Leg cramps at night

We will start off by explaining what a cramp is, a cramp is the painful result of a muscle contracting or over-shortening.  Cramps can be caused by cold, overexertion, or low calcium level in the body.  The low calcium is more popular in adolescents, because their body uses more calcium for blood and making their bones stronger.  Other reasons to cramping may be illness's and poisonings can cause cramps as well, but these types are usually concentrated in the stomach area.

Leg cramps at night, or Nocturnal leg cramps are similar to regular cramps in that they are contractions or the muscles in either the calves, soles of the feet, or other muscles that are located in the leg.  The duration of the cramp varies between just a short amount of time to a couple minutes.  There is almost always pain and discomfort for a time after the cramp takes place.  This residual pain can last from a couple hours to a couple days depending on the severity of the cramp.  Normally putting pressure on the area that is affected by the cramp will stop the muscle from contracting, and also help get rid of the pain faster because you will promote blood flow to that area.

The cause of these certain types of cramps are unknown, but they almost always share the same factors as other cramps.  These are mainly dehydration, and low level of certain minerals in the body, like Magnesium, potassium, calcium, and sodium.  Another factor that may lead to leg cramps at night might be the reduced blood flow through the muscles from sitting or laying down for long periods of time.

Leg cramps at night (primarily in the calves) are a common occurrence in women that are in the late stages of pregnancy, they can also vary in intensity between mild to really painful.

Hopefully this site has shed a little more like on leg cramps at night, if you have any questions or comments about this site please contact us.  We would like to hear any suggestions or comments about what you have read.