Charlie horses while sleeping

Leg Cramps at Night: Causes and Tips to Reduce Them

7 Ways to Prevent Night Leg Cramps (Charley Horses)

Have you ever gone to bed and were suddenly awoken with a severe leg cramp? Night leg cramps, AKA nocturnal leg cramps, can be a nightmare if you get them.

Leg cramps are characterized by abrupt, uncomfortable (and even painful) spasms that can affect the calf muscles and thighs but can also involve your feet. They can occur when you are awake, but most often they occur at night.

Causes for nocturnal leg cramps

Although night leg cramps are often referred to as “charley horses,” there is no Charley and certainly no horse causing them. You may wonder then what could be causing these unwelcome wake-up calls.

“Nobody really knows the exact cause for leg cramps at night, but there are some known factors that can increase your risk,” said Joyce Lee-Iannotti, MD, a neurologist and sleep medicine specialist at Banner Health in Phoenix, AZ.

These factors include:

• Your Age: It’s estimated that nearly 60% of those ages 50 and older report nocturnal leg cramps.
• Pregnancy: This may occur due to weight gain and changes in circulation.
• Certain Medical Conditions: Those with kidney and thyroid problems or peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage in the legs) may experience leg cramping.
• Some Medications: Medications such as diuretics, blood pressure medications or statins may contribute to leg cramps.

“Other risk factors may be due to overexerting your muscles, sitting for prolonged periods of time without moving, dehydration or standing and walking on hard surfaces all day,” Dr. Lee-Iannotti added.

Could it be restless leg syndrome?

Many people confuse nocturnal leg cramps with another condition known as restless leg syndrome, RLS. Like RLS, leg cramps most often occur at rest. The difference, however, is that leg cramps produce muscle tightening, cramping and pain. With RLS, you’ll experience a strange and unpleasant urge to move your legs in order to stop a feeling of discomfort, but there isn’t usually pain associated with it.

7 ways to relieve and prevent leg cramps at night

The good news is that although they can be painful, nocturnal leg cramps aren’t typically serious. While it can be a bit of trial and error, here are seven home remedies you can try to help relieve discomfort and potentially stop painful wake-up calls.

• Stretch your hamstring and calf muscles during the day and before you go to bed.
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day and watch your alcohol and caffeine consumption.
• Try mild exercises before bed, such as walking or riding the stationary bike for a few minutes.
• Maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating right, exercising regularly and getting enough proper sleep.
• Take a warm bath or shower to soothe tight muscles.
• Wear supportive shoes with proper arch and ankle support.
• Keep sheets and blankets loose around your feet so you aren’t as restricted to move around at night.

“If none of these remedies work, you’re continuing to have severe persistent cramping and it’s impacting your sleep and daily function, call your doctor,” Dr. Lee-Iannotti said. “Nocturnal leg cramps shouldn’t impair your general well-being.”

Nocturnal leg cramps, or charley horses, are a real nightmare, but don’t let them get you down. Find relief with a Banner Health specialist, by visiting bannerhealth.com.

Other useful articles:

• Is Nighttime Mouth Breathing Affecting Your Health?
• Women: This Could Be What's Causing Your Sleep Problems
• 5 Zinc Benefits and Why You Need It in Your Diet

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Dream Interpretation: what a horse dreams about

Dreams are a very strange thing. We still don't understand how they work. Sometimes you may dream of something strange, which can mean both something good and something bad.

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Let's tell you what a dream about horses can mean.

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Horses are refined and noble animals. Dreams about horses can mean different things. It is important to understand the details and other nuances here. Read interpretations of dreams about horses from the most popular dream books.

Horses according to Miller's dream book

To see a beautiful horse in a dream - to good luck, success in business, well-being and prosperity. If you dreamed about horse races, this is also a good sign. Many victories await you, but the path to them will be difficult. A dirty and unkempt horse in a dream promises betrayal by close people whom you trusted. If the horse was badly injured or dead in a dream, then get ready to receive bad news.

Did the horse run away from you and join the herd? Wait for the news about the illness of a loved one. If in a dream you cleaned a horse, then this is a warning: you need to be patient in order to achieve your goals and earn credibility.

A well-trained horse dreams of success, which you could not even dream of. Also, such a dream can be a harbinger of a meeting with a future friend for life. If you shoe a horse yourself, then such a dream symbolizes your remorse.

