Sudden leg cramps while sleeping, is it due to calcium deficiency? Reminder: Don't ignore these two reasons

Have you ever had a sudden cramp in your calf while sleeping at night ?

Compared to many people, have experienced this situation. When sleeping at night, the calf will suddenly cramp and wake up painfully.

Many people think that leg cramps at night are due to calcium deficiency in the body, but this view is wrong. Leg cramps can be caused by many factors.

1. What is cramps?

Cramps are muscle spasmodic twitches that are affected by various factors .

During cramp, the upper limbs, lower legs, toes or fingers of the human body are difficult to straighten and cannot move freely, and the muscles at the cramped site are very stiff.

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

When the brain function is temporarily disturbed, the human body will have cramps. The brain has the function of managing muscle movement. When the relevant cells in the brain are temporarily over-excited, the muscle movement will be out of control. Cramps generally occur in local parts of the human body, and in severe cases, whole body convulsions may also occur.

2. Sudden leg cramps while sleeping, is it because of calcium deficiency?

Many people have experienced calf cramps at night , and even woke up painfully.

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

Usually, the cramps stop after a few seconds to a few minutes, but the muscles at the site of the twitch will cause pain , and this discomfort often lasts for several hours.

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

Calf cramps occur at night, or even wake up with pain, and 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 eating more foods with high calcium content is enough. Is this really the case? Why do many people experience repeated cramp in their calves? In fact, calf cramps are affected by many factors, not just because of calcium deficiency.

3. Reminder: Don’t ignore these two reasons

1. Lower extremity arteriosclerosis occlusion

Cramp is a phenomenon of muscle twitching, pure arteriosclerosis of the lower extremities will not cause cramps.

Muscle twitching in the lower limbs is closely related to calcium deficiency . Some elderly people, as well as children in the growing period, are prone to calcium deficiency and cramps.

The arteries of the lower extremities are hardened, and the muscles of the lower extremities will feel pain. This pain is related to the stenosis, occlusion, and pathological changes in the arteries of the lower extremities.

After arterial disease, the patient's lower limbs will feel soreness and tingling when exercising; after stopping the exercise, the pain will disappear. This situation is called indirect claudication.

2. Lumbar disc herniation

In normal work and study, many people have developed the habit of sitting at their desks for a long time and lack of exercise, which leads to a high incidence of lumbar disc herniation.

Sitting for a long time, the lumbar intervertebral disc of the human body is under excessive pressure for a long time, and the sciatic nerve is compressed, which will cause the deformation of the lumbar intervertebral disc to protrude , and symptoms such as leg numbness and leg pain will appear. 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, it will cause neuritis, and the muscles innervated by the nerve will have spasms and convulsions, commonly known as cramps.