Leg cramps when sleeping not only cause uncomfortable pain, but also make the patient easy to lose sleep, affecting mood the next day. So what are cramps, how to treat leg cramps when sleeping effectively? The content of the article below will answer all of the above questions for readers.
1. What is leg cramps when sleeping?
Leg cramps when sleeping is a phenomenon in which the muscles in the legs contract involuntarily, causing the patient to feel pain and make it difficult to move. Cramps often disrupt sleep, which in turn makes the patient tired and lack of energy the next day.
According to a medical study in the UK, more than 60% of adults and about 7% of children have experienced sleep cramps. In which, the most common subjects are the elderly, women who are pregnant or after giving birth.
However, in reality, normal healthy people sometimes experience leg cramps while sleeping. If this phenomenon recurs many times, you should visit a doctor soon to find out the cause, thereby getting timely treatment, avoiding complications later.
Sleep leg cramps are involuntary contractions of the leg muscles.
2. Causes of leg cramps when sleeping
There are many causes of leg cramps while sleeping, such as:
- Cold feet: Cold feet are a typical cause of leg cramps while sleeping. Experts say that it is because of the habit of letting the wind blow directly on the legs or not keeping warm when the weather changes, making the legs more susceptible to cold, thereby increasing the risk of calf cramps while sleeping.
- Excessive exercise: Patients who exercise too much during the day make bones and joints and muscles tired a lot at night. Besides, when calories and blood sugar are consumed too much due to overexertion, the patient will easily experience leg cramps while sleeping.
- Lack of water: Lack of water is also one of the typical reasons why leg cramps are more frequent. Lack of water causes the functioning of the organs in the body to be disrupted, which in turn causes the muscles to contract involuntarily.
- Poor blood circulation: When the blood circulation in the body is active, the blood vessels will be easily blocked, putting the patient at high risk of leg cramps while sleeping.
Leg cramps while sleeping are common in pregnant women.
3. Tips to cure leg cramps when sleeping
Here are some tips to treat leg cramps when you sleep that you can refer to:
- Mineral supplements: The adequate addition of minerals such as calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, ... found in green vegetables and fruits will help enhance muscle activity, thereby limiting the phenomenon of rats. calves while sleeping.
- Massage while sleeping: If you sometimes have leg cramps while sleeping, try to refer to the tips of massaging your toes, calves,... Massaging will help blood circulation better, thereby making cramps less. happen.
- Drink enough water: Water makes up 70% of our body. Therefore, you should drink enough water every day to limit uncomfortable leg cramps while sleeping.
- Use apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is known for its beauty and weight loss effects. Besides, apple cider vinegar is also an extremely healthy food, helping to supplement nutrients such as sodium, magnesium, potassium, ... as a way to prevent cramps while sleeping.
- Increase physical activity: The way to reduce cramps while sleeping is to increase movement, change positions and spend appropriate relaxation time. This is a solution to improve leg cramps when sleeping, which is extremely useful for pregnant women and postpartum women.
- Towel stretch: If you have leg cramps while sleeping, try using a bath towel. Then put your foot in the middle of the towel and use your hands to hold the top of the towel firmly. Next, stretch the towel to stretch your leg muscles. This method should be repeated 2-3 times a day to reduce uncomfortable leg cramps while sleeping.
- Massage: Hot or cold compresses both help blood circulation and relieve calf cramps while sleeping quickly. Therefore, when you have a cramp, take a heat pad and place it on the leg area. Thermal pads will promote blood circulation inside the body, thereby reducing muscle tension that causes cramps.
- Calf stretch exercises: With scientific calf stretch exercises, the phenomenon of sleep cramps will be significantly reduced. First, stand up on the step with half your feet. Then slowly raise your heels up and let them rest for about 30 seconds. Do this move about 8-10 times a day for best results!
- Move your toes: Leg cramps during sleep make you feel extremely uncomfortable. Then try moving your toes by following these steps! You start with raising your legs to 60 degrees off the floor, leave for 5 seconds and then lower. Continuously repeating this movement, you will certainly feel extremely comfortable, thereby reducing the phenomenon of cramps when sleeping effectively.
- Acupressure: Acupressure is a trick to treat leg cramps when sleeping that many people believe to apply today. According to experts, on each of us, there are a number of acupoints that help relieve pain when cramping is the blood between the big legs and the next toe; Points in between the lips and nose,... Please gently press these points every time you have a cramp!
You should supplement with adequate nutrients to reduce cramps while sleeping.
Above are all useful sleep leg cramps treatment tips that you can refer to. In addition, to get a good, full night's sleep, you should also equip yourself with quality, soft bedding! One of the brands you can completely trust is Ru9. Ru9 is proud to be the pioneer in Vietnam to bring foam material into the production of beddings and pillows. Surely, with the companion of Ru9, nocturnal cramps will no longer be your worry, instead, you will have a good, comfortable sleep next to your loved ones.
