Why do people get leg cramps while sleeping?

Ever experienced leg cramps or know someone who has but doesn’t understand why or how it happens? Well, this post will help you understand the questions you may have.

Leg cramps come suddenly, it’s when the muscle contractions in your legs get pulled and you feel pain and discomfort.

Sometimes leg cramps can happen to more than one muscle at a time, for example, it can occur within the thigh, calf or even foot.

Factors that cause leg cramps

There is no specific reason as to why leg cramps occur, but it can be due to medications, standing for quite a long time, pregnancy, dehydration, exercise or even underlying medical issues.

Although there is no specific reason there are some individuals who are more prone to the risk of cramping in their legs. These individuals are individuals who are elderly, athletes and individuals with certain medical conditions too.

Leg cramps at night mostly go away on their own. Certain measures can reduce your likelihood of developing muscle cramps, such as keeping yourself well-hydrated and stretching your muscles.

If you experience cramping regularly, your healthcare professional may prescribe a muscle-relaxing medication to help you sleep better at night. Some people may associate nighttime leg cramping with restless legs syndrome (RLS), but these are two different conditions.

How to prevent leg cramps while sleeping?

Reducing leg cramps at night consists of things you can do on your own. You can integrate many of these into your daily routine.

Some of these practices have other benefits which include reduced stress, better flexibility, and better organ function. The tips to reduce leg cramps at night are stretching when cramps occur, massaging the affected area, keeping yourself hydrated at all times and also have warm baths as this will relax the muscles too.