Say good night to muscle cramps at night
We've probably all been there: sitting straight up in bed because some weird pain in our legs won't go away.
Nighttime leg cramps, also called nocturnal leg cramps, are painful, involuntary contractions or spasms of muscles in your legs, usually occurring when you're in bed. Nocturnal leg cramps can disrupt sleep like no other and usually involve your calf muscles, although muscles in your feet or thighs might cramp as well.
When you experience cramps at night in other muscles, you might've woken up from a strange sleeping position but know that the risk of having night cramps increases with age. Pregnant women also have a higher likelihood of having night leg cramps.
We will explain what causes these night time muscle cramps, how to prevent them, and how to stop muscle spasms, like those in your leg muscles, as quickly as possible.
What causes muscle cramp at night?
Muscle cramps, like the common leg cramps or cramping calf muscles, occur at night when your body experiences a deficiency on certain levels. It might be that you need to add magnesium supplements to your diet, or that you need to stretch more.
When you just did a vigorous exercise before you went to bed, without stretching out your leg muscles, this might lead to cramping.
Inactivity during the day cause shorter muscles
Another leading theory is that sitting for an extended period, such as while working at a desk, may cause the muscles to shorten over time.
This physical inactivity, when a person has not stretched their muscles for a while, may increase the risk of cramps. The cramps can commonly occur in bed at night. Someone who does not stretch their muscles or exercise regularly may be more at risk of leg cramps at night.
Right and wrong sleeping position
Lying in a certain way that restricts the blood flow to the legs, such as resting one leg on the other or with the legs crossed, may lead to leg cramps.
Try experimenting with sleeping in more stretched-out positions to see if this eases your nighttime leg cramps.
Deficiencies affect your muscles
Leg cramps, and especially nocturnal leg cramps occur when the muscle contracts involuntarily. People who have a vitamin B12 deficiency can sometimes experience muscle cramps all over the body.
Other than that, causes of nightly leg cramps might be a magnesium deficiency, a potassium deficiency or simply dehydration.
Every person needs a daily supply of magnesium for optimal health, but most people don't get enough from their diet. Cheap drug-store magnesium supplements don't absorb well, have unpleasant side effects, and come bulked with unnecessary fillers and binders. Cramp Defense® Truemag® is a fully reacted magnesium bound to malate, which is the form of magnesium used by nature in fruit and vegetables. This makes it high-absorbing and non-laxative, able to replenish your magnesium levels quickly, and stop cramps and spasms caused by low magnesium levels.
Try to incorporate foods in your diet that supply you with these minerals, such as bananas, watermelon, avocado and leafy greens. You can make a delicious salad and add legumes to make it extra filling and an ideal post-workout meal!
Dehydration is a factor as well, so try to drink plenty of water, especially during a workout. When sodium that is lost through sweat isn't replaced, cramps are likely to occur.
Medical conditions
Sometimes the reason your muscles cramp up is not a deficiency, but a more serious medical condition: inadequate blood supply, neurological disorders, a bacterial infection or side effects from medication can all cause your muscles to cramp.
You might want to visit a doctor when you experience leg cramps and other cramped muscles for long periods.
Preventing nocturnal muscle cramp
When you experience pain in your legs or calves often, or you have a lot of leg cramps at night, you can do a couple of things to prevent this from happening in the future.
Massaging and stretching tight muscles
When you just did a vigorous workout, and you feel your calf muscle or leg muscles tighten up, you can massage the affected muscle and stretch it for a few minutes to regulate the blood flow.
You can also get out of bed and stand with flat feet on the floor, flex your foot, grab your toes and pull them towards you.
Not a bad idea if we say so ourselves: try to book a massage at a professional massaging salon to beat leg cramps at night!
Supplementing essential minerals
Because muscle cramps often are a sign of a magnesium deficiency, you can try adding magnesium supplements to your bed time routine and drink plenty of water before you go to bed.
This also works for restless legs syndrome, which is not the same as muscle cramps, but can also keep you up at night.
Why is magnesium so important as cramp treatment?
This crucial mineral can...
- Loosen muscles by blocking the effect of calcium, which tightens muscles. As people age, excess calcium collects in the muscles, causing cramps. (Also, beware that calcium supplements, especially with Vitamin D, can cause calcium overload!)
- Increase the absorption of potassium, which is critical for proper muscle function.
- Decrease pain by blocking pain receptors in the brain and nervous system.
- Dampen inflammation in the muscles and the entire body.
- Relax blood vessels and decrease blood pressure, which restores healthy circulation.
- Increase your serotonin, GABA and melatonin, which helps you relax and fall asleep.
About Cramp DEFENSE® magnesium supplements
Cheap drug-store magnesium supplements don't absorb well, have unpleasant side effects, and come bulked with unnecessary fillers and binders. Cramp Defense® is different. Containing our proprietary magnesium blend Truemag® , it is designed to be pure, safe, non-laxative and high-absorbing.
