Causes of spasms

Spasm should be a very common phenomenon, which is what we usually call cramps. Everyone must have experienced cramps, especially sometimes when you are sleeping at night and you don’t know why you have cramps. There are many reasons that can cause cramps. Generally, we think that cramps are caused by calcium deficiency. In fact, there are many other reasons for cramps.

There are many reasons for cramps. We must have experienced cramps in our daily lives. When it comes to cramps, everyone should know that cramps are actually cramps. The common cause of cramps is calcium deficiency. Let's take a look at some other causes of cramps.

Causes of spasms

①Cold stimulation. Exercising in a cold environment in winter without sufficient warm-up, or swimming in low water temperatures in summer can easily cause leg cramps. If you don't cover yourself with a blanket when you sleep at night, your calf muscles will be stimulated by the cold and will cramp so much that you will wake up in pain.

② Muscles contract too quickly and continuously. During strenuous exercise, the whole body is in a state of tension, the leg muscles contract too quickly, the relaxation time is too short, the local metabolic product lactic acid increases, the muscle contraction and relaxation are difficult to coordinate, thus causing calf muscle cramps.

③Excessive sweating. The exercise time is long, the amount of exercise is large, and there is a lot of sweating, but the salt is not replenished in time. A large amount of fluid and electrolytes are lost in the body, metabolic waste accumulates, and the local blood circulation of the muscles is poor, which is also prone to cramps.

④Excessive fatigue. The calf muscles are most susceptible to fatigue when traveling long distances, climbing mountains, or climbing heights. Because every time you climb up, one foot supports the weight of the whole body. The strength required for the muscles of this leg to lift the foot will be six times the body weight of the person. When it is fatigued to a certain extent, cramps will occur.

⑤ Calcium deficiency. Calcium ions play an important role in muscle contraction. When the calcium ion concentration in the blood is too low, muscles become easily excited and cramp. Teenagers grow and develop rapidly and are easily deficient in calcium, which is why they often suffer from leg cramps.

⑥ Upper motor neuron damage. The central inhibitory effect on peripheral nerves weakens or disappears, causing increased muscle tone and even muscle spasms.

Cramp prevention

① Pay attention to supplementing calcium and vitamin D. You can take calcium tablets or eat calcium-rich foods such as dried shrimps, milk, and soy products.

② Strengthen physical exercise and do sufficient warm-up exercises during exercise to make the body move. This will help the blood circulation in the lower limbs to be smooth, and you can avoid leg cramps when participating in various intense sports or competitions.

③ Pay attention to keeping warm and prevent local muscles from getting cold.

Everyone should know the causes of cramps. The most common factors causing cramps are calcium deficiency and excessive fatigue. Don’t worry too much if cramps occur. If the cramps are caused by calcium deficiency, you must supplement calcium in time. You can also supplement calcium through your usual diet, eat more soy products and milk.