Pay attention to the color of the horse, it is of great importance in interpretation. Riding a white horse in a dream means that your friends will stay with you for life. If you rode a bay horse, it means that in reality you will be able to realize all your ambitions and get a promotion at work. For a woman, such a dream is a sign that she will soon be able to get rid of an obsessive boyfriend and receive material benefits. A dream in which a black horse appears indicates that there is too much senseless fuss in your life. Brown horses in a dream are harbingers of a sharp deterioration in business that has always been successful before. Horses in apples - for profit and profit.

If in a dream you saw a grazing herd, then this means success in business and mutual understanding with business partners.

Traveling in a dream on a horse can have several interpretations. If you were going uphill, then your situation in life will improve, but for this you will have to make a lot of efforts. She crossed a clean stream on a horse - for good luck, dirty and muddy - for small failures. If you crossed a river on a horse - to the speedy implementation of business plans. Was the horse without a saddle? Expect serious trials (you can withstand them). Those who in a dream rode a bucking horse will have to overcome many obstacles on the way to success. If you managed to curb the horse, then your life will change dramatically for the better. If you fell off a horse, then this is a conflict with ill-wishers.

To ride a white horse and see another horse on a black one - to the alternation of white and black stripes in life. If you rode a black horse - this is to fulfill your desires. Riding a horse down a mountain is a problem. If an animal scared you - this is to jealousy and anxiety.

Horses according to Vanga's dream book

If there is a black streak in your life, but in a dream you saw a white horse, then this is a good sign. In the near future, changes for the better await you. But if you saw a black horse, then there will be more and more problems. To see a noble thoroughbred horse - to success at work and harmony in the family. If a horse came up to you - this is a betrayal of a friend, kicked with hooves - to difficulties and illnesses. A fall from a horse in a dream portends an accident in reality. Uncontrolled wild and angry horses also promise problems and serious illnesses. However, if you managed to curb such a horse, career growth or a surge of big money awaits you.

Dream Interpretation: what the rat is dreaming of

A business trip can await those who dreamed of friendly horses that allowed themselves to be stroked. Skinny horses dream of crop failure, while beautiful and healthy horses dream of abundance. If in a dream you famously rode a horse, then most likely you lost your vigilance in reality, and this can play a cruel joke on you.

Horses according to Freud's dream book

The horse symbolizes everything feminine. A beautiful horse in a dream is your desire to meet a dream companion. If there is no clear ideal of what it should be, then a herd of horses will be dreamed of. Riding a horse in a dream reflects the desire to have children. A sick or injured horse in a dream is your waking experience for the health of loved ones.

Horses according to Loff's dream book

A dream about a horse indicates that your body is tired of work. You need to slow down and give yourself time to rest. Workaholics often dream of a tortured horse harnessed to a cart or plow.

Horses according to the Islamic dream book

The horse is a symbol of goodness and good. Riding a horse in a dream - to power and might. If a horse says something to you, try to remember its words. Animals don't lie! Such a dream may turn out to be prophetic. If a person is sitting on a horse, then it is he who will help you achieve your goals. Horse feces dream of wealth. If you stepped into them, then financial well-being will improve due to the receipt of an inheritance.

Horses according to the dream book of Nostradamus

Did you dream that you were caring for a sick horse? Most likely, in reality you will have to look after a sick person who is close to you. A tortured horse is a symbol of hard and poorly paid labor, a lame horse is a symbol of illness. If in a dream you cleaned a horse, then get ready for tears, if you harnessed it - for a quarrel with a loved one. The thick and silky mane of a horse dreams of insults. But if you comb this mane, then such a dream promises matchmaking or a beautiful romance.

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Horses according to Tsvetkov's dream book

Horses are symbols of hope and destiny. If in a dream you jumped off a horse, then get ready to part with your previous position. And according to this dream book, a white horse does not bode well: if it appears in a man’s dream, then because of someone’s complaints and denunciations, you will not be able to achieve your goals. For a woman, such a dream portends a quick wedding.

Do you often look into dream books?

Horses according to the esoteric dream book

A horse in a dream - to success in business in reality. If you ride it, then in difficult times there will be a reliable person next to you who will provide help and support. An important role is played by the color of the horse. White symbolizes water, red - fire, black - earth, light gray - air. Other shades of horses are associated with the subtle worlds and may indicate that you need to expand your knowledge of magic.

Dream interpretation: why do kittens dream

If you are not connected with mysticism and magic in any way, then you need to know what ordinary sphere of life the dream about horses of different colors is connected with. White horses represent the sphere of feelings and emotions, red horses represent your affections, piebald horses represent travel and other movements in space, light gray horses represent the business sphere.

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