Are "leg cramps" in the middle of the night a sign of growing taller? Does eating bananas help? Doctors teach "1 action" to relieve discomfort
“Being woken up by pain” in the middle of the night is not a sign of growing taller! Doctor reveals “4 major factors” for leg cramps
Many people have experienced sudden “cramps” in their legs while sleeping, and severe pain often wakes them up from their dreams. If the frequency of occurrence is too high, it will affect the quality of sleep, so you should pay special attention! Dr. Hong Yuzhong, director of the Health Management Center of Lian On Clinic, analyzed that cramps are usually related to “four major factors”, among which “electrolyte imbalance” is the most common condition. It is recommended that when you have a cramp, you can slowly stretch the cramped muscles to relieve the symptoms caused by the cramp. Discomfort.
Dr. Hong Yuzhong said that “muscle spasm”, a cramp that causes muscle stiffness, can occur in any part of the body. The common timing of onset is just after exercise or when resting at night. Dr. Hong Yuzhong pointed out that if cramps occur too frequently, it is mostly related to the following four reasons:
Have had strenuous exercise.
Electrolyte imbalance.
Poor blood circulation.
Neuromuscular disease.
Dr. Hong Yuzhong emphasized that people who exercise excessively, pregnant women with electrolyte imbalances, and the elderly are prone to cramps. When the body temperature drops and blood circulation slows down while sleeping at night, cramps are more likely to occur in the middle of the night.
Can “eating bananas” help prevent cramps? Doctors reveal “1 action” to relieve discomfort
Because cramps are so painful at the moment, most people will do stretching exercises to relieve the discomfort, and some people will pull their feet in the direction of the instep. These methods use different movements to drive the body to stretch. Dr. Hong Yuzhong revealed some tricks to quickly relieve cramps. Tip: “If you have cramps in your right foot, you can raise your left hand and stretch the cramped foot at the same time. It usually recovers quickly.”
In addition, for people with exercise habits, Dr. Hong Yuzhong also reminded that because the muscles of this group’s body are relatively tight, it is recommended to do more stretching and avoid excessive exercise. They can do massage and hot compress before going to bed to promote blood circulation. In addition, the sleeping posture can also be slightly adjusted so that the heels extend out of the mattress so that the soles of the feet automatically droop to reduce pressure, or a pillow can be placed under the knees to bend the feet to reduce the chance of cramps.
Dr. Hong Yuzhong said that people with frequent cramps need to pay attention to their nutritional intake. They can eat more foods containing calcium and magnesium, such as whole grain roots, dark green vegetables, nuts, beans, dried fish, milk, etc. In addition to relaxing muscles, It can also reduce abnormal muscle contraction and improve sleep quality. As for the most discussed topic among the public, can “eating bananas” prevent cramps? Dr. Hong Yuzhong explained that although bananas are rich in electrolytes, it should be noted that they are high-potassium and high-sugar fruits. If you have diabetes or kidney disease, you should pay more attention to your intake, and it is not recommended to eat them before going to bed.
Don’t mistake “restless legs syndrome” for cramps! If it affects your sleep, seek medical advice as soon as possible
Finally, Dr. Hong Yuzhong reminded that the clinically common “restless legs syndrome” is mainly caused by the imbalance of dopamine in the brain. People often feel soreness, numbness, and burning in their legs while sleeping, like ants itching, and they also experience twitching. , pain, often mistaken for cramps. The difference between the two is that patients with restless legs syndrome experience less discomfort after exercising. “Restless legs syndrome and cramps are different problems, but the symptoms of leg discomfort are very similar, and people may misunderstand them.”
But generally speaking, there is no specific cause for most cramps, and not many patients see doctors for this. However, when cramps occur too frequently and significantly affect sleep, there may be underlying diseases of peripheral blood and nerves. Dr. Hong Yuzhong suggests that you can learn whether the body is deficient in specific nutrients through blood tests, or you can learn about your own blood circulation through a health check-up. , nerve conduction conditions, and seek assistance from orthopedics, neurology, family medicine and other professional doctors.
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