Leg cramps at night - how to quickly get rid of and recover?

January 17, 2021

Cramps are uncontrollable contractions of the leg muscles that appear unexpectedly. As a rule, they appear in the evenings before going to bed or in the morning after waking up. Based on the duration of the manifestations, there are short ones, lasting a few seconds, and long ones, the duration of which can be up to 15 minutes. If they are single in nature, they do not cause serious problems. However, they lead to discomfort, disruption of rest and muscle function. With repeated repetitions and the appearance of pain, they serve as a separate symptom indicating a number of diseases.

From this article you will learn the reasons why your calves cramp in the morning, what first aid should be given for cramps, treatment and prevention.

Causes of leg cramps at night

Each muscle cell is a carrier of an electrical discharge, since the inside of its walls are covered with potassium ions, and the outside with sodium ions. To prevent this ionic balance from being disturbed, cells have special pumps. Ionic charges allow cells to contract.

When a cell is influenced by nerve impulses, its charge becomes weak, as calcium and sodium ions penetrate inside, and potassium is excreted. When a cell contains calcium ions, it spasms. It is this condition that a person regards as a convulsion. To relieve a cramp, the cells launch special pumps that pump potassium into it and remove calcium and sodium.

In addition to electrolyte imbalance, seizures can be caused by neurological problems and disruptions in the circulatory system. Moreover, each of these reasons can lead to the development of seizures, both on their own and in combination with each other. It is necessary to dwell on them in more detail.

Water-electrolyte imbalance

If the balance between ions in cells and in the extracellular space is disturbed, then a person develops a seizure.

The following pathological reasons can provoke an imbalance of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium and chlorine ions:

Dehydration of the body.
Electrolyte imbalance is most often caused by dehydration, in which the blood becomes thicker, the level of sodium in the blood decreases and muscle spasms develop. Also, convulsions will develop during massive blood loss, when the volume of circulating blood in the body sharply decreases.
Taking diuretics.
If a person self-medicates or does not follow the doctor’s recommendations regarding taking diuretic medications, he may experience seizures. In this regard, it is especially dangerous not to comply with the dosage of loop diuretics, such as Furosemide, Lasix and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (Diacarb). These drugs remove sodium and magnesium from the body, which contributes to the excitability of nerve endings and the development of muscle spasms. This problem is especially relevant for older people. They complain of cramps and muscle twitching that occur at night. Moreover, such convulsions can develop even simply by changing body position.
Pregnancy.
While carrying a child, a woman’s body often experiences a deficiency of various vitamins and microelements. They are spent on the needs of the growing fetus. Therefore, pregnant women often experience leg cramps at night.
Liver damage.
In cirrhosis, there is an imbalance between globulins and albumins. As a result, the patient may develop seizures.
Chronic renal failure.
Patients forced to regularly undergo hemodialysis often experience leg cramps. (read more: Chronic renal failure)

Oxygen starvation of tissues

If body tissues experience oxygen starvation, this can provoke the accumulation of metabolic products in the body that have not undergone sufficient oxidation. Muscles exposed to hypoxia begin to contract, causing noticeable pain.

Varicose veins
People suffering from varicose veins often experience leg cramps. In this case, the muscles spasm painfully at night if the load on the legs was high during the day, for example, the person walked a lot. In this regard, not only dynamic, but also static overvoltage of the veins is dangerous. In addition to cramps in the legs, the patient experiences swelling in them, and in the evenings he will experience heaviness in them. The legs are riddled with veins and small capillaries that swell and show through the skin. Varicose veins, and therefore cramps in the legs at night, often accompany people who work as hairdressers, teachers, and salespeople. Also, varicose veins often worsen in pregnant women.
Damage to capillaries.
Small arteries are primarily affected in diabetics, smokers, and patients with intermittent claudication. The tissues of the lower extremities do not receive enough nutrition due to disturbances in the flow of arterial blood to them. In addition to cramps at night, such people are bothered by pain in the legs when walking, deterioration in the sensitivity of the limbs, and disruption of their thermoregulation.
Flat feet.
Anomalies in the development of the foot lead to the fact that the load on the muscles and ligaments is distributed unevenly. This becomes the main cause of cramps in the lower extremities. With flat feet, both blood vessels and nerve endings are simultaneously affected.
Raynaud's disease.
This disease is characterized by impaired capillary blood flow, which causes hypoxia of muscle tissue. As a result, a person often experiences cramps in the legs, the limbs freeze, and when in contact with cold they turn blue and spasm.