Truemag® is a fully reacted magnesium bound to malate, which is the form of magnesium used by nature in fruit and vegetables. This makes it high-absorbing and non-laxative, able to replenish your magnesium levels quickly, and stop cramps and spasms caused by low magnesium levels.
Cramp Defense® is designed to prevent leg cramps, muscle cramps, and muscle spasms caused by magnesium deficiency. This means (for best results) you should take it every day, to maintain high magnesium levels. However, you should take as few capsules as necessary to see results.
Supportive shoes for tired muscles
Women might experience cramps during their pregnancy in their legs, calves, feet and heels because of extra weight that these body parts have to carry and a slightly obstructed blood flow.
Make sure you wear supportive shoes and try a light stretching routine here and there to keep the oxygen in your blood up to the right levels.
How can I stop nighttime muscle cramps fast?
The moment you feel the cramp and severe pain creep up in your muscles, you want to get rid of it. There are several ways to end a cramping episode, but the main solutions have to do with stretching, relaxing and applying heat.
Quick fixes for cramped muscles...
The quickest fix of them all: counter stretching the affected muscle, calves or legs for a few minutes, until the contracted muscle relieves. Forcefully stretching should take away the cramps almost immediately. If stretching doesn't help, you can try to apply heat to the affected muscle.
A heating pad or a warm bath works wonders for nighttime cramps and at the same time as the ultimate muscle relaxants. Surrounding yourself, and thus your muscles, with heat, prevent cramps and involuntary contraction of the muscles like charley horse (contracting calf muscles). Most of the time it also immediately relieves the pain.
...versus underlying medical conditions that cause muscles to cramp at night
Although leg cramps at night and muscle cramps in general are generally harmless, there are a few situations in which you should consult a doctor.
There are a few possible causes for cramps that should be taken seriously. When the pain and or cramp lingers on for a longer period of time and you experience other symptoms as well, an underlying medical condition, like nerve damage or a liver disease might be the cause.
Check out your medical history to see if there are any risk factors that your doctor should take into account.
F.A.Q.
Muscle cramps, like the common leg cramps or cramping calf muscles, occur at night when your body experiences a deficiency on certain levels. It might be that you need to add magnesium supplements to your diet, or that you need to stretch more.
In short, it might be a deficiency acting up, or you put too much pressure on your muscles during your last workout.
The moment you feel the cramp and severe pain creep up in your muscles, you want to get rid of it. There are several ways to end a cramping episode, but the main solutions have to do with stretching, relaxing and applying heat.
Your muscles need minerals like potassium and magnesium (electrolytes). If you experience leg cramps, you might need to supplement these.
Dehydration is a factor as well, so try to drink plenty of water, especially during a workout. When sodium that is lost through sweat isn't replaced, cramps are likely to occur.
You can also combine drinking and supplementing by adding a sports drink to your routine.
Yes. Bananas are a good source of potassium. But they'll also give you magnesium and calcium. That's three out of four nutrients (the fourth is sodium) you need to ease cramped up muscles.
Other foods that will help you with preventing leg cramps and other cramps: leafy greens like spinach and kale (hello iron and magnesium), avocado, watermelon for hydration and, supposedly, pickle juice. Yes, really.
Do you have go-to meals that are filled with the electrolytes mentioned above? Please let us know!
Yes, there is research showing pickle juice shortens muscle cramp duration, but not because of its high electrolyte concentration.
The acetic acid in pickle juice is ‘noxious tasting’ and chemically stimulates a reflex in the back of the throat. This reflex has been shown to decrease activity in certain neurons which causes muscle relaxation.
The quickest fix of them all: counter stretching the affected muscle, calves or legs for a few minutes, until the contracted muscle relieves. Forcefully stretching should take away the cramps almost immediately.
If stretching doesn't help, you can try to apply heat to the painful muscle.
Every person needs a daily supply of magnesium for optimal health, but most people don't get enough from their diet.
Cheap drug-store magnesium supplements don't absorb well, have unpleasant side effects, and come bulked with unnecessary fillers and binders.
Cramp Defense® is different. Containing our proprietary magnesium blend Truemag® , it is designed to be pure, safe, non-laxative and high-absorbing.
Low sodium is probably the biggest driver of muscle cramping during exercise. If sodium lost through sweat isn't replaced—and if the athlete over-hydrates with plain water—cramps are likely to occur.
Refining or processing of food may deplete magnesium content of certain foods by nearly 85%. Furthermore, cooking, especially boiling of magnesium-rich foods, will result in significant loss of magnesium.
Try to eat raw vegetables and other foods every now and then, to make sure you take in magnesium as efficiently as possible. Did you know that iron is absorbed better with the help of vitamin C? If you combine the two in one meal, you hit the jackpot!