Have you ever experienced a painful leg cramp overnight? It’s a condition that can ruin a good night’s sleep, and unfortunately, one that millions of people suffer from. Medicine doesn’t have a clear cause for it. Tiredness and low magnesium levels have been identified as culprits, but are not the only ones. Muscle cramps are much more prevalent in older people, pregnant women, and people suffering from thyroid disorders.
While there’s no clear solution to the problem, there are more than a few simple tricks that will prevent them in the future. One of them involves a bar of soap under your bedsheets. Yeah, it’s strange, but if it works, there’s no reason not to try it.
Top Life Hacks for Preventing Muscle Cramps
Heat Treatment
You know those electric heat pads that most of us have but rarely anyone uses at home? Well, if you’re suffering from regular leg cramps, now’s the time to put them to good use. Just wrap it around the affected leg to improve the blood flow and relax the muscle. This can be done after you suffer a cramp or before going to bed every night. Since it relaxes your muscles, it should also help you sleep better.
Alternatively, you can use a cloth soaked in hot water applied to the painful calf.
Bar of Soap
You know Irish Spring soaps, right? Well, according to some experts, sleeping with a bar of this soap between the sheets can prevent cramps. It sounds silly to be honest, but experts have attributed its effects to the presence of lavender. The flower is known as a great muscle relaxant, and is probably the reason why a bar of soap can prevent leg cramps.
Stretches & Massage
Whenever a painful cramp strikes, you should stretch in front of a wall with the cramped leg on it. Bend the knee to stretch the muscle – if this is too painful, you can use a chair. It will be a bit tough to stretch the muscle, but as soon as you do it, the cramp will go away instantly. A similar stretch can also be use against hamstring cramps.
Massaging the painful area later will reduce at least a bit of the pain, allowing you to walk like a normal person in the morning.
Walking
Walking is a great exercise for your overall health, and apparently it can prevent leg cramps too. Take a walk every time you can. It’ll do you a lot of good – certainly more than driving.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is full of essential nutrients including minerals such as potassium and calcium. Lack of both has been identified as one of the possible reasons for muscle cramps, so it pays to give ACV a try. Drink a bit in a shot glass every morning on an empty stomach, or soak a cloth in warm ACV and use it as a compress on your legs overnight.
Bananas and Potassium and Magnesium Supplements
Bananas are rich in potassium, a crucial mineral in the fight against muscle cramps. Potassium deficiency is one of the main culprits for painful cramps, and if you stock up on it by eating a few bananas per day, they probably won’t occur that much.
The same can be said about potassium and magnesium supplements. Take both and your leg cramps will be gone before you know it.
Tonic Water
Tonic water contains quinine, a rare compound that is effective at stopping leg cramps. It reduces muscle contraction and drinking a glass or two per day might be enough to stop your legs from cramping overnight.
