Suddenly and for no apparent reason, a muscle in
your leg tenses and contracts. The pain is unbearable. Are you suffering
from a cramp, and has it woken you up in the middle of the night? This
can be particularly alarming.
Is there anything you can do to get rid of it? Or even better, to prevent it from happening?
Three tips
Although many people suffer from them, doctors are not sure what causes nighttime cramps.
It is one of those mysteries that have intrigued scientists for years.
They are often attributed to side effects of some
medicines or to the body having made more effort than normal, such as
when you exercise or during pregnancy.
It is estimated that 1/3 of people over 60 suffer from cramps.
This involuntary, sudden, and severe muscle contraction can last from a few seconds to 10 minutes.
Some medications can reduce them, but in some cases they are not effective and are associated with some serious side effects.
Alternatively, you can make these recommendations.
Do stretches
Some research shows that muscle stretching is worth
considering as an alternative therapy to help reduce the frequency and
severity of nighttime cramps.
Try some of these exercises shortly before bed. It
may take some time before you notice any improvement, so persevere for a
few weeks. And if the cramps don’t disappear, their frequency or
severity may decrease.
Change the position of your legs when you are in bed
There are certain positions that can prevent the calf muscle from shrinking, contracting, or tensing up when you are in bed.
If you sleep on your stomach, try to keep your feet hanging off the edge of the bed. This will keep them in a relaxed position.
If you sleep on your back, try to make sure your
feet are pointing upwards. You can do this by placing a pillow under
your leg or at the edge of the bed to elevate your foot and keep it in
place.
Be careful with the bedding
Finally, take a look at the bedding.
Keeping sheets and blankets loose can help prevent your feet from pointing downwards while you sleep, which can lead to cramps.
What if he’s already woken me up?
The best thing you can do when you get a cramp is to try to reverse the contraction by stretching the affected muscle.
However, there is no agreement on how this mechanism works.
Stretching is believed to help stop cramps in two
ways: first, it physically separates the muscle’s contractile proteins,
actin and myosin.
If these proteins are not allowed to interact, the muscle cannot contract.
Secondly, stretching is believed to cause muscle
relaxation through autogenic inhibition. Simply put, stretching a muscle
increases tension in the tendon, which sends signals to the brain
telling the cramped muscle to relax.
Some people suggest unusual “cures,” based on the consumption of certain foods, to stop cramps once they start.
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