5 reasons you are cramping

If you’ve ever had that odd pain in your calf, you’ve had a cramp. They can happen anywhere in your body at any time, even while you’re asleep, according to WebMD. Your muscles suddenly tighten up when you don’t want them to. So what causes them and what can you do to stop them?

Cramps may be your body’s way of telling you that you’re dehydrated. Headaches, dizziness and constipation can tell you the same thing too. So keep water with you and sip it throughout the day, especially if you are up and about in hot weather.

You lose fluid when you work or exercise in the heat, and this makes you more likely to cram. Face it, your muscles need water, but you might also be sweating out electrolytes—sodium, potassium and calcium, which help muscle cells work the way they should.

If your cramps get worse when you walk, then your muscles are likely not getting enough blood. It happens when you’re not active or as you get older. Claudication—that’s when you arteries are narrower than they should be and blood can’t get through easily—also causes it.

Some women get cramps during their periods. That’s because certain hormones make the uterus tighten up. The tightening is needed to push out blood and waste, but it can also cause cramps. Pain relievers from your drug store can help but see your doctor if they don’t work well for you. Children may get cramps when they go through a growth spurt. But the cramps might also be caused by too much activity, or kids may just be more sensitive to pain. The cramps happen most often in the legs and can wake a child out of a sound sleep. It may help to stretch the muscle or put a heating pad on the area for a short time. If the pain doesn’t get better, call your child’s doctor.

Cramps usually go away on their own fairly quickly, but you can do some things to help them along. If an activity like running triggered one, stop right away. Then gently stretch or massage the muscle or use a heating pad or hot bath to bring blood to the area and relax it. Ice and over-the-counter antiinflammatories, like ibuprofen, can help if you have pain and swelling, too.