Muscle cramps
What are muscle cramps?
Causes of muscle cramps
Prevention / remedies / cures / treatment for muscle cramps
What are muscle cramps?
Muscle cramps are unpleasant and often painful involuntary muscle contractions. You can feel and see that the affected muscles go hard. When they occur at night they can disrupt sleep.
Cramps are common - almost everyone experiences them at some time. They can be experienced at any age, but are more common in older people.
The cramp may involve a part of a muscle, an entire muscle, or several muscles that work together, such as those that flex adjacent fingers.
Any of the muscles under our voluntary control (skeletal muscles) can cramp. Cramps of the limbs and their extremities are the most common. Involuntary muscles (in the uterus, intestinal tract, blood vessel walls, bile and urine passages, bronchial tree, etc.) are also subject to cramps.
Muscle cramps can last anywhere from a few seconds to a quarter of an hour or even longer. Often a cramp will recur several times until it finally goes away.
Causes of muscle cramps
- Mineral imbalance. Low levels of sodium, calcium, potassium or magnesium. Other micronutrients may be low, particularly vitamins B and D.
- Hormonal imbalance in a woman's reproductive cycle.
- Dehydration.
- Over-excitement of the nerves.
- Injury. Cramps can be a protective mechanism to minimise movement.
- Muscle fatigue, sometimes even hours after vigorous activity.
Prevention / remedies / cures / treatment for muscle cramps
If you use any remedies from Grow Youthful, please come back next week (or whenever you have an outcome) and let us know about your experience. Please leave a comment as many people are interested.
See details of remedies recommended by Grow Youthful visitors, and their experience with them.
- Sea salt.
- Potassium.
- Sunlight and vitamin D.
- Vitamin B complex (B2,B3,B6,B7), especially vitamin B3 (niacin). The best way to supplement these B vitamins is with nutritional yeast.
- A diet that gets your fats right.
- Sufficient hydration (but do not drink too much!) Your urine should be a light straw colour. If it is lighter, you are probably drinking too much water. If it is darker and somewhat smelly, you can drink more water.
- Stress management. See depression for strategies.