Treat Nighttime Leg Cramps Naturally

Read on how to treat nighttime muscle cramps naturally. Check out the article we found over at Healthy and Natural World.

Have you ever been woken up in the middle of the night by a strong cramp in your leg that felt as if it was going to tear your muscle apart? A nighttime spasm or tightening of a muscle is a common, usually harmless, occurrence that most often affects muscles of the calf, thigh or foot.

It can cause a lot of pain and steal away a chunk of your precious sleep. Although no one is immune to them, cramps are more common in older people, and about 1 in 3 people over the age of 60 experience them regularly.

There are some simple steps you can take to prevent the cramps and ease their onset. In some cases, it’s also important to look for the underlying cause and address it.

What Causes Muscle Cramps?

In many cases, the reason for these painful contractions is unknown – in the medical jargon, the condition is referred to as ‘idiopathic leg cramps’.

Other reasons could be:

• Extreme exercise – you may have been exercising a lot and the muscles got tired, so they started to spasm.
• Pregnancy –   pregnancy can be associated with nighttime cramps, especially in the later stages.

Cramps can also be a side effect of some medicines you might be taking. Examples include:

• Diuretics
• Medications to lower high cholesterol (statins)
• Some anti-psychotic drugs
• Birth control pills
• Steroids

How to Deal with Cramps When they Happen?

The sudden pain can be excruciating and it’s good to have a technique you can easily employ.

• Stretch and massage the area. You can also try some stretching positions: bend your foot at the ankle, so that your toes are pointing toward the shin. Initially, this might be very painful, but the pain will subside.
• Take a warm shower or a bath. For a quicker relief, use a heating pad.
• Some experience pain relief if they apply some ice or a cold pack.
• Walk around and jiggle your painful leg. Try walking on your heels, which will stretch the muscle.
• Painkillers usually don’t act fast enough to help with cramping. You can take paracetamol to ease the muscle tenderness which can persist for up to 24 hours after the cramp occurs.

Stretching of the calf muscles

Stretch the affected muscles 3 times a day for about 5 minutes. Always stretch before and after exercise, and do the last session just before going to bed. It might take a few weeks before you notice any results, but persevere and you are likely to experience some improvement over time. To stretch the muscles:

• Stand 60 to 90 centimeters from the wall.
• Keep the soles of your feet on the floor and lean towards the wall.
• Feel the muscles stretch and hold this position for 20 to 40 seconds.
• Relax the muscles and then repeat again.which is a separate condition that presents with unpleasant feelings and sensations and an urge to move. Pain is not the main feature of RLS. However, RLS can sometimes be the cause of night cramps.

Read full article: Nighttime Leg Cramps: Causes, Prevention & Treatment