WHY, HOW to prevent and WHAT to do during the violent legs muscles’ cramps?
I had a lot of night legs cramps and very awful episodes. I tried some natural remedies and I will share with you my experience and what was functioning for me.
Why?
Structural disorders
• Flatfeet
• Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
• Spinal stenosis
Metabolic problems
• Addison's disease
• Crohn's disease
• gluten sensitive enteropathy
• regional enteritis
• intestinal surgery
• Alcoholism
• Cirrhosis
• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
• Chronic kidney failure
• Type 1 diabetes
• Type 2 diabetes
Medications
• Blood pressure drugs
• Antibiotics: Gentamicin, and Amphotericin
• Anti-neoplastic medication: Cisplatin
• Diuretics: Lasix, Bumex, Edecrin, and hydrochlorothiazide
• Oral contraceptives
Other conditions
• Dehydration
• Diarrhoea
• Muscle fatigue
• Parkinson's disease
• Pregnancy
• Older adults
The magnesium deficiency of your organism can be correlated with potassium and calcium deficiency.
Magnesium plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism. It may influence the release and activity of insulin, the hormone that helps control blood glucose (sugar) levels. Magnesium deficiency is common in individuals with diabetes. The damaged balance between magnesium and insulin affects the kidneys that lose their ability to retain magnesium during periods of severe hyperglycaemia (significantly elevated blood glucose).
In two words we have this schema:
Magnesium deficiency => Diabetes type 2 => Kidneys problems => High Blood Pressure => Cardio vascular diseases => Osteoporosis
Symptoms of magnesium deficiency:
• loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and weakness.
• numbness, tingling, muscle contractions and cramps
• seizures (sudden changes in behaviours caused by excessive electrical activity in the brain)
• personality changes
• abnormal heart rhythms, and coronary spasms
• hypocalcaemia (low levels of calcium in the blood)
• hypokalemia (low levels of potassium in the blood)
How to prevent?
Activities that might help prevent night leg cramps include:
• Drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration(six to eight glasses of water)
• Wearing shoes that have proper support
• Avoid high heels
• Stretching your leg muscles, or riding a stationary bicycle, for a few minutes before you go to bed
• Do not tuck the bed covers at the foot of your bed
• Drink green tea with fresh lemon(no sugar added) instead coffee
• Heating pad for ten minutes before bedtime, place a pillow at the end of the bed to prop up your feet
• Drink orange juice or eat a banana before going to bed
• Crazy and ultimatum solution: You use a regular bar of soap, any face soap, small or large. Place it in the bottom of your bed under the sheets. In only a few days it will work
Food sources of magnesium (DV=daily value)
Food
|
Milligrams (mg)
|
%DV*
|
Wheat Bran, crude, ¼ cup
|
89
|
22
|
Almonds, dry roasted, 1 ounce
|
80
|
20
|
Spinach, frozen, cooked, ½ cup
|
78
|
20
|
Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup
|
77
|
19
|
Cashews, dry roasted, 1 ounce
|
74
|
19
|
Soybeans, mature, cooked, ½ cup
|
74
|
19
|
Wheat germ, crude, ¼ cup
|
69
|
17
|
Nuts, mixed, dry roasted, 1 ounce
|
64
|
16
|
Bran flakes cereal, ¾ cup
|
64
|
16
|
Shredded wheat cereal, 2 rectangular biscuits
|
61
|
15
|
Oatmeal, instant, fortified, prepared w/ water, 1 cup
|
61
|
15
|
Peanuts, dry roasted, 1 ounce
|
50
|
13
|
Peanut butter, smooth, 2 Tablespoons
|
49
|
12
|
Potato, baked with skin, 1 medium
|
48
|
12
|
Blackeye peas, cooked, ½ cup
|
46
|
12
|
Pinto beans, cooked, ½ cup
|
43
|
11
|
Rice, brown, long-grained, cooked, ½ cup
|
42
|
11
|
Lentils, mature seeds, cooked, ½ cup
|
36
|
9
|
Vegetarian baked beans, ½ cup
|
35
|
9
|
Kidney beans, canned, ½ cup
|
35
|
9
|
Chocolate milk, low fat, 1 cup
|
33
|
8
|
Banana, raw, 1 medium
|
32
|
8
|
Yogurt, fruit, low fat, 8 fluid ounces
|
32
|
8
|
Milk chocolate candy bar, 1.5 ounce bar
|
28
|
7
|
Milk, low fat or non fat, 1 cup
|
27
|
7
|
Raisins, seedless, ½ cup packed
|
26
|
7
|
Halibut, cooked, 3 ounces
|
24
|
6
|
Bread, whole-wheat, commercially prepared, 1 slice
|
23
|
6
|
Avocado, cubes, ½ cup
|
22
|
6
|
Chocolate pudding, ready-to-eat, 4 ounces
|
19
|
5
|
A food providing 5% of the DV or less per serving is a low source while a food that provides 10–19% of the DV is a good source. A food that provides 20% or more of the DV is high in that nutrient.
A healthy diet is:
• Variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products.
• Whole grains and dark-green, leafy vegetables (such as spinach) are good sources of magnesium. Some ready-to-eat breakfast cereals are fortified with magnesium.
• Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts.
Many fish (such as halibut and cod) contain magnesium. Beans and legumes (such as soybeans, baked beans, lentils and peanuts) and nuts (such as almonds and cashews) also provide magnesium.
• Low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
• Stays within your daily calorie needs.
Magnesium’s Daily intake recommended by Office of Dietary Supplements
Age
(years) |
Males
(mg/day) |
Females
(mg/day) |
Pregnancy
(mg/day) |
Lactation
(mg/day) |
1–3
|
80
|
80
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
4–8
|
130
|
130
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
9–13
|
240
|
240
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
14–18
|
410
|
360
|
400
|
360
|
19–30
|
400
|
310
|
350
|
310
|
31+
|
420
|
320
|
360
|
320
|
Conform to standards American Diet 2010
WHAT to do during the violent legs muscles’ cramps crises?
Apply one of these:
• Flexing your foot up toward your head
• Massaging the cramped muscle with your hands or with ice 15 minutes
• Walking or jiggling the leg
• Taking a hot shower or hot foot bath
• Apply a hot compress to the cramped muscles
• Hot magic bag or foot warmers
• Drink 1 tsp of honey + 1tsp fresh lemon juice + 1 tbsp calcium lactate + 1/2 half glass of water.
• Drink 1/2 glass water + 1pinch salt + 1 tsp juice fresh lemon
• Drink Tomato juice
• Drink tonic water (which contains a very small amount of quinine which can be helpful for cramping, but can be dangerous if receiving anticoagulant medication)
• Acupressure:
If leg cramps persist and do not respond to home remedies, they may be caused by a serious neurological problem or other disease. Painful, frequent leg cramps should be investigated by a doctor, even though diseases causing only leg cramps and no other symptoms are somewhat rare.