Do you have night cramps on your legs? These spasms are characterized by appearing while we sleep and being completely uncontrolled. They can appear throughout the leg, although it is most common for them to focus on the calf, thighs or feet.
In this article we will discover the main reasons and causes of night cramps in your legs so that you can know why you can suffer from this condition. However, it is always advisable to go to the doctor to know the true origin of the ailment and to have a detailed examination.
Why do night cramps appear on the legs?
We will analyze the causes of cramps in the night legs and, for this, here we offer you a list with the risk factors and conditions that most affect this condition. Likewise, it is important to use a doctor to be a professional who really tells you the causes of your condition.
Tired muscles
If you usually exercise a lot of physical exercise, it’s very common for these leg cramps to appear. Muscle fatigue is one of the main causes of this night condition and, therefore, professional athletes and athletes often suffer such spasms. In addition, they can also appear during the day if the muscle over-effort has been very high.
But you don’t need to be an athlete, but people who are much of your journey standing or walking also often experience this condition when you go to bed at night.
Sedentary life
Another of the most common causes of these leg cramps is just the opposite: doing no physical exercise. Lack of activity can also generate these spasms in the legs and usually occurs in people who, for example, work many hours in front of a computer, spend a few sick days and lying in bed, etc. Lack of activity causes the muscles not to work and not to stretch properly, so it is a reason for these cramps to appear.
Bad body posture
It may also be that night cramps appear due to a bad posture. If you have slept in a bad position, it may be that the blood has not circulated normally and that, therefore, these spasms appear. The same is true if we are sitting with our legs crossed or in a posture that can affect blood flow.
Pregnancy
Another cause of the cramps in the night legs is that you are pregnant. Experts point to the relationship between gestation and cramps due to the increase in energy demand for the baby to the future mom; hormonal changes or such common physical changes at that stage may also be involved.
Side effect of some drug
Finally, night cramps may also appear because of the taking of some drug that has these spasms as a side effect. There are a lot of regular medications that have this side effect, therefore, nothing better than checking the leaflet than you are taking to check that this is not the cause.
Bibliography
-Youn, G. (2006). Calambres in the legs. Evid Clin Concise, 5, 361-2.
-Mansilla, S. Q. (2003). Night cramps on the legs. Jano, 64,414, 492.
-Wurcel, V. (2007). Night cramps in pregnant women. Evidence, updated in the outpatient practice, 10(2).