Causes of calf cramps in pregnant women at night

We know that a woman's body will undergo many changes since the day she becomes pregnant. As the fetus gradually develops and grows in the belly day by day, women's demand for nutrition is also increasing. Therefore, female friends must pay more attention to their daily life after pregnancy, especially to ensure adequate sleep at night. There are still many pregnant women who have calf cramps at night, which will seriously affect the quality of sleep and make people worry about affecting the development of the fetus. Let's find out what pregnant women should do if they have calf cramps at night?

Causes of leg cramps in pregnant women

1. After pregnancy, the weight of the pregnant woman will increase significantly, and the burden on her legs will increase, causing her leg muscles to be in a state of fatigue.

2. 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.

What to do if pregnant women have calf cramps at night:

1. Eat more calcium-rich foods, dairy products and dark green vegetables.

2. Take calcium tablets, preferably oral calcium tablets containing vitamin D, such as Calcium D tablets. Of course, if necessary, you should ask your doctor to check before taking any supplements.

3. Pregnant women can avoid leg cramps by stretching and bending the soles of their feet upwards and pushing their heels outwards (rather than pointing them toward the toes). In some cases, you can also do this stretch when cramps first start, or try a gentle massage to relieve them.

4. Massage your feet before going to bed, or elevate your feet before sleeping. Do not wear high heels when walking during the day and do not stand for too long to prevent excessive fatigue of the leg muscles.

5. 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 a wall with the soles of your feet on the floor, your arms straight, leaning forward slightly, and your palms against the wall.

6. When a pregnant woman has leg cramps when sleeping at night, she can also ask her husband to help with hot compresses and massage, which can effectively relieve the pain caused by leg cramps.

Precautions

The absence of calf cramps does not mean that the pregnant woman is not calcium deficient. It is only because of the needs of the fetus that calcium is being transferred in the pregnant woman's body. Such pregnant women are potentially calcium deficient and are likely to experience calf cramps.

If you walk too much or stand for too long during pregnancy, the burden on your leg muscles will increase, leading to local accumulation of acidic metabolic products, which can cause muscle cramps. However, don't think that more sleep is better. Sleeping too long will slow down blood circulation, cause the accumulation of metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide, and may also induce muscle spasms.

Cold factors, such as low room temperature at night in winter, the quilt being too thin when sleeping or the legs and feet being exposed outside the quilt; or a bad sleeping posture, such as lying on your back for a long time, with the quilt pressing on the soles of your feet, or the soles of your feet against the bed, causing poor blood circulation, can also cause cramps.

After understanding what pregnant women should do if they have calf cramps at night, many pregnant women should not be too anxious or worried when they experience such symptoms. First of all, we must adjust our eating habits in time and eat more foods high in calcium in daily life, such as drinking some bone soup. This can effectively help us relieve calf cramps. If you are still worried, you must go to a specialist hospital for examination in time.