It comes unseen, suddenly, sharp pain in our muscles. We stretch our toes, calf, thigh, while making scary faces, before it leaves, leaving us with contracted muscles. That's it:the cramp. And today, we decide to kill him.
First of all, before developing a strategic plan to get rid of it, we must understand why it arises, the ugly one. By playing sports, for example, overstimulation of the muscles leads to an accumulation of certain molecules, including calcium, which stimulates the muscle in an excessive way. Several causes promote its appearance:excessive effort, therefore, as well as insufficient warm-up, hyperglycemia and poor hydration.
As for night cramps, they can be caused by circulation, muscle, nerve or thyroid problems, pregnancy or/and side effects of certain medications (like laxatives).
Hydrate regularly, preferably with water rich in mineral salts. It is generally recommended to drink 1.5 liters of water a day.
Stretch before exercise.
Take a little sugar before sport to fix the mineral salts. To do this, you can melt a square of sugar in your glass of water or add a little syrup.
Do not abuse exciting drinks, such as coffee, tea and alcohol.
Stock up on magnesium, calcium and potassium! The flagship products? Bananas and dark chocolate! You can take food supplements, for example by doing a course of marine magnesium B6. We also salt our dishes – but without overdoing it.
Treat yourself with plants and homeopathy (valerian, Cuprum metallicum 9 CH and Arnica montana 9 CH - 5 granules of each).
Stretch your muscle. If your cramp is in the feet, for example, pull your toes up until they disappear.
Drink plenty to facilitate drainage.
If the cramp is in the upper body, put your hands under cold water. If localized to lower body, walk barefoot on a cold surface (such as tile). This technique promotes the vasoconstriction of vessels and the ascent of fluids. More radical:the use of a cold bomb, on sale in sports stores.
Massage yourself to take the pain away and "put the muscle back in place".
If cramping persists, seek medical attention.
