What are the causes of leg cramps in the middle of the night?

Cramps are called spasms in medicine. There are many factors that can cause cramps in life, such as cramps in your hands and feet when you swim in the water. So what causes leg cramps in the middle of the night?

Causes of Nighttime Leg Cramps

(1) Fatigue: Fatigue caused by excessive exercise or excessive exertion in the legs during the day. Muscle tension at night has not been improved, and excessive metabolites cannot be metabolized in time. Its stimulation can cause calf cramps.

(2) Cold: When sleeping at night, cold feet and legs can cause leg muscle cramps.

(3) Hypocalcemia: When hypocalcemia occurs in the body, the excitation threshold of the neuromuscular junction is lowered, and the neuromuscular junction can be excited at a stimulation intensity lower than normal, which can easily cause abnormal contraction and cause calf cramps. This condition is more common in pregnant women and the elderly who are calcium deficient.

(4) Blood flow factors: For patients with varicose veins or deep venous thrombosis in the legs, if they maintain a certain posture for a long time while sleeping, the leg veins will be compressed and blood flow will be blocked, causing blood stasis. When blood stasis reaches a certain level, it will cause leg muscle spasms.

Warm reminder: There are many reasons for calf cramps during sleep. No matter what the cause of calf cramps is, it will cause discomfort or pain and affect normal sleep. Therefore, it must be taken seriously and the factors that can cause calf cramps must be eliminated, such as keeping warm and massaging the lower limbs during sleep. If the attacks are frequent, you should go to the hospital for medical treatment, find out the cause and treat it as soon as possible.