Xiao Huang, 16 years old this year, has poor sleep quality in the past few days before school starts, which makes him very troubled.
It turns out that in the last few nights, Xiao Huang would always be woken up by the sharp pain of sudden leg cramps in the middle of the night. 1 minute to slow down. Originally, Xiao Huang’s sleep was relatively light, and after all the tossing and going, it can be said that he almost spent the second half of the night with his eyes open.
For this reason, Xiao Huang told his parents about his situation. I bought a few bottles of calcium tablets for Xiao Huang, hoping to get better.
Leg cramps at night , must it be calcium deficiency?
Maybe many people have the same idea as Xiao Huang’s mother, leg cramps at night ? Definitely related to “calcium deficiency”.
It is true that calcium not only replenishes bones, but also nourishes muscles. If calcium intake is insufficient The muscles tighten due to lack of nourishment, or lack of normal regulation, and cramps may occur during sleep.
However, calcium deficiency is not the only factor that can “stimulate” muscles. Even after taking calcium tablets, many friends still have leg cramps when they sleep at night. At this time, other physiological reasons should be considered more.
Long-term “sleeping cramps” may also be caused by these two objective reasons
The reason why cramps are mostly concentrated during sleep is mainly because in the sleep state, the control of the brain nerves on the senses will be minimized, without nerve constraints, Muscles are more likely to respond according to their actual state, leading to cramps.
For example, the first reason:Excessive exercise or fatigue during the day< /strong>
If you work too hard during the day, or run for a long time in order to lose weight, the leg muscles are in the process of breathing and consuming will produce a large amount of irritating lactic acid accumulation, when sleeping at night, without the restraint of the nerves, the muscles are more likely to be affected by a large amount of Lactic acid produces a spasm response, which forms cramps.
The second reason: The sleeping environment is too bad< /p>
For exampleThe sleeping bed is too short, the two legs cannot lie flat and are oppressed< /strong>;orThe temperature is too low when sleeping at night, and the muscles are stimulated by the low temperature.
Whether it is compression or low temperature, it may cause excessive muscle tightening, tangle, and finally develop into cramps.
In addition, most of my friends attribute the cause of night cramps to “calcium deficiency”, which is true in some respects However, calcium is not the only substance related to muscle growth, long-term cramps, and there is no fatigue, environmental and other objective reasons, “magnesium deficiency” may also be one of the “culprits”.
Not only calcium deficiency, but also “magnesium deficiency” Causes sleep cramps, how to distinguish?
Research shows that about 60% of the magnesium in the human body is distributed in the muscles and bones, magnesium Elements participate in the operation of nearly a hundred physiological reactions in the human body.
And one of them is to soothe and regulate muscles while transmitting nerve information. Therefore,When the body lacks magnesium, the muscle regulation function is insufficient, which will also lead to cramps.
So, how to identify magnesium deficiency? Generally speaking, when the body lacks magnesium, in addition to sleep leg cramps, there are May be accompanied by memory loss, mood swings and irritable situations. If you meet a similar situation, pay more attention to magnesium supplementation:For example, grapes, cantaloupe, and nuts are all good choose.
But having said that, if the above situation has been considered, butIf the cramping at night still does not improve, it is necessary to consider the possible hidden dangers of the disease. Medically, this symptom is called “night leg cramps”
Be wary of “night leg cramps”, which may be caused by 2 diseases, you may wish to check yourself
①Metabolic diseases
The regulation and control of nerves to muscles is closely related to the endocrine system. When the body has metabolic diseases, endocrine disorders, the probability of leg cramps will increase.
Such asdiabetes, thyroid disease, hypocalcemia< span> and so on. If the leg cramps cannot recover for a long time, go to the hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible.
②Lumbar compression type diseases
Such as lumbar disc herniation, lumbar hyperplasia and other diseases. Blood vessels and nerves in the legs connect to blood vessels and nerves in the lower back. When the waist is compressed, the musculature of the legs may also experience cramps.
Therefore, if the leg cramps cannot be cured for a long time, you might as well look for the cause of other body parts and go to the hospital for corresponding treatment Screening and conditioning.
When a disease occurs in the body, it is the best choice to seek help from a doctor as soon as possible.
If you have cramps at night caused by non-disease, of course you can Use lifestyle to prevent:
For example, before going to bed at night, do some stretching properly Exercise, soothe muscles;
Pay attention to adjust work and avoid overwork;
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ChooseAppropriate calcium, magnesium, vitamin B supplements to improve And so on.
In short, there are many reasons for sleep cramps at night, and it does not necessarily mean calcium deficiency. Only by adopting different methods to adjust and rationally targeting possible situations can the best results be achieved. When you encounter a disease, you must actively cooperate with the treatment to restore your body to health faster.
Reference materials:
[1] Jia Donglin. What about calf cramps while sleeping What happened[J]. Zhonghua Health Care, 2016(12):1.
[2] Shu Xueyi. Elderly people have “cramps” in their legs, so don’t blindly supplement calcium[J] ]. Popular Medicine, 2013.