Bian Xiao told her mother with a sad face that she wanted to grow taller! For some unknown reason, Bian Xiao was so happy that he looked forward to calf cramps every night. However, after interviewing experts, Bian Xiao completely collapsed. It turns out that there are many reasons for leg cramps at night, so we should pay attention to them as soon as possible.
Six symptoms can cause leg cramps at night.
Professor Li Fobao from the Department of Spinal Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (designated by a famous doctor) told Bian Xiao that leg cramps at night are not only a signal of calcium deficiency, but also may be caused by the following five reasons. For these reasons, whenever you stretch your legs, especially your muscles, you are prone to cramps.
1. Hypocalcemia
The decrease of serum calcium concentration, also known as hypocalcemia, leads to the increase of nerve and muscle excitability, which is common in pregnant women with calcium deficiency, elderly people with osteoporosis and developing teenagers.
2. Wrong sleeping position
If you lie on your back for a long time, make the quilt press on your feet, or lie prone for a long time, make your feet close to the bed, or lie down with your legs down, forcing some muscles in your legs to relax absolutely for a long time, causing muscle problems? Passive contracture? .
Be stimulated by cold
Some young people like to sleep half naked, and the temperature drops in the middle of the night, which is easy to catch cold in the lower limbs and cause muscle spasm in the legs.
4. Excessive fatigue
Due to excessive leg exercise during the day, fatigue, creatine and creatinine accumulate in the muscles, and muscle tension does not improve at night, which will lead to leg cramps.
5. Blood flow occlusion
For example, patients with varicose veins or arteriosclerosis in their legs may have blood reflux disorders due to improper posture.
6. No warm-up before exercise
If you don't warm up well during strenuous exercise, the whole body muscles are in a state of tension, the leg muscles contract too fast, the relaxation time is too short, the local metabolite lactic acid increases, and it is difficult to coordinate muscle contraction and relaxation, which leads to calf muscle spasm. If the attack is frequent, it may be related to vascular diseases. You should go to the hospital to find out the cause and treat it as soon as possible.
Three measures to relieve leg cramps and night pain
If leg cramps occur at night, you can take the following three measures to relieve the pain.
The first trick: when the calf cramps, immediately reach out and grab the toe on the cramp side, otherwise the sole of the foot will touch the wall. Tilt your toes up as far as possible, lower your heels as far as possible, and straighten your knees to relieve cramps;
The second measure: stretch slowly and moderately, and gently massage the tight muscles to relax them;
The third measure: if necessary, you can use a hot towel for local hot compress to relieve the pain.
1. Massage your legs or soak your feet before going to bed. When the muscles are tired, you can massage the calf muscles before going to bed, and at the same time apply the aromatic essential oils such as wintergreen oil, bone and water. Or soak feet in hot water for 0/5-20 minutes, which can promote blood circulation of feet, relax muscles, promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis, and promote the discharge of metabolites.
2. Improve your sleeping posture. Try to stretch your legs and lie flat, or raise the end of the bed so that the lower limbs are slightly higher than the hips, which is beneficial to the blood return of the lower limbs.
3. Avoid local cold of lower limbs. Wearing pajamas is the most convenient and effective way to keep warm locally. If necessary, you can wear elastic leg covers to strengthen local protection. Do not blow the fan air conditioner directly to the human body.
4. Eat more foods containing calcium, potassium, magnesium and vitamin D, such as milk, dried fish, kelp, bean products and shrimp skin. Avoiding smoking and drinking strong tea and coffee will accelerate the loss of calcium.