What relieves calf cramps at night?

If calf cramps occur at night, they can have various causes. Here you can find out about possible triggers and what can help.

Just when you're relaxed and sleeping peacefully, cramps suddenly appear in your muscles and cause a lot of pain. The legs are often affected - especially the calves. And often these calf cramps occur at night, tearing us from sleep. There can be many causes for this, but relatively often a lack of magnesium is behind nightly calf cramps. Women tend to be affected more often, but the risk also increases with age.

What generally causes calf cramps?

Generally, certain muscles contract during a cramp. If the so-called large calf muscles are affected, they harden as a result of calf cramps - and usually remain hard for a few days. The so-called toe flexor, which starts at the back of the lower leg, is also frequently affected. For nocturnal calf cramps, you can even develop a so-called cramp tendency. This means that the affected muscles repeatedly contract in the same place.

Why a lack of magnesium causes calf cramps

Magnesium has various tasks in the body. Among other things, it acts as an antagonist to calcium: while calcium is responsible for tensing the muscles, magnesium is supposed to relax them again afterward. If the body lacks magnesium, calcium causes the nerves to start involuntarily contracting muscles - and the cramp begins. That's why frequent calf cramps are a typical first sign of a magnesium deficiency and a generally unbalanced electrolyte balance.

And why do these calf cramps occur at night?

Another endogenous mechanism plays a role here: the body's magnesium level also falls naturally during periods of rest. However, it can also drop too low, which can trigger muscle contractions when we move unconsciously during sleep. As a rule, we only wake up when the muscle has already hardened and severe pain develops.

And how does a magnesium deficiency develop?

As a rule, there are three possible triggers for a magnesium deficiency:

• An increased need arises, for example, due to pregnancy. Especially in the last trimester of pregnancy, the need for magnesium is very high. But athletes also have a higher demand because the muscles use up the available magnesium in the body more quickly during training.
• Increased excretion of magnesium, which can also affect athletes. This is because minerals are excreted through sweating during training. But various drugs can also accelerate the excretion of minerals.

Nocturnal calf cramps: Other causes at a glance

However, there may be other causes for calf cramps (as well as general cramps in the muscles) besides nutrient deficiency. These include:

• Overloading of muscles in athletes: those who train a lot and do not allow their muscles to rest in between have an increased risk of calf cramps at night.

Underloading of muscles in non-athletes: Those who do not exercise at all also suffer more from calf cramps. It also plays a role in that muscles tend to shorten when they are inactive.

Poor posture: With poor posture, the same muscles are always under tension, which can lead to muscle cramps.

• Incorrect footwear: if the feet and legs are put under one-sided strain by the wrong footwear, this can promote calf cramps. This applies, for example, to shoes with high heels.
• Unbalanced diet: The body only gets all the nutrients it needs if we eat a balanced diet.
• Lack of fluids: If we drink too little, this can have serious health consequences. Nightly calf cramps are just one of them.

• Treatment: First aid against calf cramps

Although calf cramps often strike, most people instinctively apply the right remedy by stretching the calf muscles. This involves stretching the leg, pushing the heel forward, and pulling the toes towards the body. You can also use your hands to help you do this. In most cases, this is enough to resolve the cramp after a short time. It can also help to gently massage the affected muscle, shake out the legs a little or stand up and walk around carefully.

• Preventing calf cramps at night

If the cramps only occur now and then, it doesn't have to mean anything bad. However, if calf cramps occur regularly at night, you should have the possible causes clarified by a doctor. If a disease is a trigger, it must first be treated. Otherwise, it often helps to adjust one's lifestyle a little. The following measures can help:

• Eat a balanced diet: We should focus on plenty of fruits and vegetables for a balanced diet. Dairy products and plenty of fish should also be on the menu, as well as some lean meat. Important dietary fibers can be obtained from whole grain products, for example.
• Drink plenty of fluids: To ensure that we are optimally supplied with fluids, we should drink at least 2.5 liters a day. Water in particular, but also herbal tea, is permitted.
• Avoiding stimulants: We should avoid smoking and alcohol as much as possible. This is generally better for our health, but alcohol, in particular, can also promote calf cramps, as it has a dehydrating effect.
• Exercise: Those who hardly move in everyday life should definitely create some time for short exercise sessions. Anyone who exercises for 30 minutes three times a week is already doing a great deal for their health. For enthusiastic athletes, on the other hand, the following applies: The muscles also need breaks every now and then between the individual workouts. In the worst case, overdoing it can be just as harmful as not exercising at all.
• Loosen muscles: Apart from classic training, it is important not to go to sleep with tense muscles. Short loosening and stretching exercises before going to bed can help. However, we should not work up a sweat, as this only stimulates the body and prevents fatigue.