What causes leg cramps in pregnant women at night?

Every woman hopes that she can give birth to a healthy baby. However, encountering health problems during pregnancy will always make her particularly nervous. Among them, leg cramps in pregnant women at night are a relatively common phenomenon. However, the cause of this symptom must be found out and adjusted in time, otherwise some symptoms will have a great impact on the baby's health. Let's understand what causes leg cramps in pregnant women at night.

What causes leg cramps in pregnant women at night?

1. Overnutrition. Excessive eating causes excessive intake of protein-rich foods, which affects carbohydrate metabolism, leads to accumulation of acidic metabolites, and causes electrolyte imbalance. One of the symptoms of electrolyte imbalance is cramps.

2. Often stand for long periods of 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, lead to local accumulation of acidic metabolic products, and cause muscle cramps.

3. Poor sleeping posture. Bad sleeping posture, lying on your back for a long time with the quilt pressing on your feet, or lying on your stomach for a long time with 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.

4. The body lacks calcium. After pregnancy, the baby's nutritional needs increase, especially calcium absorption. Especially in the second and third trimesters, the daily calcium requirement increases to 1200 mg. If the diet does not contain enough calcium and vitamin D or there is a lack of sunlight, the calcium deficiency will be aggravated, thereby increasing the excitability of muscles and nerves. The blood calcium level at night is lower than during the day, so calf cramps often occur at night.

How to relieve leg cramps in pregnant women

Cramps are a minor illness, but the pain can be life-threatening. Especially if cramps occur frequently during pregnancy, it is undoubtedly a torture for pregnant mothers. So how can pregnant women relieve leg cramps?

When pregnant women have leg cramps, they should not be afraid of the pain. At this time, they should straighten their calves. After about five or six minutes, the pain symptoms will be relieved. They can try to massage the calf cramp area. After about 10 minutes of massage, the pain symptoms will disappear. If the pain symptoms still exist, the expectant father can help the pregnant mother massage the legs and soles of the feet to completely relax the chicken parts of the legs, so that the pain will not be so severe.

If cramps occur frequently and repeatedly, it is most likely caused by calcium deficiency. During pregnancy, pregnant women should eat more calcium-rich foods. You can add some calcium-rich foods such as dried shrimps, fish and pork rib soup to your diet. If the body is adequately nourished, cramps will naturally be reduced.

Expectant mothers should also pay attention to rest and avoid strenuous exercise. If the muscles are always in a tense state and do not get rest, it can easily cause leg cramps. Especially in the late pregnancy when the pregnant woman herself has difficulty in moving, try to reduce the time she walks.

Women must pay special attention to their diet and daily life during pregnancy to ensure the normal growth and development of the fetus. The above is an introduction to why pregnant women suffer from leg cramps at night. After understanding it, we know that there are many reasons for this phenomenon, such as paying attention to calcium supplementation, paying attention to balanced nutrition in diet, and also paying attention to keeping the body warm when sleeping.