Muscle Cramps at Night

The involuntary contractions of leg muscles at night are called night leg cramps. Muscle cramps mostly happen in the calf muscles, however, sometimes the muscles of thighs and feet can also cramp. The muscle cramps at night are not harmless. There are various disorders and diseases responsible for muscle cramps at night. Muscle cramps at night can also be caused because of dehydration or excessive and intense exertion. Let us discuss the causes and treatment of muscle cramps at night.

Causes of Muscle Cramps at Night

Muscle cramps are painful and the pain mostly originates from the leg muscles. The muscles in the leg contract too hard and cause severe muscle cramps at night. The calf muscle are contracted usually, but the thigh muscle cramps at night are also experienced. The muscles of the feet are contract sometimes and cause foot muscle cramps at night. The muscle cramps at the night last for a few minutes and the intensity of pain varies accordingly. The muscles which contract causing a muscle cramp become tender. Sometimes, intense pain is experienced only for a few minutes, when the cramp is occurring. After that, the severity of pain decreases, as the time passes by. Sometimes, muscle cramp at night is so severe, that it may wake you up from a sound sleep. Muscle cramps at night are disturbing and distress your sleep routine. Here are some of the causes of muscle cramps at night.

Mineral Deficiencies
The very first and the most common cause of muscle cramps at night can be mineral deficiency. Lack of potassium, calcium or magnesium can lead to muscle cramps at night. When a person suffers from these deficiencies, it is called electrolytic imbalance. This electrolytic imbalance can be caused due to excessive sweating or due to diarrhea. In diarrhea, all the important nutrients and minerals required by the human body are excreted from the body and hence, the person suffers from an electrolytic imbalance. The way to reduce the cramps in this condition is to replace these minerals back into the body.

Dehydration
Excessive sweating causes dehydration of the human body. This may lead to muscle cramps at night. It is necessary that you should drink ample amount of water to hydrate the body. After a workout session or any other strenuous exercise regime, you must drink lot of water to keep your body hydrated.

Overusing Leg Muscles
Overusing the muscles of the legs during a workout or exercise, can also lead to muscle cramps at night. Slowly massaging the muscles after exercise can reduce this problem. Calf muscle cramps at night are most common muscle cramps due to overuse of muscles.

Addison's Disease
When the adrenal glands produce insufficient amount of hormones in the body, it leads to muscle cramps at night. Leg muscle cramps at night and fatigue are the common symptoms of this disease.

Pregnancy
If you are in the second trimester of pregnancy, you may experience muscle cramps at night. The uterus exerts a pressure on the veins returning blood from your legs. This pressure causes insufficient amount of blood supply to the legs, which leads to muscle cramps at night.

Hypothyroidism
Sometimes, hypothyroidism can cause muscle fatigue and muscle cramps at night. Fatigue and sluggishness are the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Therefore, hypothyroidism can be a cause of muscle cramps at night.

Other Diseases and Disorders
There are many other diseases like diabetes, kidney diseases, cirrhosis and Parkinson's disease that cause muscle cramps at night.

All these are the possible causes of muscle cramps at night. The treatment of leg cramps is totally dependent on the cause of muscle cramps. If you are suffering frequently from the muscle cramps at night, consult a doctor.