references
Age and Ageing: "A review of nocturnal leg cramps in older people"
Journal of Neurology: "Neurogenic muscle cramps"
Mayo Clinic: "Muscle Cramp"
Bone Reports: "Vitamin D and muscle"
Neurologic Clinics: "Nutritional Neuropathies"
Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes: "The Many Faces of Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) Deficiency"
Cleveland Clinic: "Feeling Fatigued? Could It Be Magnesium Deficiency? (And If So, What to Do About It!)"
U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Fluid and Electrolyte Balance"
Mayo Clinic: "Hyponatremia"
StatPearls: "Muscle Cramps"
Mayo Clinic: "What are the risks of vitamin D deficiency?"
FDA: “FDA 101: Dietary Supplements”
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: "2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans"
BMJ Clinical Evidence: "Leg cramps"
Family Practice: "Criteria in diagnosing nocturnal leg cramps: a systematic review"
PLOS One: "Nocturnal leg cramps: Prevalence and associations with demographics, sleep disturbance symptoms, medical conditions, and cardiometabolic risk factors"
Maternal and Child Nutrition: "Oral magnesium for relief in pregnancy-induced leg cramps: a randomised controlled trial"
JAMA Internal Medicine: "Effect of Magnesium Oxide Supplementation on Nocturnal Leg Cramps"
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research: "High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Associated Risk Factors among Employed Women in a Sunny Industrial City"
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders: "Pain pressure threshold of a muscle tender spot increases following local and non-local rolling massage"
Seminars in Neurology: "Myofascial Trigger Point Pain Syndromes"
Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine: "The Effects of Myofascial Trigger Point Injections on Nocturnal Calf Cramps"
Is this an emergency? If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, please see the National Library of Medicine’s list of signs you need emergency medical attention or call 911.
Cramps are involuntary muscle contractions that can be very painful.
Image Credit: KeremYucel/iStock/GettyImages
Image Credit: KeremYucel/iStock/GettyImages
- Deficiencies
- Treatment
- Best Vitamins
Muscle cramps typically resolve on their own. But if cramps cause you extreme pain, happen frequently without an obvious cause or occur with other symptoms like muscle weakness, swelling or a change in skin color, visit your doctor, per the Mayo Clinic.
Most electrolyte imbalances are temporary and can be resolved by hydrating and eating nutrient-rich foods. But if you notice symptoms like nausea, vomiting, confusion, seizures, or you lose consciousness, get medical care immediately, as you may be experiencing a severe sodium deficiency, per the Mayo Clinic.
Use this equation to determine how much water you should drink every day: Body weight (in pounds) ÷ 2 = minimum ounces of water you should drink per day
Body weight (in pounds) ÷ 2 = minimum ounces of water you should drink per day
Though you may have heard that vitamin E can help treat leg cramps at night, there’s not much recent research to support this claim, per a May 2015 review in BMJ Clinical Evidence.
Age and Ageing: "A review of nocturnal leg cramps in older people"
Journal of Neurology: "Neurogenic muscle cramps"
Mayo Clinic: "Muscle Cramp"
Bone Reports: "Vitamin D and muscle"
Neurologic Clinics: "Nutritional Neuropathies"
Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Innovations, Quality & Outcomes: "The Many Faces of Cobalamin (Vitamin B12) Deficiency"
Cleveland Clinic: "Feeling Fatigued? Could It Be Magnesium Deficiency? (And If So, What to Do About It!)"
U.S. National Library of Medicine: "Fluid and Electrolyte Balance"
Mayo Clinic: "Hyponatremia"
StatPearls: "Muscle Cramps"
Mayo Clinic: "What are the risks of vitamin D deficiency?"
FDA: “FDA 101: Dietary Supplements”
U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: "2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans"
BMJ Clinical Evidence: "Leg cramps"
Family Practice: "Criteria in diagnosing nocturnal leg cramps: a systematic review"
PLOS One: "Nocturnal leg cramps: Prevalence and associations with demographics, sleep disturbance symptoms, medical conditions, and cardiometabolic risk factors"
Maternal and Child Nutrition: "Oral magnesium for relief in pregnancy-induced leg cramps: a randomised controlled trial"
JAMA Internal Medicine: "Effect of Magnesium Oxide Supplementation on Nocturnal Leg Cramps"
International Journal for Vitamin and Nutrition Research: "High Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency and Associated Risk Factors among Employed Women in a Sunny Industrial City"
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders: "Pain pressure threshold of a muscle tender spot increases following local and non-local rolling massage"
Seminars in Neurology: "Myofascial Trigger Point Pain Syndromes"
Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine: "The Effects of Myofascial Trigger Point Injections on Nocturnal Calf Cramps"
