If you have frequent leg cramps, one reason could be that your body needs more of the mineral magnesium. A 2017 study reported that up to two-thirds of the American population is magnesium deficient. Magnesium is the fourth most abundant mineral in the body and is essential for regulating your body's functioning.
Vitamin B complex.
There is some evidence that taking a daily capsule containing eight B vitamins—B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6, B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12—may prevent cramps.
Too little potassium, calcium or magnesium in your diet can contribute to leg cramps. Diuretics — medications often prescribed for high blood pressure — also can deplete these minerals.
Despite unequivocal vitamin D repletion, vitamin D had no effect on muscle cramps. Pain levels, disability, and dietary potassium predicted presence of cramps.
The most prevalent symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency are neurologic, such as paresthesia in hands and feet, muscle cramps, dizziness, cognitive disturbances, ataxia, and erectile dysfunction, as well as fatigue, psychiatric symptoms like depression, and macrocytic anemia.
Drink plenty of fluids. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, will often help leg cramps.
The company recommend that people take 1 capsule daily with food. Each capsule contains 1,000mcg of vitamin B12 and 200 mg of organic spirulina.
Additionally, certain vitamins and minerals impact muscle function, particularly potassium and magnesium. A significant body of research has found that increasing your magnesium intake can help with the frequency of night time leg cramps, especially for pregnant women.
In general, night leg cramps are likely to be related to muscle fatigue and nerve problems. The risk of having night leg cramps increases with age. Pregnant women also have a higher likelihood of having night leg cramps.
Magnesium citrate may be the most effective type if you want to try a supplement. If you're magnesium deficient, there may be other benefits from increasing your intake of this nutrient. And other remedies are available for leg cramping that may help.
Muscle cramps
When sodium levels are too low: The body's ability to send signals is interrupted so the brain overcompensates and sends too many electrical impulses. Eventually, these signals overwhelm the muscle, preventing it from relaxing and manifesting in muscle twitches or cramping.
Since magnesium plays a role in neuromuscular transmission and muscle contraction, it has been hypothesised that magnesium deficiency may predispose to muscle cramps. Thus magnesium supplements are often recommended to prevent cramps.
You probably know that bananas are a good source of potassium. But they'll also give you magnesium and calcium. That's three out of four nutrients you need to ease muscle cramps tucked under that yellow peel. No wonder bananas are a popular, quick choice for cramp relief.
To do this, you can take a warm bath or shower. You can also apply a heating pad or a warm towel directly to the tense muscle. Applying cold is another great way to treat muscle cramps. Once the pain subsides a little after heat application, you can grab an ice pack or a bag of ice and put it on the cramping muscle.
Can a leg cramp be a sign of heart problems and/or a stroke? The answer is yes. Poor circulation in the legs' arteries can be a sign of poor circulation in heart arteries.
As you age, your tendons naturally shorten and result in leg muscle cramps. These cramps are more likely to occur at night (in fact, 75% of reported leg cramps occur during this time) while you're trying to sleep and can make it quite challenging to rest.
Although the exact cause of nocturnal leg cramps is unknown, there are ways to reduce the likelihood that you will experience them. Typically, leg cramps do not indicate a serious health problem. However, if you are experiencing frequent leg cramping, you should reach out to your doctor.
Meaning This trial suggests that magnesium oxide is not significantly better than placebo for alleviating nocturnal leg cramps. Importance Magnesium supplements are widely marketed for prophylaxis of nocturnal leg cramps (NLC) despite no evidence of significant benefit.
Though research on magnesium supplements for muscle cramping is mixed, one older study found that participants who received 300 mg of magnesium daily for 6 weeks reported fewer muscle cramps compared with those who received a placebo ( 25 ).
Go to the emergency department (ED) if a leg cramp lasts longer than 10 minutes or becomes unbearably painful. Also go if a leg cramp happens after you touch a substance that could be poisonous or infectious.