Natural Home Remedies To Treat Muscle Cramps

Eeow! Startled from a deep sleep, you suddenly come to with a shriek, as your calf, thigh, or maybe the arch of your foot contracts in violent pain. Commonly called a “Charley horse,” this is a common and painful occurrence. Discover what causes leg cramps at night, as well as how you can prevent and relieve them.

Emerging groggily from the edge of sleep or from a deep sleep, you struggle to straighten your leg, pull your toes forward, perhaps kneading the knotted muscles with your thumbs. After the spasms subside, you may get up and try to hobble around a bit to loosen up the painful area a little more.

As we normally use our muscles, they alternately contract and relax as we move our limbs back and forth. Similarly, the muscles that maintain our posture contract and relax in a synchronized fashion. A muscle that involuntarily contracts without our consciously willing it is called a "spasm." If the spasm is forceful and sustained, it becomes a cramp. A muscle cramp is an involuntarily and forcibly contracted muscle that does not relax. Muscle cramps cause a visible or palpable hardening of the involved muscle.

Muscle cramps can last anywhere from a few seconds to a quarter of an hour or occasionally longer. It is not uncommon for a cramp to recur multiple times until it finally goes away. The cramp may involve a part of a muscle, the entire muscle, or several muscles that usually act together, such as those that flex adjacent fingers. Some cramps involve the simultaneous contraction of muscles that ordinarily move body parts in opposite directions.

By now you’re completely awake, and you may not return to sleep. The cramped muscles may remain tender for hours or even days. Muscle cramps are caused by overuse of a muscle, dehydration, stress or fatigue.But if calves cramp painfully when you’re trying to sleep, or a muscleoften locks up for no apparent reason, the root cause is a faultychemical signal from the nervous system that “tells” the muscle tocontract. Try these natural home remedies to relieve your muscle pain.

* Place an electric heating pad or a hot washcloth on the misbehaving muscle to relax the cramp and increase blood flow to the affected tissue. Set the pad on low, apply for 20 minutes, then remove it for at least 20 minutes before reapplying.

* Take a long, warm shower, or soak in the bath. For added relief, pour in a half-cup of Epsom salt. The magnesium in Epsom salt promotes muscle relaxation.

* Find the epicentre of the muscle cramp. Press into this spot with your thumb, the heel of your hand or a loosely clenched fist. Hold the pressure for 10 seconds, then press again. You’re doing it right if you feel some discomfort, but not excruciating pain. After a number of repetitions, the pain from the cramp should start to diminish.

* Low levels of minerals known as electrolytes – which include potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium – can contribute to muscle cramps. You probably don’t need any more sodium in your diet, but you may need more of the others. Good food sources of magnesium are whole-grain breads and cereals, nuts and beans. You can get potassium from most fruits and vegetables, especially bananas, oranges and cantaloupes. Dairy foods supply calcium.

* If you tend to get muscle cramps during exercise, drink at least two cups of water two hours before each workout, then stop and drink 125 to 250 millilitres every 15 minutes during exercise sessions. If you’re sweating a lot, consider a sports drink, such as Gatorade, that replaces lost sodium and other electrolytes.

* To prevent nighttime calf cramps, try not to sleep with your toes pointed. And don’t tuck in your sheets too tightly-this tends to bend your toes downward, activating cramps.