I believe that many of my friends have had this experience: they may be sleeping beautifully, and suddenly feel the muscles in both legs tense, and then instinctively twist up, causing heart-piercing pain. Every so often, we can react, it’s leg cramps!
Similar to this kind of sudden cramps while sleeping, once or twice may be no problem, but some friends always get cramps every once in a while , the quality of sleep has declined, and even life and work have been affected. Many people may think that they are “deficient in calcium”, so they deliberately buy calcium tablets and come back to eat. Is this method really reliable?
< strong>I always have sudden cramps when sleeping, is it really because of calcium deficiency?
The scientific name for cramps is also called muscle cramps, which usually refers to the absence of symptoms. In cases where the muscles and nervous system are out of control, or become excited, resulting in a painful phenomenon caused by excessive muscle contraction.
Under normal circumstances, the cramps will relieve slowly between 10 and 30 seconds, and there may be a slight pain left, and calcium deficiency is indeed the cause. One of the reasons for cramps:
This is because calcium ions are very important nutrients for the body. When calcium ions are fused into the blood, the appropriate concentration level can help regulate muscle excitability< /strong>. Conversely, if the concentration of calcium ions in the blood is insufficient, nerve control of the muscles is disturbed, and cramps are more likely.
However, calcium-deficiency cramps mostly occur in the elderly and pregnant women, and do not have the characteristics of frequent sleep at night. If you always cramp while sleeping at night, there is a high probability that it is not caused by calcium deficiency.
So, what is the reason for cramping while sleeping?
The main reason for cramping while sleeping is mainly Caused by external impact or fatigue. During sleep, the body’s metabolic system will slow down, and the metabolic rate will also slow down, and muscles are no exception.
If you are subjected to a large external force during the day, such as falling or hitting, or if you perform excessive exercise or long-term physical work during the day, metabolic substances will accumulate in the muscles, because Sleeping at night reduces metabolic rate, and the likelihood of muscle irritation, cramps or cramps increases.
Not only that, if you exercise too much during the day, a lot of lactic acid will be produced between the muscles, which will also stimulate the muscles and cause cramps.
It can be seen from this that frequent cramps when sleeping at night are most likely caused by overwork or external force injury, not necessarily because of calcium deficiency. Friends who have been in a similar situation for a long time should pay attention to their daily life. Rest, reduce labor and exercise, symptoms can also be effectively relieved.
However, it should be noted that if cramps still occur frequently after arranging a reasonable life and rest plan, it also needs attention: for example ischemia Sexual cramps, lesion-type cramps, etc., are likely to be the precursors of vasculitis, arteriosclerosis and other symptoms. It is the safest and correct choice to go to the hospital for examination and treatment in time. .
But having said that, although most of my friends sleep cramps at night because of overwork or excessive exercise, the tingling and discomfort caused by cramps really makes people a little “unbearable” , when we suddenly get cramps, is there any way to relieve it quickly and get rid of the cramps as soon as possible?
If you have a sudden cramp, try Try These 3 Quick Relief Methods
Method 1: Toe Cramps
When cramping, the leg muscles are usually curled inwards . Therefore, when you have a cramp, break your toes toward you, pay attention to stretching the muscles, and relieve the pain of the cramp.
Usually, pull the toes in the opposite direction, and hold for 1 to 2 minutes, the pain of cramps will gradually disappear, which has a very good relief effect. .
Method 2: Soak your feet with warm water appropriately
The essence of cramps is muscle tightening. If you feel cramps, you can use them quickly with the help of your family. Soak your feet in warm water, promote blood circulation through the temperature of hot water, help stretch muscles and relieve cramps.
While soaking your feet, in order to completely eliminate the residual pain caused by cramps, you can also properly rub the leg muscles to further speed up blood circulation. Under normal circumstances, soak your feet for about 5 to 10 minutes, and the cramps will be greatly improved.
Method 3: Jumping on one foot
For cramps in the foot or below the calf, single Foot jumping is also a very good relief method. By jumping with external force, it can not only help stretch muscles, but also promote blood circulation and relieve cramp symptoms faster.
However, when jumping on one foot with cramps, it is often necessary to endure the pain, so when jumping it’s better to hold on to the wall or cabinet to avoid falling, It will cause unnecessary trauma, please also pay attention.
To sum up, cramps at night are likely to be caused by external force, overwork or excessive exercise, not necessarily due to calcium deficiency. However, proper calcium supplementation is also a good way to prevent cramps, such as proper exercise, massage, protein supplementation, regular sleep, etc. As long as prevention is done in advance, the frequency of cramps will become less and less, to a certain extent, from It completely eliminates the hidden danger of sleep cramps at night.
References:
[1] Li Jiazhi. How to deal with calf cramps[J]. Health Monthly, 2017, 38(1):2.
[ 2]Jia Donglin. What is the reason for calf cramps during sleep[J]. Zhonghua Health Care, 2016(12):1.