Sudden leg cramps while sleeping, is it calcium deficiency? Reminder: Do not ignore these 2 reasons

Have you ever experienced sudden cramps in your calf while sleeping at night ?

More than a lot of people have experienced this. When sleeping at night, the calf will suddenly cramp and wake up with pain.

Many people think that nighttime leg cramps are caused by a lack of calcium in the body, but this view is wrong. Leg cramps can be affected by a variety of factors.

1. What is cramp?

A cramp is a phenomenon in which the muscles are affected by a variety of factors, causing spasmodic twitching.

During cramps, the upper limbs, calves, toes or fingers of the human body are difficult to straighten and cannot move freely, and the muscles in the cramping area are very stiff.

The cramps usually last from a few seconds to a few minutes, and the feet and calves of the human body are the most prone to cramps.

When the brain function is temporarily disturbed, the body will experience cramps. The brain has the role of managing muscle movement. When the relevant cells in the brain are temporarily overexcited, muscle movement will be out of control. Cramps generally occur in local parts of the human body, and in severe cases, generalized convulsions may occur.

2. Sudden leg cramps during sleep, is it because of calcium deficiency?

Many people have experienced nighttime calf cramps and even waking up in pain.

When the neuromuscular excitation of the human body is high, spasm occurs in the leg muscles and muscle groups , which will cause calf cramps. At this time, compared with the pulling strength of the muscle in the normal state of muscle contraction, the pulling strength of the muscle at this time is higher, and the leg muscle contracts violently, suddenly and involuntarily.

Usually, the cramps stop after a few seconds to a few minutes, but the muscles in the twitching area experience pain and discomfort that often lasts for several hours.

In clinical medicine, the elderly often experience cramps in the calf gastrocnemius muscle at night , which affects sleep and reduces sleep quality.

Calf cramps occur at night, and even wake up in pain, but the pain cannot be relieved in time, which will affect the normal rest of the human body. So, why do calf cramps occur?

Many people think that cramps are due to calcium deficiency, and it is enough to eat more foods with high calcium content. Is this true? Why do many people experience repeated cramps in their calves? In fact, calf cramps are affected by many factors, not just calcium deficiency.

3. Reminder: Do not ignore these two reasons

1. Lower extremity arteriosclerosis occlusion

Cramps are a kind of muscle twitching phenomenon. Pure arteriosclerosis of the lower extremities will not cause cramps.

Then lower limb muscle twitches are closely related to calcium deficiency . Some elderly people, as well as children in the growing period, are prone to calcium deficiency and cramps.

When the arteries of the lower extremities are hardened, the muscles of the lower extremities will feel pain. This pain is related to the stenosis, occlusion and lesions of the arteries of the lower extremities.

After arterial disease, the patient will experience soreness and tingling when exercising in the lower limbs ; this pain will disappear when the exercise is stopped, which is called indirect claudication.

2. Lumbar disc herniation

In the usual work and study, many people develop the living habit of sitting at the desk for a long time and lack of exercise, which leads to a high incidence of lumbar disc herniation.

Sitting for a long time, the human lumbar intervertebral disc is subjected to excessive pressure for a long time, and the sciatic nerve is compressed, which will cause the deformation of the lumbar intervertebral disc to protrude , causing leg numbness, leg pain and other symptoms. When the sciatic nerve is compressed for a long time, it will also cause aseptic inflammation between the nerve and the nucleus pulposus. Under the influence of inflammatory factors, neuritis will be caused, and the muscles innervated by the nerve will appear spasm and convulsions, commonly known as cramps.