As if carrying the baby wasn’t a big enough job, add cramps into the equation. Many women say that cramps are just another thing to deal with during pregnancy. It comes with the experience. Nevertheless, it can be quite frustrating to find a comfortable position to sit or sleep in and then have your calf muscle cramp up. You clutch your sore leg and try to get the muscle to relax and are no longer comfortable.
Cramps occur more frequently during pregnancy due to hormonal changes that affect circulation. Painful cramps can interrupt your day or night, but they are not harmful and you can prevent them easily. Follow the tips in this article when you get cramps during pregnancy and you will rest and relax more easily.Â
Talk To Your Doctor About Taking Magnesium
A prenatal supplement usually contains magnesium, and there are many magnesium-rich foods you can eat as well. Foods like spinach, walnuts, bananas, and dark chocolate are excellent sources of the nutrient. If cramps become a serious problem, you may need to consult your doctor about supplementing with more magnesium. Lacking magnesium in the body can negatively affect your muscles’ ability to relax.Â
Stretch To Get Rid Of Cramps
If you want to prevent cramps from occurring in the first place, go ahead and get your stretch on. Stretching is also an effective way to get rid of an existing cramp. Pay attention to the muscle groups that cramp most often, especially if you are prone to nighttime cramps. Consider engaging in light stretching before bed, stretching your hamstrings, quadriceps, calves, back, and more. Those muscle groups are the likeliest to cramp at night.Â
Hydrate And Hydrate Some More
Lack of water in the body will cause the muscles to cramp more frequently. That means it is time to drink plenty of water when you are pregnant. The standard recommendation is to drink eight (eight-ounce) cups of water per day to hydrate the body. The problem with that figure is that it may not hydrate your body. Aim to drink half your bodyweight in ounces of water per day. If you weigh 180 pounds and divide that by two to get 90, drink 90 fluid ounces of water daily. You can also eat cauliflower, spinach, cucumber, peppers, carrots, watermelon, and tomatoes, all of which are water-rich foods.Â
Get Plenty Of Sleep
How can you get sufficient sleep if you are cramping? Well, sleep is integral because a fatigued body is more likely to experience cramps. If you don’t get the rest you need, you will probably experience cramps in the middle of the night. You’ll wake up and be frustrated at losing sleep. When the baby comes, you’ll be losing plenty of sleep, so need to start now! A simple way to remedy this is to take naps, even if they are for 20 minutes during the early afternoon. A little sleep can go a long way in keeping you rested and cramp-free.
Elevate Your Legs While You Sleep
Elevating your legs while you sleep can not only help relieve pressure in the low back, but also alleviate leg cramps during pregnancy. Place one to two pillows under your lower legs so that your knees, calves, and feet are higher than your hips. That helps to improve circulation between the lower legs and the heart. It also aims to decrease lactic acid buildup that causes muscles to cramp.Â
Relax With A Prenatal Massage
One thing to note about massages during pregnancy is that you have to be careful. Applying pressure to certain areas can be dangerous to the baby, which is why experts recommend seeing a massage therapist licensed in prenatal massage techniques. Massage works to increase blood flow to the muscles and encourages healthy ligaments and relaxed muscles and tendons. All of that helps to keep your muscles loose and reduces the risk of cramping.
Vincent Stevens is the senior content writer at Dherbs. As a fitness and health and wellness enthusiast, he enjoys covering a variety of topics, including the latest health, fitness, beauty, and lifestyle trends. His goal is to inform people of different ways they can improve their overall health, which aligns with Dherbs’ core values. He received his bachelor’s degree in creative writing from the University of Redlands, graduating summa cum laude. He lives in Los Angeles, CA.