Nervous system diseases

Leg cramps at night can bother a person with diseases such as:

Osteochondrosis of the spinal column.
High body temperature that causes febrile seizures.
Spastic paralysis can cause tonic cramps in the legs.
Infectious diseases, for example, meningococcal infection.
Poisoning from alcohol-containing products.
Mushroom poisoning.
Bites from poisonous insects and snakes.
Injections of sea urchins and stingrays
Vitamin D overdose.

Other reasons

A disease such as hypoparathyroidism can manifest itself as leg cramps. However, any damage to the parathyroid glands, accompanied by a decrease in their functions, will be expressed by muscle spasms.

In this case, convulsions will begin to affect the facial area and hands. The patient's hair falls out, weakness and fatigue increase, and other symptoms characteristic of hormonal disorders in the body develop.

Taking birth control pills can cause leg cramps in women.

Magnesium deficiency, calcium deficiency and B vitamin deficiency will lead to the development of leg cramps. With a lack of magnesium, a person suffers from insomnia, increased fatigue and irritability.

If a person is deficient in calcium, the condition of his hair and nails worsens.

With a deficiency of B vitamins, people, in addition to cramps, experience tingling in their toes, increased general weakness, and decreased performance.

Alcoholism is one of the reasons for the development of leg cramps at night. Regular and prolonged consumption of alcoholic beverages leads to the leaching of B vitamins from the body, which affects the condition of the muscles.

Prolonged stress can lead to the development of leg cramps, since during such periods the body spends a lot of magnesium and B vitamins.

Video: Dr. Evdokimenko about leg cramps, how to treat?

Strengthening methods

When using medications, the doctor additionally prescribes strengthening methods designed to enhance the effects of the drugs and enhance regeneration processes in the muscles.

Additional treatments for seizures may include:

Physiotherapy - the most popular are electrophoresis, UVT therapy, laser treatment and warming procedures,
Exercise therapy – therapeutic exercises will strengthen muscles, restore blood circulation and cellular nutrition,
Massage - warm-up will disperse toxins and waste, improve blood flow to the thigh area,
Alternative Medicine – Acupuncture and manual therapy can be used to relieve seizures.

Also, during treatment it is necessary to adhere to a diet - foods should be rich in vitamins and microelements, and the diet should be fractional. You should not eat fats - they turn into lactic acid and provoke cramps.

Why do seizures occur in healthy people?

Sometimes leg cramps at night can occur in completely healthy people. Most often they are triggered by excessive muscle tension. Due to their professional duties, people spend a long time in one position. At night, when the muscles relax, they begin to cramp.

For example, circus performers and ballerinas suffer from leg cramps more often than other people. The same applies to professional athletes and track and field athletes, skiers and speed skaters. Thus, the characteristics of professional activity can cause the development of leg cramps at night, even if the person does not suffer from any diseases.

Nighttime muscle spasms in the lower extremities can bother vegetarians. This is especially true when a person strictly limits proteins and foods containing calcium and magnesium in his diet.

Surprisingly, people who drink green tea can suffer from leg cramps. If you drink it for many years, very often and in large quantities, this will lead to leaching of beneficial microelements from the body. The fact is that this drink has a diuretic effect, which many people are not even aware of.

