Leg cramps at night: symptoms and treatment
Leg cramps at night are troublesome for many people. This condition cannot be called an independent disease, but it still disrupts a person's well-being.
A cramp is a muscle spasm, in this case, of the lower limbs. Moreover, this spasm occurs mainly at night. As a rule, nocturnal cramps do not last long, but even short-term compression of the calf muscles is enough to make a person wake up. Convulsions can cause painful sensations that are sometimes intense. The average duration of a seizure is 10 seconds.
Leg cramps at night can bother a person of any age, even children, but older people often complain of them.
Many people are concerned about the question of why a cramped leg most often reduces it at night, and not during the day. The fact is that muscle activity during sleep is minimal, and the air is often stuffy. Under such conditions, lactic acid begins to accumulate in the cells, which provokes a painful spasm. In addition, in people with vascular pathologies, venous outflow is imperfect and arterial blood flow is insufficient. As a result, the tissues of the lower extremities suffer from oxygen starvation, to which they react with convulsions.
Content:
- Causes of leg cramps at night
- Why do seizures occur in healthy people?
- How to treat leg cramps at night?
- How to quickly get rid of cramps after waking up?
- Exercises to prevent seizures
- Simple tips for preventing leg cramps
Causes of leg cramps at night
Each muscle cell is a carrier of an electrical discharge, since inside its walls are covered with potassium ions, and 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 the cell contains calcium ions, its spasm occurs. It is this state that a person regards as a convulsion. To relieve the seizure, the cells start special pumps that pump potassium into it and remove calcium and sodium.
In addition to electrolyte imbalance, seizures can be caused by neurological problems, failures in the blood supply system. Moreover, each of these reasons can lead to the development of seizures both by themselves and in combination with each other. It is necessary to dwell on them in more detail.
Violations of water and electrolyte balance
If the balance between ions in cells and in the extracellular space is disturbed, then a person develops a convulsion.
The following pathological reasons can provoke an imbalance of potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium and chlorine ions:
- Dehydration of the body. Dehydration often leads to electrolyte imbalance, in which the blood becomes thicker, the sodium level in the blood decreases and muscle spasm develops. Also, seizures will develop with massive blood loss, when the volume of circulating blood in the body sharply decreases.
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Taking diuretics. If a person self-medicates, or does not follow the doctor's recommendations for taking diuretics, then 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 spasm. This problem is especially relevant for the elderly. They complain of cramps and muscle twitching that occur at night. Moreover, such seizures can develop even simply with a change in body position.
- Pregnancy. During childbearing, a woman's body is often deficient in various vitamins and minerals. They are spent on the needs of the growing fruit. Therefore, pregnant women often have leg cramps at night.
- Liver damage. In cirrhosis, there is an imbalance between globulins and albumin. As a result, the patient may develop seizures.
- Chronic renal failure. Patients who have to regularly undergo hemodialysis often experience leg cramps. (read more: Chronic renal failure)
Oxygen starvation of tissues
If the tissues of the body experience oxygen starvation, then this can provoke the accumulation of metabolic products in the body that have not undergone sufficient oxidation. Muscles that have undergone hypoxia begin to contract, causing tangible pain.
- Varicose veins. People with varicose veins often experience cramps in the legs. In this case, the muscles painfully spasm at night, if during the day the load on the legs was great, for example, a person walked a lot. In this regard, not only dynamic, but also static overstrain of veins is dangerous. In addition to spasms in the legs, the patient has their swelling, in the evenings he will feel heaviness in them. The legs are permeated with veins and small capillaries that swell and show through the skin. Varicose veins, and hence leg cramps at night, are often companions of people working as hairdressers, teachers, and salespeople. Also, varicose veins are often exacerbated in pregnant women.
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Damage to the capillaries. First of all, small arteries are affected in diabetics, in smokers, in patients with intermittent claudication. The tissues of the lower extremities receive less nutrition due to disturbances in the flow of arterial blood to them. In addition to cramps at night, such people are worried about pain in the legs when walking, deterioration in the sensitivity of the limbs, and a violation of their thermoregulation.
- Flat feet. Anomalies in the development of the foot lead to the fact that the load on the muscles and on the ligaments is unevenly distributed. This becomes the main cause of cramps in the lower limbs. With flat feet, both vessels and nerve endings suffer at the same time.
