Why do my feet and calves cramp?

Have you ever been woken up in the middle of the night by a sudden, intense pain in your foot or calf? If so, you’re not alone! In fact, muscle cramps are incredibly common – and yet there’s still a lot we don’t know about what causes them. So let’s take a deep dive into why feet and calves cramp.

What is a Muscle Cramp?

Before we investigate what makes your leg muscles turn on you faster than an ex after seeing photos with someone new visitation back to basic biology where our friend defined that “a muscle cramp (also known as charley horse) is an involuntary contraction / spasm of one or more muscles.” While they can happen anywhere in the body, they tend to be particularly irritating when they happen in the legs. These spasms can last for just a few seconds or stick around for hours on end (sorry ’bout it), leaving you limping and groaning while fighting through daily chores.

Dehydration

First off: let me tell you about my high school boyfriend who was convinced every time he got a minor CRAMP while working out was due to dehydration- SOOO “let that soak” —in. Escaping from reality for some time hasn’t changed water being critical to human survival either-if anything people tend not to consume enough fluids thus leading them down this path.
Your blood plasma volume decreases with dehydration which reduces nutrients supplied to your legs-might want those somewhere else yeah-decrease sodium levels also impede nerve function which ultimately rumbles into creating its own party via these scrappy charges cycling through failed communication #Rude.

So if constant reminders aren’t cutting it-here ya go folks-drink some dang water. Think of all the pop culture references involving me-guys I did Ellen.. And yes maybe during quarantine additionally whiskey waters may have to suffice.

Poor Blood Circulation

You can knock back 6 glasses of H2O a day and still experience the extreme woe that is cramping. Our hearts bead on keeping our blood circulation flowing effortlessly which allows for nutrient, oxygen transport throughout your body-tehe-tterbox but when there’s an interruption between oxygen reaching the tissue in your legs..bada bing bada BOOM-cramps ceaselessly interrupting that fluffy dreamscape we all love.

So what may lead you down this path?

  • Narrowed arteries from fatty deposits (um, rude).
  • Conditions such as diabetes or hypertension – tisktisk improper care will lead us right to a dead end.
  • Peripheral artery disease-womp womp

Bottomline: good health practices i.e regular exercise(which helps move things along), healthy habits void of ol’ McDonalds are just some proactive ways one could decrease their likelihood of experiencing muscle cramps due to poor blood circulation.

Electrolyte Imbalance / Vitamin Deficiency:

Here comes those very important micronutrients we’ve never appreciated enough- electrolytes! They are necessary for neuromuscular function so in turn an imbalance could be the cause here-all you low sodium folks beware-but also keep in mind it’s not just sodium running solo out here-magnesium levels too play a huge role!

Even though I’m aware my parents think internet research is going to ruin me forever-we really need potassium-and please don’t go overboard because overdoing anything can be fatal-obligatory mention before wrapping up this paragraph#drMom

Vitamin deficiency however might include vitamin d intake being lackluster-for individuals who work indoors majority of times especially specific climates lacking direct sun exposure-vitamin D supplements LARGELY recommended #imthrilledtoobey

A balanced diet should meet every required nutritional benefit towards maintaining normal bodily functions-a daily multi might hurt nobody for good measure.

Lifestyle Factors

Surprised to have these factors listed? #survivorsRemorse we all know better than this-listen I get it, ignorance could be bliss-but in the words of Luna- “Don’t let anyone make you feel like garbage. Don’t let anybody lower your self-esteem or confidence.” And by that in lay-man terms, being cognizant towards how lifestyle choices can affect your muscles is imperative-so listen up!

Physical exercise-I understand excessive gym trips aren’t essential for everyone-however regular low impact activity such as walking or localized stretching will keep our legs content cozy-leading to seamless comfort -AIN’T NOBODY LIKE CRAMPS FORCING US INTO POSITIONLESS LIMBO-

Bottom line is-human beings must strive for good habits with their bodies through healthy life styles-no one else investing more into yourself than YOU.

Conclusion:

It seems we’ve reached the end of unpacking what causes muscle cramps-incredibly frustrating but also annoyingly common just same-sparing us no holds barring when least expected- however after some eyeball strain I hope this helps succinctly explain why it’s happening so hopefully we don’t fall into that heaving ball writhing pain everytime its lights out tonight.

Stay slinky folks,because who needs to suffer from something easily preventable(??)

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