Types of spasms

Experts distinguish several types of seizures, dividing them into categories according to two main characteristics: location, nature and duration. In the first category, the following types of muscle contractions are distinguished:

Local. They occur on a separate (local) muscle area, for example, on the thigh muscle.
One-sided. Fixed only on one side of the body (for example, on the right).
Are common. In such situations, muscles throughout the body, both left and right, cramp, which can lead to problems with swallowing, breathing and other important activities.

The second category includes the following types:

Tonic - long lasting convulsions that turn into a state of tension. They are painful, feeling as if some muscles are hardening. Most often this is felt in the calves and legs, less often - thighs and feet.
Myoclonic contractions are short-term contractions that completely end after a few minutes and do not leave any unpleasant consequences.
Clonic (nervous tic) - jerky, cyclically repeating and alternating with relaxation. Accompanied by fairly rapid movements, for example, of the eyelids. This happens due to short-term contractions of certain muscle groups.
Tonic-clonic . Combine the simultaneous action of several described types of seizures.
Generalized – the most dangerous type, is accompanied by muscle contraction throughout the body and often provokes loss of consciousness. The occurrence of such spasms indicates a serious illness and requires immediate medical attention.

How to treat leg cramps at night?

Leg cramps never occur on their own. To prevent their development, it is necessary to influence the cause that led to the occurrence of a convulsive attack.

Activities may be as follows:

To prevent dehydration, you need to drink enough water. This is very important for proper muscle function. This rule is especially relevant for the hot season, as well as for people involved in active sports. It is best to give preference to mineral water, rich in beneficial microelements.
If you lose fluid during vomiting or diarrhea, you need to drink enough water. Experts advise taking rehydration solutions (Regidron, Gidrovit, etc.). If after a few hours the situation does not improve, then you should seek medical help.
To prevent seizures from taking medications, you must strictly follow your doctor’s recommendations. If, despite this, muscle spasms continue to haunt a person, then the question of reviewing therapy needs to be raised.
To avoid leg cramps during pregnancy, a woman needs to take vitamin and mineral complexes.
Patients with liver cirrhosis should receive adequate treatment for the disease, take hepatoprotectors, follow a diet, and stop drinking alcohol. When fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity, it needs to be pumped out.
If the cause of leg cramps lies in varicose veins, then you need to follow a diet aimed at reducing excess weight. You should definitely stop smoking. When varicose veins have just begun to develop, wearing compression garments can help. Cramps may stop bothering you when a person begins to receive treatment with venotonics in creams and ointments (Troxevasin, Venitan, etc.), as well as in tablets (Eskuzan, Detralex, Phlebodia 600, etc.). If conservative treatment does not help cope with the existing problem, then surgery is necessary.
Patients with diabetes should make every effort to keep their glucose levels under control. This will stop the progression of the disease and prevent serious complications from developing. At the initial stage of diabetes, you can try to adjust your menu, adhere to a strict diet and increase physical activity. If this does not help, then treatment is supplemented with sugar-burning drugs and/or insulin injections.
To relieve spasm from blood vessels, which causes leg cramps during obliterating endarteritis, it is necessary to take antispasmodics, for example, Drotaverine. Antibiotics and corticosteroids are prescribed to reduce inflammation in the veins. The patient should receive vitamins and anticoagulants. If a patient develops ulcers on his legs, then surgical intervention is necessary to reconstruct the veins or improve the functioning of the blood vessels.
If leg cramps develop due to flat feet, then treatment should be started as early as possible. Conservative therapy is effective only at the first stage of the disease. If a person is overweight, he needs to lose weight, follow a diet, and reduce the load on the foot. At the next stages of development of the pathology, surgery is indicated for the patient.
Vitamin D must be given to the child in strict accordance with the dosage prescribed by the doctor.
To prevent the development of leg cramps at night with Raynaud's syndrome, the limbs must be kept warm. It is possible to take drugs such as Nifedipine, Verapamil, Captopril, Ketanserin. In parallel, therapy is carried out for the underlying disease, which provoked the development of Raynaud's syndrome. Physiotherapeutic procedures, reflexology, hyperbaric oxygenation, etc. have proven themselves well.
To prevent seizures with hyperparathyroidism, a person should be regularly examined by an endocrinologist. His menu should include foods such as vegetables, fruits, and dairy drinks. They are rich in calcium and magnesium, but deprived of phosphorus, which is important for such patients. In parallel, calcium supplements with ammonium chloride and vitamin D supplements are prescribed.
If a child is prone to febrile convulsions, then it is necessary to give him antipyretic drugs in a timely manner, preventing the body temperature from rising to high levels.
It is imperative to take magnesium with vitamin B6 if seizures are caused by a deficiency of this microelement. As a rule, the full course of treatment should be about 8 weeks. After this time, cramps will stop bothering the person. Drugs for treatment: Magnistad, Magnelis B6, etc. At the same time, you need to eat foods rich in magnesium: parsley, onions, dill, dried apricots, prunes, bran, beans, legumes, seaweed.
If seizures develop due to a deficiency of B vitamins, then a course of injections with the drug Milgamma should be performed. You need to start with 5 injections, give them every other day. If you feel better, then you need to give 5 more injections.
If there is a deficiency of calcium in the body, it is necessary to take it in tablets. You can choose a combined form of medication, where calcium is combined with vitamin D. This way it is better absorbed. The course of treatment is 30 days. At the same time, you need to enrich your menu with foods with calcium: cottage cheese, cheese, sesame seeds, fermented milk drinks, broccoli.
To relax muscles, muscle relaxants can be used, such as: Mydocalm, Tolperisone, Sirdalud, Baclofen.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol is an excellent prevention of leg cramps.

