What causes leg and calf cramps at night Show Imagine you’re lying down and your lower leg seizes. The pain is intense enough to make you want to scream. It doesn’t let up, and your muscle is hard to the touch. When you try to move your leg, it feels paralyzed. Sound familiar? According to American Family Physician, nocturnal leg cramps affect up to 60 percent of adults. Sometimes referred to as muscle spasms or charley horses, they occur when one or more of the muscles in the leg tighten involuntarily. Leg cramps most often affect the gastrocnemius muscle (calf muscle) which spans the back of each leg from the ankle to the knee. However, they can also affect the muscles at the front of each thigh (quadriceps) and the back of each thigh (hamstrings). You can be awake or asleep when a leg cramp strikes. Most of the time, the muscle relaxes itself in less than 10 minutes. Your leg might feel sore or tender for up to a day afterward. Frequent calf cramps at night can disrupt your sleep. Leg cramps during sleep are more common among women and older adults. Experts don’t know exactly what causes leg cramps at night. There are, however, known factors that can increase your risk. In most cases, nocturnal leg cramps are idiopathic, which means their exact cause isn’t known. Nighttime leg cramps may be related to foot position. We often sleep with our feet and toes extending away from the rest of our bodies, a position called plantar flexion. This shortens the calf muscles, making them more susceptible to cramping. Other factors that may contribute to nighttime leg cramps include:
Leg cramps at night are unlikely to be the first sign of a more serious medical condition. They are, however, associated with the following conditions:
Though leg cramps at night can be intensely painful, they aren’t typically serious. Most people who experience them don’t need medical treatment. You can try the following at home to try to relieve a cramp:
If frequent cramps are disrupting your sleep, make an appointment with your doctor. They might prescribe a muscle relaxant to prevent cramps. If your cramps are related to another medical condition, they can help manage that too. The following tips may help you avoid leg cramps while sleeping:
If you’ve ever experienced leg cramps at night, you know how painful they can be. Fortunately, they’re usually not a sign of a serious problem. Stretching the calf and hamstring muscles before bed may help to prevent nocturnal leg cramps. |