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Night leg cramps
By Mayo Clinic staffMayo Clinic Health Manager
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Definition
Night leg cramps are sudden, painful, involuntary contractions of muscles in your leg. In most cases, night leg cramps involve your calf muscles, but muscles in your feet or thighs may cramp as well.
Most of the time, true night leg cramps occur for no known reason, and they're harmless. However, in rare situations, night leg cramps can be associated with an underlying disorder — such as peripheral artery disease or diabetes.
The risk of having night leg cramps increases with age. Pregnant women also have a higher likelihood of experiencing night leg cramps.
Causes
In most cases, night leg cramps have no identifiable cause. However, night leg cramps may sometimes be associated with:
- Addison's disease
- Alcoholism
- Choosing blood pressure medications
- Cirrhosis
- Dehydration
- Type 2 diabetes
- Diarrhea
- Diuretics
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Flatfeet
- Gastric bypass surgery
- Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
- Kidney failure, chronic
- Muscle fatigue
- Oral contraceptives
- Parkinson's disease
- Second trimester pregnancy: What to expect
- Peripheral artery disease (PAD)
When to see a doctor
For most people, night leg cramps are merely an annoyance — something that jerks you awake on an infrequent basis. But in some cases, you may need to see a doctor.
Seek immediate medical care if you:
- Experience severe and persistent cramping
- Have night leg cramps after being exposed to a toxin, such as lead
Schedule an office visit if you:
- Have such interrupted sleep that you have trouble functioning during the day
- Are also experiencing muscle weakness and atrophy
Self-care
Activities that might help prevent night leg cramps include:
- Drinking plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration
- Wearing shoes that have proper support
- Stretching your leg muscles, or riding a stationary bicycle, for a few minutes before you go to bed
- Untucking the bed covers at the foot of your bed
Activities that might help relieve night leg cramps include:
- Flexing your foot up toward your head
- Massaging the cramped muscle with your hands or with ice
- Walking or jiggling the leg
- Taking a hot shower or warm bath
- Kanaan N, et al. Nocturnal leg cramps: Clinically mysterious and painful - but manageable. Geriatrics. 2001;56:34.
- Walters AS. Clinical identification of the simple sleep-related movement disorders. Chest. 2007;131:1260.
- Sheon RP. Nocturnal leg cramps, night starts and nocturnal myoclonus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Dec. 8, 2008.
- Dehydration and fluid maintenance. Columbia, Md.: American Medical Directors Association. http://www.guideline.gov/summary/summary.aspx?ss=15&doc_id=3305&nbr=2531. Accessed Dec. 9, 2008.
