PotassiumMagnesiumSodium Chloride
that allow electrical transmissions to flow through the body. And these electrical transmissions are the key, really, to life because every second of every day, your body has electrical currents flowing through it- even when you are sleeping. And every single electrical current triggers millions and even billions of individual cells to have massive electrolyte changes in order to cause muscle movement and thought to occur. This brilliantly coordinated activity that occurs day in and day out is 100% dependent upon the presence of electrolytes (really just specific nutrients) from the foods that you eat. Any lack of nutrients and the system ends up not functioning as it should. And this malfunctioning is one of the main causes of muscle cramps.
Causes of Muscle Cramps start inside each cell
Each time an electrical impulse occurs, the cells take calcium from the blood into draws it inside the cell. This causes what we experience as a muscle contraction or a muscle movement, and simply sitting still causes thousands of contractions to occur every minute. Once the contraction is complete, magnesium that lives inside the cell is used in order to push the calcium back out of the cell. This then relaxes the muscle- and this is what causes muscle cramps most of the time.
You see, the body keeps the levels of calcium and magnesium in the bloodstream extremely constant, so there is almost always a ready supply of calcium available for muscle contraction, but even though there is nearly always plenty of magnesium in the BLOOD, the vast majority of magnesium is in the CELLS- and this is why Magnesium Blood Levels are almost always normal and give almost no information about what is going on in the body.
When you don't have enough magnesium, then the calcium may not be fully pushed out of the cells, leaving the cell in a partial or complete state of contraction. This is not significant if it occurs in a small number of cells. But when this occurs on a large scale, then it is one of the causes of muscle cramps. And what causes muscle cramps, for the most part, is a deficiency of magnesium.
This also makes sense because it is well-known that long-distance athletes use a LOT of magnesium while exercising, and there was a study done on these athletes with muscle cramps and it was found that their blood electrolyte levels were completely normal. But Blood Magnesium Levels are almost always normal except in SEVERE cases.
Causes of Muscle Cramps at Night
Muscle Cramps at Night, also called by the medical term Systremma is a common problem and also occurs because of magnesium deficiency and possibly Vitamin E Deficiency. You see, during the day is when you have the majority of your muscle contraction moving around and doing things. Your calcium needs overwhelm your magnesium needs during the day, but if you get muscle cramps at night, it is almost a sure sign of magnesium deficiency. At night is when you have the MOST amount of relaxation and therefore, the highest need for magnesium.
Remember that Calcium causes muscles to contract and magnesium causes muscles to relax. So one of the main causes of muscle cramps at night is not having sufficient magnesium to eliminate the calcium that is inside the cells. Insomnia is actually a similar issue as well. But instead of the inability of the muscles to relax, it is the inability of the nervous system to slow down because of lack of magnesium!
Vitamin E Deficiency: Is another cause of Muscle Cramps at night. There have been several studies not only pitting Vitamin E against placebo, but also pitting it against the most common drug for this condition- the antimalarial drug Quinine.
But it seems that Vitamin E is superior to the best drugs for nighttime muscle cramps- and one study recommended it as the
INITIAL treatment for Systremma. Between 300 IU's to 400 IU's per day were used effectively in these studies.
When taking Vitamin E, you should NEVER use synthetic vitamin e, and you should ALWAYS choose Vitamin E in the form of 'Tocopherols' or 'Mixed Tocopherols' which are from a food based natural source.
Drugs can be Causes of Muscle Cramps
There are several drugs that can be causes of muscle cramps as well. These drugs are:
- Nifedipine
- Cimetidine
- Salbutamol
- Terbutaline
- Diuretics- also called 'Water Pills'
It is the diuretics that are particularly of interest because diuretics have a known action of eliminating potassium- as well as Magnesium Depletion! I discuss this magnesium wasting phenomenon of diuretics on another page as being the main cause of Sudden Death in Heart Failure Patients.
Causes of Muscle Cramps is only the beginning
And Signs of Magnesium Deficiency are literally everywhere. Dr. Carolyn Dean, author of The The Magnesium Miracle
, believes that we literally have an epidemic of magnesium deficiency and that it is causing a HUGE number of problems that we end up perceiving as anything from:
- Not having a daily bowel movement
- Kidney stones
- Heart Palpitations
- Seizure disorder
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Symptoms of Fibromyalgia
and many many other chronic health problems. And in fact, the 'incurable' disease of Fibromyalgia may simply be a series of tiny 'subclinical' muscle cramps going on throughout the body. See the Fibromyalgia and Magnesium page for a SURPRISING finding related to muscle cramps!
So, if you have muscle cramps or muscle spasms, one of the primary Causes of Muscle Cramps is a magnesium deficiency, and if you follow the instructions on the Magnesium Dosage page and take a look at the Epsom Salt Uses page for a Super Quick way to possibly relieve your muscle cramps- it just may be an easy way to relieve your muscle spasms- and you may even get help for some of your other problems at the same time!
Next--->
Magnesium Dosage
Causes of Muscle Cramps Resources
- Jigsaw Health's Extended Release Magnesium Malate
- Extended release high absorption magnesium allows you to have better effectiveness with fewer pills. Jigsaw's extended release magnesium gets rave reviews! - Transdermal Magnesium Gel- Just rub this magnesium right into your skin and it gets absorbed straight into your tissues- no pills required.
- Transdermal Magnesium The Book- See how and why transdermal magnesium is really an effective replacement for magnesium pills!
- The Magnesium Medicine Book- Take a look at the AMAZING amount of research that there is on the use of magnesium for health. You will be seriously amazed at what your doctor has NOT told you!!
- Magnesium Bath Flakes- Another surprisingly effective 'Transdermal' form of magnesium. A great way to get magnesium into kids and the elderly.
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Research on The Causes of Muscle Cramps
