Cramps And Cramping
Cramps are caused by a number of events – menstruation, dehydration, excessive exercise, lack of nutrients or not enough exercise.
Children often experience leg cramps, also called "charlie horse" or "growing pains" when they are going through a growth spurt.
Most leg cramps tend to arrive in the dead of night as you sleep.
Menstrual cramps can last minutes, hours or days.
Each kind of cramp can vary from mildly annoying to earth-stopping painful.
Home Remedies for Cramps and Cramping:
Potassium and Calcium:
Leg cramps, charlie horse cramping and other muscle cramps can often be treated by taking in a bit more potassium.
You may also be suffering due to lack of calcium. Indulge in some yogurt or ice cream or consider a calcium supplement. Eat a banana, drink a glass of milk and take a multi-vitamin.
With 3 children, I've been awakened more than once in the night due to my children's growing pains.
A banana, glass of milk, and a heating pad would quickly resolve the problem, and we would all drift back to sleep
Water:
Water is the only cure for dehydration and cramping caused by dehydration.
The best natural cure for your muscle cramp may be taking care to drink enough each day.
One ounce for every two pounds you weigh is ideal.
Stretching:
Many people, especially those that don’t exercise as much as they should, swear by this home remedy for leg cramps: stretch your calves.
If you don’t have great balance, stand upright holding onto the back of a chair or counter. Rise onto your toes repeatedly until you tire.
Next, stand on a ledge with your heels hanging off. Lower to stretch your calves then rise onto your toes.
It’s a simple, completely free home remedy.
Activities:
Getting active, whether cycling, running or taking in a yoga class will help ease cramps of all kinds.
You don’t need fancy equipment or any experience, just do something to get your body moving.
The increased circulation will help ease your pain and make the cramp go away.
Swimming:
Menstrual cramps and other muscular cramping can often be treated with this enjoyable home remedy – swimming.
This exercise will release endorphins that act as painkillers and it will keep your mid off the ache.
The relaxation that comes with this natural cure will help the stiffness melt away.
Hot Or Cold:
Cramping and pain from menstrual cycles will often react and relax if you apply heat or cold to the pain.
Ice packs, heating pads and hot baths are just a few of the natural cures used by some women.
Heat applied to the abdomen will increase blood flow to the uterus and may lessen the naturally increasing chemicals to the area.
The ice causes the opposite to happen, permitting temporary relief due to less blood flow.
Heating Pads or Hot Bath:
After experiencing any type of cramping, there is often residual pain as a result of the muscle strain after painfully contracting.
Just as in strenuous exercise, micro-tears can occur in the muscle as it contracts forcefully.
My personal favorite is to use a heating pad with moist-heat to relax the muscle and increase blood flow.
A hot bath or hot tub works well, though you might not be able to tolerate the all over heat as long as you can a heating pad.
The heat is soothing, relaxes the sore muscles and quickly reduces the pain.
