What should I do if I have leg cramps at night during pregnancy? Why do pregnant women have cramps at night?

Do you know some knowledge about pregnancy? Today, I will share with you some knowledge about pregnancy. What should you do if you have leg cramps at night during pregnancy? And why do pregnant women have leg cramps at night? Let's learn together with me.

What should I do if I have leg cramps at night during pregnancy?

1. Pushing your heel outward (rather than pointing toward your toes) as you stretch and flex the sole of your foot upward can help prevent leg cramps. In some cases, you can also do this stretch when a cramp first starts. Or try a gentle massage to relieve the cramp.

2. Take calcium tablets as prescribed by your doctor and discuss calcium supplementation with your doctor. (Oral magnesium supplementation can help reduce the severity of cramps, but you should ask your doctor to check before taking supplements.)

3. Massage your feet before going to bed, or raise your feet before sleeping. Do not wear high heels when walking during the day, and do not stand for too long to prevent leg muscles from being too tired.

4. For obvious cramps, hold the back of the chair for support, stand up straight to stretch the muscles in the back of the leg, bend the hips slightly forward, straighten the knees, and breathe deeply and evenly. You can also lean against the wall, stand on the floor with the soles of your feet, stretch your arms, lean forward slightly, and put your palms against the wall.

5. Increase the intake of calcium-rich foods, dairy products and dark green vegetables.

Why do pregnant women have cramps at night?

1. Leg cramps in pregnant women are a pathological phenomenon in pregnancy discomfort syndrome. So what is the reason for leg cramps in pregnant women? The burden on the leg muscles of pregnant women is increased, and the ratio of calcium and phosphorus in the body is unbalanced. Walking too much and standing too long during pregnancy will increase the activity of the calf muscles, resulting in insufficient calcium in the body of pregnant women, thus causing leg cramps; in addition, poor blood circulation or coldness are also possible causes of cramps.

2. Overnutrition. Excessive diet leads to excessive intake of protein, which affects the metabolism of carbohydrates, resulting in the accumulation of acidic metabolites and electrolyte imbalance. One of the manifestations of electrolyte imbalance is cramps. Standing for a long time. Walking too much or standing for too long during pregnancy will increase the activity of the calf muscles, increase the burden on the leg muscles, and lead to the accumulation of local acidic metabolites, which will cause muscle cramps. Bad sleeping posture. Bad sleeping posture, lying on your back for a long time, with the quilt pressing on the soles of your feet, or lying prone for a long time, with the soles of your feet against the bed, forcing certain calf muscles to be in an absolutely relaxed state for a long time, which can easily cause leg cramps.

Can leg cramps during pregnancy be prevented?

In the middle and late stages of pregnancy, many pregnant women will feel pain and cramps in their thighs or calves when they sleep at night. In fact, most of the leg cramps in pregnant women at night are caused by calcium deficiency. Since the fetus needs a lot of calcium for bone development, it will cause calcium deficiency in the mother. Leg cramps in pregnant women at night can actually be prevented.

How to prevent leg cramps in pregnant women?

1. Pay attention to your sleep time

After pregnancy, many pregnant women like to rest in bed, and it is easy to fall asleep in bed. But if you want to avoid leg cramps, you must avoid sleeping too long, because when you sleep too long, it will slow down the blood circulation, thus causing leg cramps.

2. Keep warm

Pregnant mothers should also take good warming measures to avoid getting their leg muscles cold. Because when the leg muscles are stimulated by the cold, they will cramp.

3. Avoid overexertion

After pregnancy, pregnant mothers must pay more attention to rest and avoid excessive leg exercise, which will make the leg muscles feel overly tired. When the leg muscles are overworked, it is easy to cause leg cramps. In addition, pregnant women can choose to soak their feet in hot water to relax the thigh muscles, which can effectively avoid leg cramps.