Getting cramped muscles is never fun! It can even happen when you least expect it. Usually, it occurs during intense training or exercising, but it can happen even when you are doing absolutely nothing. Like even at night while you are sleeping. The muscles tighten up and leave you hampering in pain. It is an uncontrollable reaction of the muscle, or a part of the muscle, that causes it to seize up. The result is pain and discomfort. In layman?s terms, you will hear people calling it Charley Horse, but the result is always the same. It usually happens larger skeletal muscle parts, like your legs, and can be both exercise and non-exercise related. But how to stop them? Is there something around the house that we can use to prevent it from happening? Here are some helpful pieces of advice.
Stretching
When a muscle cramp occurs, the first thing that you can do is to try and stretch it. But do not push through the cramp by force. You need to let the muscle get lose first. So try to relax and start by walking slowly first at a steady pace. Since muscle cramps usually happen in your legs, you can try and do the ?runners stretch.? This includes straightening your leg at a 90-degree angle, grabbing the tip of your foot with your hand and gently pulling it towards you by keeping your leg straight. You can even do this by laying down on your back by doing the same method just inverted.
Supplements
Muscle cramps are usually related to vitamin deficiency with some people. So using certain supplements to make up for the deficiency can help. Some B-complex supplements have shown that they can work in this sort of situation. Also, people lacking magnesium and calcium can try using those to help get the muscle loose. However, people can also try cannabis as well. Legalized marijuana is really helpful in getting your body and muscles loose. Headband OG strain, for instance, can help with muscle spasms. Taking just a little bit of it is pretty helpful in getting through this sort of situation.
Massage
Something that you can do during an instant muscle cramp is to try and massage the affected area. If you are running and it happens suddenly try pressing the area where you have a cramp gently with your fingers. Go as deep and as hard as you can as much as you can tolerate the pain. Massaging the muscle will allow blood flow into the area and help regain regular circulation, helping the muscle to get loose.
Applying Heat or Cold
Applying heat to the affected, cramped area is also a good method. It allows more nutrient-rich blood to come to the affected area. The increased blood flow will help wash away all the byproducts of muscle contraction. Since certain chemicals are produced during a spasm, heat will widen the blood vessels and increase blood flow and simply wash them away. Although heat is the go-to method for muscle spasm, ice or cold packs are best used after the spasms go away. Some people experience persistent soreness after the cramp and ice will help to reduce inflammation and calm the area down.
Hydrate
Hydrating is not an instant remedy and does not work as fast as other methods do but it is also a useful one to try. Actually, dehydration is known to increase the likelihood of cramps happening. Even if you are not exercising, cramps can still happen if you are not hydrated enough. This is why certain people wake up with a cramp. It happens due to dehydration and while they sleep. So in order to prevent that, people should drink ample amounts of water during the day. However, if you are still active and you get a cramp you should grab a drink that has electrolytes. These include calcium, potassium, and magnesium, which can help relieve the cramp. Actually people who are physically active should use this as part of their routine while exercising. But make sure that you don?t get a sports drink that has sugar in it. Or at least choose a low-sugar one because sugar is definitely not a good remedy against cramps.