Sudden leg cramps when sleeping at night, is it calcium deficiency? wrong! There may also be 3 kinds of diseases, pay more attention
Aunt Liu usually pays attention to health preservation, and always buys some fresh vegetables, and the meals at home are rarely the same. I fried a water spinach the night before, and served it with braised pork, egg custard, and millet porridge. It can be said that it is a combination of meat and vegetables, and the nutrition is balanced.
However, I slept until midnight and developed leg cramps. I suddenly remembered the saying that water spinach has cramps , and thought that I had cramps because I ate water spinach. Is it true?
1. Water spinach is a "cramp vegetable", really?
As a green leafy vegetable, there are many rumors about water spinach. It is said that water spinach not only exceeds the standard of heavy metals, but also a kind of cramping vegetable. Is this true?
In fact, only people with insufficient calcium intake or calcium deficiency may experience leg cramps after consuming vegetables such as water spinach, which is rare for ordinary people.
This is because the oxalic acid content in water spinach is relatively high, and the oxalic acid in it combines with calcium to form calcium oxalate, which will affect the absorption of calcium and cause cramps.
It is recommended that when eating water spinach, it is best to blanch the water first and discard the soup, so that more than 95% of the oxalic acid in it can be removed without causing cramps.
2. I always have cramps in the middle of the night. Is it due to calcium deficiency? or 3 diseases
When it comes to cramps in the middle of the night, many people think that it is caused by calcium deficiency. In fact, there are many reasons for cramps.
Cold weather, high-intensity exercise, prolonged muscle pressure, and calcium deficiency can all cause cramps.
When the weather is cold, the muscles contract paroxysmally, and muscle spasms are prone to occur. High-intensity exercise will increase creatine and lactic acid metabolites, causing muscle cramps. In addition, local muscles are compressed for too long, which may also lead to the accumulation of metabolites and cause cramps.
Of course, in addition to physiological factors, recurrent cramping symptoms may also be a sign of disease.
1. Lower extremity arteriosclerosis obliterans
Elderly patients who repeatedly experience leg cramps at night should be alert to lower extremity arteriosclerosis occlusive disease, which is caused by the slowing of blood flow in the legs at night, the accumulation of metabolites, and the stimulation of leg muscle contraction.
2. Lumbar disc herniation
A herniated lumbar disc will compress the lumbar nerves, and long-term compression will reflect to the calf, which will cause calf cramps.
3. Parkinson's disease
Lesions in the brain can lead to wrong commands, and may also cause abnormal muscle contractions, causing cramps.
3. Sleeping leg cramps are very uncomfortable, how to relieve them?
I slept until midnight but was woken up by cramps. Is there any good way to relieve it?
If you experience leg cramps while sleeping, you can use methods such as stretching the muscles in the opposite direction, massaging the cramped area, and applying heat to the cramped area to relieve the discomfort. Usually, you should do a good job in preventing cramps.
1. Keep warm
Usually, we must do a good job of keeping the limbs warm. If the warming work is in place, the blood circulation in the body will be smooth, and the metabolic wastes will be transported away in time to avoid cramps.
2. Regular exercise
It is necessary to strengthen exercise to promote blood circulation, enhance muscle contraction ability, and improve personal immunity at the same time.
3. Appropriate calcium supplementation
It is necessary to bask in the sun properly, eat more calcium-rich foods, and add some calcium supplements if necessary.
Although improper consumption of water spinach will affect the absorption of calcium, only people with calcium deficiency may have cramps after eating water spinach, and most people seldom have it. Moreover, there are many reasons for cramping, including both physiological factors and disease factors.
If you want to stay away from cramps and discomfort, you must usually prevent them, keep warm, exercise properly, and pay attention to calcium supplementation.
References:
[1] "Water spinach is the "king of all poisons", heavy metals exceed the standard? Many people are still kept in the dark...". Popular Science China. 2021-06-15
[2] "Don't be careless about frequent cramps! There is a kind of cramping that is a sign of a serious illness. Don’t think it’s just a minor ailment. Be careful when it’s cold. Family Doctor. 2022-11-06
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