Why do I keep having leg cramps lately?

Everyone has the impression that leg cramps are caused by calcium deficiency in the body. Experts say that this is only one of the reasons. Other reasons include cold stimulation, excessive sweating, excessive fatigue, continuous and rapid muscle contraction, and poor sleeping posture. If you want to completely get rid of this bad phenomenon, you must exercise regularly to prevent excessive muscle fatigue, drink water frequently (don't wait until you are thirsty to drink), and pay attention to a balanced diet.

1. What is the reason for frequent leg cramps?

1. Cold stimulation

Such as exercising in a cold environment in winter. Insufficient warm-up exercises and the lower water temperature when swimming in summer can easily cause leg cramps. I didn't cover myself with a blanket when I slept at night, so my calf muscles were stimulated by the cold. The spasms would be so painful that they would wake people up.

2. Excessive sweating

Long exercise time. You exercise a lot, sweat a lot, and don’t replenish salt in time. A large loss of fluid and electrolytes in the body. Accumulation of metabolic waste. Poor local blood circulation in muscles can also lead to cramps.

3. Excessive fatigue

When traveling long distances, climbing mountains, or climbing heights, the calf muscles are prone to fatigue. Because every time I climb higher. The whole body weight is supported by one foot. The strength required for the muscles of this leg to lift the foot will be six times the human body weight. When it is fatigued to a certain extent, cramps will occur.

4. Muscles contract too quickly and continuously

During strenuous exercise. The whole body is in a state of tension and the leg muscles contract too quickly. If the relaxation time is too short, the local metabolic product lactic acid will increase, and muscle contraction and relaxation will be difficult to coordinate, thus causing calf muscle cramps.

5. Bad sleeping posture

For example, lying on your back for a long time with the quilt pressing on your feet, or lying on your stomach for a long time with your feet resting on the bed, certain calf muscles are forced to be in an absolutely relaxed state for a long time, causing "passive contracture" of the muscles.

6. Calcium deficiency

During muscle contraction. Calcium ions play an important role. When the calcium ion concentration in the blood is too low, muscles become easily excited and cramp.

2. How to prevent cramps

1. Exercise regularly to prevent muscle fatigue. Do adequate warm-up exercises before exercise and stretch the muscles of your legs, waist, back, neck and arms. Do not increase the amount of exercise too quickly, and you should follow the principle of increasing it by 10% every week.

2. Drink water frequently, don’t wait until you are thirsty to drink. When sweating profusely, you should supplement with nutritionally fortified sports drinks.

3. Pay attention to dietary balance, especially supplementing various essential nutrients from the diet. For example: drinking milk and soy milk can supplement calcium; eating vegetables and fruits can supplement various trace elements.

4. Pregnant women should change their body posture frequently, move around every hour or so, wash their feet and calves with warm water before going to bed, and supplement nutrients including calcium according to the special needs of the body.