Nighttime Leg Cramps ( Night Leg Cramps )

Nocturnal leg cramps are sudden, involuntary contractions of the calf muscles that occur during the night or while at rest. These cramps affect persons in any age-group, occuring in young, middle-aged and older populations. Sometimes muscles in the soles of the feet also cramp. That is a subject of another article.

There will be no doubt in your mind about having a night leg cramp, nor will you remain asleep once you have one. The pain is normally rapid and moderate to severe. Even after the initial contractions have abated, some residual tension and pain/tenderness remains for varying periods of time.

It is very important to obtain an accurate diagnosis before trying to find a cure.  Many diseases and conditions share common symptoms.  Treating yourself for the wrong illness or a specific symptom of a complex disease may delay the correct treatment of another underlying serious problem.  If you do not know what you really have, you can not treat it! In other words, the biggest danger in treating yourself may be self-diagnosis.

It is difficult to weed out misinformation and piece together countless facts in order to see the route cause.  One tool used by both doctors and patients is The Analyst™ . It is a computerized diagnostic tool that sits on a vast accumulation of knowledge and research.  It combines thousands of connections between signs, symptoms, risk factors, conditions and treatments. 

Research has not identified precisely causes of lower leg cramps or nighttime leg cramps. The problem is most likely with the nerves controlling the muscles rather than with the muscles themselves. Some research points to a problem with the transition from wakefulness to sleep.

Of those who have night leg cramps or running calf cramps, many have them at the time of dreaming. That’s why some researchers think that these cramps result from a subtle malfunction in the control system that normally separates our brain from the body movements we make in our dreams. However, most scientists believe that the problem is not a disorder within the brain. We are in that camp and find that heavy use of the muscles are the most contributory.

Sometimes the causes for joint and muscle pain are overexertion of the muscles, structural disorders (flat feet), standing on concrete, prolonged sitting, inappropriate leg positions while sedentary, or dehydration. Doctors do know that those who are more muscular seem to have more leg cramps. Less common causes include diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, hypoglycemia, anemia, thyroid and endocrine disorders and use of some medications. Hint: Drink plenty of fluids, stretch before and after, and don’t overstress muscles.

Low levels of certain minerals known as electrolytes—magnesium, potassium, calcium and sodium—have long been linked to leg cramps. (Marathon runners sweating out the miles are particularly prone to this variety.) Certain drugs, such as diuretics have also been cited as a cause of leg cramps. Dialysis patients often complain of leg cramps, and pregnancy is also a factor.

To prevent cramping consider the regular use of supplements, especially calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium (only if your sodium intake is low or if you sweat a lot). Stretching your calves regularly during the day and at night will help. Do this within reason. If a little stretching once seems to prevent nighttime leg cramps, follow what works for you instead of a boilerplate type of approach.

You can often prevent night cramps by exhausting the stretch reflex before you go to bed by stretching your calf muscles with wall pushups and applying a heating pad for 10 minutes before going to bed. Keeping blankets loose at the foot of the bed will help prevent unnatural positioning of your feet and toes which can cause night time cramping. See above hint of general precautions and experiment to find what works for you.

When cramping occurs and you want your muscle pain cured naturally, try walking on the affected leg and then elevate it. Stretch your calf by grabbing your toes and pulling them upward toward your knee, especially with you leg extended straight. This should relieve the problem, but if not consider taking a hot shower or warm bath, or apply an ice massage to the cramped muscle to see muscle pain cured naturally.

Persistent or severe leg cramps often are treated with medication. Such medications include diphenhydramine hydrochloride (Benadryl), prescription muscle relaxants (off-label use) such as meprobamate (Equanil, Miltown) and verapamil hydrochloride (Calan, Isoptin, Verelan). Quinine, while effective, has too many side effects and has been banned in the US for this use.

From 1969 through June 1992, FDA received 157 reports of health problems related to quinine use, including 23 that resulted in death. Nonserious problems included temporary sight and hearing disturbances, dizziness, fever, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Serious problems included thrombocytopenia, a destruction of blood platelets that can lead to massive bleeding and sometimes death. 

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Muscle cramps – Low Carb Friends
There are also medical conditions that cause night time muscle cramps like low thryroid. I had low thyroid and was potassium deficient during my induction eating so my doc fixed the thyroid.

Leg Cramp Solutions: Leg Cramps can be Helped
Vitamin E has been shown to offer symptom relief for many patients with night time leg cramps and thus is included in Leg-Gesic. Studies suggest that you will improve arterial blood flow.

Night Leg Cramps
Night time leg cramps are a very common problem. It worsens with age and pregnancy, and most commonly they occur after heavy exercise during the day. Some hours after ceasing the exercise, the cramps happened.

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Tags: causes for joint and muscle pain, causes of lower leg cramps, medical causes of leg cramps, muscle pain cured naturally, nighttime, quinine for leg cramps, treatment leg cramps, what causes leg cramps