[Video] Dr. Berg - LEG CRAMPS. Legs cramp at night: what to do?

How to quickly get rid of cramps after waking up?

There are simple tips that can help quickly stop leg cramps and restore their sensitivity:

A cramp that causes a person to wake up can be eliminated by stretching the leg and foot. To do this, you need to get out of bed and walk a little on your toes.
If you don’t want to get out of bed, you can simply straighten your foot while lying down.
You can also massage the problem area of your leg right in bed, gently stroking and kneading it.
The spasm can be stopped by pricking the skin of the leg with something sharp, for example, a pencil.
You can apply a warming ointment to the skin of the lower limb or rub it with alcohol.
Sometimes just moving your leg is enough for the brain to receive a signal that everything is fine with the body.

By following these recommendations, you can not only stop the cramp, but also prevent its reoccurrence.

Video: 3 ways to relieve cramps:

Exercises to prevent seizures

To avoid leg cramps at night, you need to do the following exercises before going to bed:

Stand on your heels and stand there for 20 seconds.
Spread your heels apart and point your toes together. Stay like this for another 20 seconds.
Place your heels together and point your toes in different directions. Stand in this position for 20 minutes.
Sit on a chair and quickly bend and straighten your toes.
Stand up and walk on the outside and inside of your feet.
Sit on a chair and try to write numbers from one to ten in the air with your feet.
Sit on the floor, bend your knees and pull your toes towards you. During the exercise, you need to feel how the calf muscle stretches. You need to perform the exercise 3 times for 10 seconds each.
Stand on your toes, stretch your arms up, and lower yourself onto your heels. Perform the exercise 5 times for 10 seconds.
Stand up, tilt your torso forward, touch your toes, but keep your heels pressed to the floor. Repeat the exercise 6 times for 10 seconds.

What is prohibited

The regular occurrence of muscle spasms accompanied by pain indicates the development of systemic pathology. In such a situation, self-medication can be dangerous. The patient loses time, the disease progresses, and serious complications develop.

Attention!
If cramps in the calf muscles appear 2 or more times within a week for no apparent reason, you should consult a doctor and undergo a comprehensive examination.

It is prohibited to take painkillers and muscle relaxants without consulting a doctor. The first drugs mask the symptom without eliminating the disease, while the second can cause respiratory arrest.