Use a warm towel or heating pad on tense or tense muscles. Taking a hot bath or directing the stream of a hot shower to the cramped muscle may also help. Alternatively, massaging the tight muscle with ice can ease the pain. You probably know that bananas are a good source of potassium.
But they'll also give you magnesium and calcium. They are three of the four nutrients you need to relieve muscle cramps found under yellow skin. It's no surprise that bananas are a popular and quick option for relieving cramps. Legumes, such as beans and lentils, are packed with magnesium.
A cup of cooked lentils contains approximately 71 milligrams of magnesium, and a cup of cooked black beans has almost twice as much, at 120 milligrams. In addition, they are high in fiber and studies show that high-fiber foods can help alleviate menstrual cramps, as well as control blood sugar and lower levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol. Like beans and lentils, nuts and seeds are a great source of magnesium. For example, 1 ounce of roasted sunflower seeds contains approximately 37 milligrams of magnesium.
And 1 ounce of roasted and salted almonds has twice as much. Many types of nuts and seeds also contain calcium and magnesium. Interrupt any activity that may have caused the cramp and stretch the muscle slightly, gently maintaining the stretch. You can even massage the muscle as it stretches or after you finish.
This is different from muscle contractions, a very mild, repetitive contraction of a muscle that can be seen or felt or not. Try to stretch the affected muscle hard (for example, stretch the calf muscle by flexing your foot up). If you're experiencing muscle spasms as a symptom of fibromyalgia, natural muscle relaxants, such as magnesium and cayenne pepper, may help. If your calf muscle cramps in the middle of the night, stand up and slowly put weight on the affected leg to push the heel down and stretch the muscle.
Healthy levels of vitamin D in the blood are vital for muscle function, and a deficiency of this nutrient can cause muscle symptoms, such as muscle pain, spasms and weakness (2). From why they occur to whether pickle juice can actually stop them, here's everything you need to know about muscle cramps.) But if you have frequent muscle cramps, and especially if you have other symptoms of muscle weakness or loss, it's time to see your doctor. Muscle cramps are an uncomfortable symptom characterized by painful and involuntary contractions of a muscle or part of a muscle. In many cases, the muscle contracts to such an extent that the entire limb or body moves physically, especially if they are larger thigh or calf muscles.
There are several types of muscle cramps, exercise-associated muscle cramps (EAMC) and nocturnal (nocturnal) cramps, being the most common. Muscles need calcium to function properly, so a lack of calcium in the blood can cause muscle-related complications, such as muscle cramps and irregular heartbeats (1). In doing so, the motor nerves of the peripheral nervous system are activated and cause the muscle contractions necessary for normal muscle movement. If all else fails and you continue to have regular muscle cramps, consider getting regular massages to help your muscles relax.
