Two Reasons Why Leg Cramps Occur At Night And Two Ways To Fix This

Back To Health Wellness's Thought For The Day

First, Let’s start with the reasons -
1. Tired muscles- When blood does not circulate properly, the oxygen carried in the blood fails to reach the muscle tissues effectively, which can result in muscles stiffening due to reduced blood flow and then cramping when required for movement.
2. Circulatory problems - those that sit or stand for too long, are more likely to have circulation problems. This is because sitting or standing for long periods can cause blood to pool in the veins in the legs, increasing the pressure within the veins.

This increased pressure causes the veins to stretch, thus weakening the walls of the veins which can affect the valves, whose job it is to return blood back to the heart and stop backflow.

Now, as the pressure within the veins naturally drop when lying down at night, a sudden movement in a muscle, can cause the cramps to begin.

Here are 2 ways to fix the leg cramps -

1. Sit for no longer than 30 mins at a time.
If you have a smartwatch, you can set a notification every 30 mins to move. Or simply set a timer/alarm on your phone to remind you.

2. Cultivate a Stretching routine during the day and before you go to sleep.
This is because stretching causes muscles to press on the arteries in the thighs and legs due to the increased demand of blood. This makes the body release chemicals that expand the arteries so more blood can enter and thus dramatically reduce the chances of leg and foot cramps occurring at night!

Final thoughts

If you sit or stand a lot for work and decide to change the routine and spend more time moving around in regular bouts in the course of your week, your blood circulation will improve, And your cramps will reduce or stop. There may be other gains too, such as less or no back pain and increased weight loss. So make the change now and make those regular evening or night time leg cramps a thing of the past!