- Raynaud's disease. This disease is characterized by impaired capillary blood flow, which causes hypoxia of muscle tissue. As a result, a person often has cramps in the legs, the limbs freeze, and upon contact with the cold they turn blue and spasm.
Diseases of the nervous system
Leg cramps at night can bother someone with medical conditions such as:
- Osteochondrosis of the spinal column.
- High body temperature that causes febrile seizures.
- Spastic paralysis can cause tonic leg cramps.
- Infectious diseases such as meningococcal disease.
- Poisoning with alcohol-containing products.
- Mushroom poisoning.
- Poisonous insect and snake bites.
- Injections of sea urchins and rays
- Vitamin D overdose.
Other reasons
A disease such as hypoparathyroidism can manifest as cramps in the legs. 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, 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 deficiencies, calcium deficiencies and B vitamins will lead to leg cramps. With a lack of magnesium, a person suffers from insomnia, increased fatigue and irritability.
If a person is deficient in calcium, then his hair and nails condition worsens.
With a deficiency of B vitamins, in addition to convulsions, people experience tingling in the toes, general weakness increases, and efficiency decreases.
Alcoholism is one of the reasons for the development of leg cramps at night. Regular and prolonged intake of alcoholic beverages leads to the fact that B vitamins are washed out of the body, which affects the condition of the muscles.
Prolonged stress can lead to the development of leg cramps, as during such periods the body expends a lot of magnesium and B vitamins.
Video: Dr. Evdokimenko about leg cramps, how to treat?
Why do seizures occur in healthy people?
Sometimes leg cramps at night can occur in completely healthy people. Most often they are provoked 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 skaters. Thus, the peculiarities of professional activity can cause the development of leg cramps at night, even if the person does not suffer from any diseases.
Night cramps in the muscles of the lower extremities can be troubling for vegetarianists. This is especially true in the case when a person severely restricts proteins in his diet, and foods containing calcium and magnesium.
Surprisingly, people who are green tea lovers can suffer from leg cramps. If you drink it for many years, very often and in large quantities, it will lead to the leaching of useful trace elements from the body. The fact is that this drink has a diuretic effect that many people do not even know about.
How to treat leg cramps at night?
Leg cramps never happen on their own. In order to prevent their development, it is necessary to act on the cause that led to the occurrence of a convulsive attack.
Activities can be as follows:
- Drink enough water to keep your body hydrated. 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 trace elements.
- If you lose fluids during vomiting or diarrhea, you should drink enough water. Experts advise taking rehydration solutions (Regidron, Hydrovit, etc.). If after a few hours the situation does not improve, then you need to seek medical help.
- To prevent convulsions from being the result of taking medications, you must strictly follow the doctor's recommendations. If, despite this, muscle spasms continue to pursue a person, then the question of revising therapy should be raised.
- To avoid leg cramps during pregnancy, a woman needs to take vitamin and mineral complexes.
- Patients with cirrhosis of the liver should receive adequate treatment for the disease, take hepatoprotectors, follow a diet, and refuse to drink alcohol. When fluid accumulates in the abdominal cavity, it must be pumped out.
- If the cause of leg cramps lies in varicose veins, then you need to follow a diet aimed at losing excess weight. Be sure to stop smoking. When varicose veins have just started to develop, wearing compression underwear can help. Convulsions may cease to bother when a person begins to receive treatment with venotonics in creams and ointments (Troxevasin, Venitan, etc.), as well as in tablets (Escuzan, Detralex, Phlebodia 600, etc.). If conservative treatment does not help to 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 severe 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 the treatment is supplemented with sugar-burning drugs and / or insulin injections.
- To relieve spasm from blood vessels, which causes leg cramps with obliterating endarteritis, it is necessary to take antispasmodics, for example, Drotaverin. Antibiotics and corticosteroids are prescribed to reduce inflammation in the veins. The patient must receive vitamins and anticoagulants. If a patient develops ulcers on his legs, then surgery is necessary to reconstruct the veins or improve the functioning of the vessels.
- If leg cramps develop due to flat feet, treatment should be started as early as possible. Conservative therapy is effective only at the first stage of the development of the disease. If a person suffers from excess weight, he needs to lose weight, follow a diet, reduce the load on the foot. At the next stages of the development of pathology, the patient is shown an operation.
