pain, and become weak. In the middle stage, patients will experience intermittent claudication while walking and need to stop walking. The symptoms will be relieved after resting, but will reappear after continuing to walk.

3. Neurological diseases

When the nervous system is disturbed, it will directly affect the normal contraction and relaxation of muscles, thus causing muscle cramps. Common nervous system diseases such as epilepsy have one of the typical symptoms of muscle spasms, which may cause leg cramps.

In addition, neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's disease can also cause nerve damage and cause leg cramps.

How to prevent leg cramps?

1. Strengthen nutrition : Drink a glass of milk every day and eat more calcium-rich foods, such as soybeans, tofu, soy milk, kelp, scallops, dried shrimps, fish, etc., which can increase the calcium content in the body and reduce the probability of leg cramps.

At the same time, getting more sun exposure can also help promote the body's absorption of calcium, but be careful not to stay in the sun for too long. About 20 minutes each time is enough to avoid damaging the skin.

2. Control the amount of exercise : Do not exercise too much at ordinary times, and avoid strenuous sports activities that exceed your body's tolerance. Appropriate exercise can enhance muscle strength and endurance and reduce the occurrence of cramps.

3. Warm up and stretch before and after exercise : Adequate warm-up before exercise, especially stretching the legs and limbs, can effectively prevent leg cramps. You should also stretch in time after exercise and keep warm, especially when you sweat a lot after exercise, and be careful not to blow cold wind .

4. Strengthen the functional training of waist and back muscles : Through swimming, backward walking, arch bridge exercise, "Little Swallow Flying" and other methods, you can strengthen the function of waist and back muscles and prevent calf cramps caused by lumbar disc herniation compressing the nerves.