Sleep Leg Cramps – Overview & Facts

Leg cramps are caused by you muscle contracting and tightening.  This sudden cramping can happen when you are awake or asleep.  And the pain can be horrible.  Your leg pain can last seconds or minutes and will probably end as abruptly as it started.

This can affect anyone and everyone.  Some people deal with this on a regular basis others it is only an occasional problem.

For some the muscle will loosen and there is no further pain for others the cramp is so bad the tightness can last many hours.

Leg cramps that are bad enough will awaken you from a sound sleep and can make it hard to fall back asleep.  If the soreness in the muscle persists that can make it also make it hard to get back to sleep.

Leg cramps are not the same as Restless Leg Syndrome.

You may be more likely to get leg cramps if you have Diabetes, are dehydrated, have an endocrine disorder, are less mobile or have participated in vigorous exercise.

They are more common in the elderly.  40 % of all pregnant women experience leg cramps that will go away after delivery.

To Ease Leg Cramps

  • 1Massage the area in pain
  • 2Apply heat to the muscle
  • 3Move the affected leg or foot

Thirty-three percent of those over 60 years of age have sleep related leg cramps at least once every two months. 

https://www.sleepeducation.org/sleep-disorders-by-category/sleep-movement-disorders/sleep-leg-cramps/overview-facts/


Share

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

User Reviews

Reply

Your email address will not be published

five × two =

Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

View all post by HealthStatus