- 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. At the same time, the therapy of the underlying disease is carried out, which provoked the development of Raynaud's syndrome. Physiotherapy procedures, reflexology, hyperbaric oxygenation, etc. have proven themselves well.
- To prevent seizures in hyperparathyroidism, a person should be regularly examined by an endocrinologist. His menu should include such products as vegetables, fruits, dairy drinks. They are rich in calcium, magnesium, but deprived of phosphorus, which is important for such patients. At the same time, calcium preparations with ammonium chloride, vitamin D preparations are prescribed.
- If the child is prone to febrile seizures, then it is necessary to give him antipyretic drugs in time, preventing the body temperature from rising to high levels.
- It is imperative to take magnesium with vitamin B6 if cramps are caused by a deficiency of this trace element. Typically, the full course of treatment should be about 8 weeks. After this time, convulsions will cease to bother the person. Preparations for treatment: Magnistad, Magnelis B6, etc. In parallel, 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 Milgamma should be performed. You need to start with 5 injections, put them every other day. If you feel better, then you need to give 5 more injections.
- With a deficiency in the body of calcium, it is necessary to take it in tablets. You can choose a combined form of drugs, where calcium is combined with vitamin D. So it is better absorbed. The course of treatment is 30 days. At the same time, you need to enrich your menu with products with calcium: cottage cheese, cheese, sesame seeds, fermented milk drinks, broccoli.
- Muscle relaxants can be used to relax muscles, such as: Mydocalm, Tolperisone, Sirdalud, Baclofen.
Keeping a healthy lifestyle, quitting smoking and drinking alcohol is an excellent prevention of leg cramps.
[Video] Dr. Berg - CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE LEGS. Legs cramp at night: what to do?
How to quickly get rid of cramps after waking up?
There are simple tips that can help you quickly stop cramps in your legs and restore sensitivity:
- The cramp that caused a person to wake up can be relieved by stretching the lower leg and foot. To do this, you need to get out of bed and walk a little on your socks.
- If you do not want to get out of bed, then you can simply straighten your foot while lying down.
- You can also massage the problem area of the leg right in bed, gently stroking and kneading it.
- An injection of the skin of the leg with something sharp, such as a pencil, can stop the spasm.
- 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 seizure, but also prevent its recurrence.
Video: 3 ways to relieve a seizure:
Exercises to prevent seizures
To avoid the cramps in your legs at night, you need to do the following exercises before going to bed:
- Stand on your heels and stand like that for 20 seconds.
- Spread the heels to the sides, and connect the socks together. Stand this way for another 20 seconds.
- Put your heels together and spread the socks in different directions. Stand in this position for 20 minutes.
- Sit on a chair, quickly bend and unbend your toes.
- Stand up and walk on the outside and inside of the foot.
- 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 is stretched. You need to perform the exercise 3 times for 10 seconds each.
- Stand on your toes, stretch your arms up, lower on your heels. Perform the exercise 5 times for 10 seconds.
- Stand up, tilt your torso forward, reach your toes, but keep your heels pressed to the floor. Repeat the exercise 6 times for 10 seconds.
Simple tips for preventing leg cramps
Preventive measures to prevent leg cramps:
- Drinking enough clean water should become a habit for a person.
- It is necessary to stop taking alcoholic drinks and drinks containing caffeine.
- Before going to bed, it is recommended to stretch the leg muscles.
- Sleep clothes should be loose and loose so as not to interfere with normal blood flow.
- You need to eat right. The diet must contain products not only of plant, but also of animal origin. There must be a balance between them.
- Shoes should be chosen as comfortable as possible, but physiologically correct.
- You should not sit or stand in one place for a long time. The person must be in motion. Therefore, in any work you need to take breaks. At every opportunity, it is recommended to lie on your back, and raise your legs to a hill. In this position, you need to spend at least 5 minutes.
- It is good to do contrasting foot baths before bed. You can add sea salt or herbal infusions to the water.
These preventive measures are only suitable for people who are completely healthy. If they have cramps in their legs due to vein pathologies or any other diseases, then it is necessary to consult a doctor and receive adequate treatment.
Author of the article: Sokov Andrey Vladimirovich | Neurologist
Education: In 2005 completed an internship at the IM Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University and received a diploma in Neurology. In 2009, completed postgraduate studies in the specialty "Nervous diseases".
