Cobalamin, or vitamin B12, is a vitamin that people can find in animal and dairy foods. People who are vitamin B12 deficient can sometimes experience muscle cramps all over their body. Some research shows that replacing certain nutrients, such as potassium, sodium and magnesium, can help counteract muscle cramps. In addition, deficiencies in nutrients such as magnesium, vitamin D and certain B vitamins may increase the chances of muscle cramps (3, 4).However, nerve compression, dehydration, low electrolyte levels, reduced blood supply to the muscle, pregnancy, certain medications, and dialysis can also cause muscles to tighten.
The human body needs a variety of B vitamins for maximum cellular health, adequate brain and nerve function, better cardiovascular well-being and normal hormone production, according to Healthline. B vitamins also help increase energy levels, improve eyesight and healthier digestion. Taking a vitamin B complex, a supplement containing B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B7 (biotin), B9 (folic acid) and B12 (cobalamin), can help with all of these functions.However, research has also found that it can help with muscle cramps. Some studies have found that magnesium can alleviate these types of cramps.
One of these studies was published in Medical Science Monitor. At some points in the study, participants received 300 mg of magnesium for their nighttime cramps; other times they were monitored, keeping a diary to record the duration and severity of the cramps along the way.After six weeks, it was determined that, after receiving real magnesium, 78 percent of the study subjects reported an improvement in cramps. This compares with only 54 percent who reported some level of improvement after taking a placebo. Research has also linked oral magnesium to relieving leg cramps that occur during pregnancy.
Healthline adds that magnesium also has other benefits for pregnant women, such as a possible reduction in fetal growth, fetal growth restriction and premature birth.For example, a 2000 study published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition involved 12 cirrhotic patients who experienced muscle cramps at least three times a week, usually in the calves, feet and hands. After receiving 220 mg twice daily of zinc sulfate for 12 weeks, 10 of the 12 patients reported an improvement in their muscle cramps. Seven of them indicated that their cramps completely disappeared.Exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMC) have historically been attributed to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance. Electrolytes such as magnesium, sodium, calcium and potassium are non-organic materials that conduct small episodes of electricity, and these electrical charges are necessary to trigger muscle movement and contraction and are important for overall muscle performance.If you're prone to exercise-related muscle cramps, HOTSHOT For Muscle Cramps can help.
HOTSHOT was specifically formulated to target the neurological cause behind cramps. When you take this sports injection before training or competition, the sensory nerves in your mouth and esophagus are activated, which then send a calming signal to the spinal cord. This signal then inhibits the hyperactive activation of motor neurons, which continuously collide with a fatigued muscle and cause uncontrollable muscle cramps and pain the next day.That's why increasing your vitamin B intake with a vitamin B complex (a supplement that includes all the different B vitamins) can help reduce unusual muscle cramps, but this is only useful if you're deficient in vitamin B1 or B12 and isn't suitable for exercise-induced cramps.To determine if a B1 or B12 deficiency is causing muscle cramps that otherwise couldn't be explained, see your doctor and have a laboratory test done. Potassium is another electrolyte that can be affected by your hydration levels.
Low potassium levels, a condition also known as hypokalemia, can cause muscle cramps. Once again, you should consult your doctor before taking potassium supplements for muscle cramps, as it has only been shown to be a problem related to a medical deficiency and you may not see any improvement in cramps as you increase your intake of this mineral.Multiple interventions for muscle cramps are suggested but few have been shown to be effective in double-blind placebo-controlled trials. In a clinical trial stretching before bed reduced the frequency of muscle cramps while quinine moderately reduced the frequency and severity of cramps but its side effect profile prohibits routine use. Other treatments such as vitamin B complex diltiazem vitamin E magnesium and gabapentin have uncertain benefits.
Calcium
and magnesium are the yin and yang of muscle contraction.Calcium is used to initiate muscle contraction while for a muscle to relax a sufficient level of magnesium is needed. Muscle spasms can be caused by a calcium deficiency or a magnesium deficiency therefore these cramps or spasms originate from the inability to contract or the inability to relax a muscle efficiently.Classically with calcium deficiency cramps occur more frequently during the day while with magnesium deficiency they are often more noticeable at night and during sleep however this is not a perfect correlation and more tests need to be done to determine which minerals are missing.Muscle cramps are not uncommon complications of hemodialysis (HD) treatments and lead to early interruption of HD sessions and are therefore a major cause of insufficient dialysis. The etiology of cramps in dialysis patients remains a topic of debate many reports suggested that vitamin E (vit E) may be effective in preventing cramps associated with HD.We decided to conduct a selected controlled trial of supplemental vitamin E for the treatment of patients with HD who suffer frequent attacks during and between HD sessions. The objective was to compare the number of muscle cramp attacks with the patient's baseline value over a specific period of time.In this study 19 HD patients from different age and ethnicity groups were randomly selected.The patient must have had at least 60 bouts of muscle cramps during and...
