I was just there silently in pain until everyone left and then I like let literally dragged my leg out.

Yes that was a very sad and memorable incident.

Hello my beauties! Today we are going to talk about leg cramps.

So leg cramps are sudden and painful contractions all the muscles in the leg, of course.

This happens most often when the body is at rest like during your sleep, but honestly it can happen anytime and anywhere.

I've had random leg cramps when I've been awake, and sometimes they can last a few seconds to up to several minutes.

However, you can also have leg cramps for up to 24 hours and if that happens these are considered severe cases where you need to go see a doctor.

Leg cramps are very common, a lot of people experience this, but it happens most often to elderly people and pregnant women.

It leads to a high risk to develop other problems as well.

Now there are a lot of reasons why we have leg cramps, and some include overuse or injury to the muscle, improper posture like standing or sitting for too long, or having your legs in a weird position,

dehydration, poor blood flow, or the lack of exercise, exposure to cold temperatures, pregnancy, of course, and certain medications such as the ones that contain lithium, and certain health conditions such as alcoholism and kidney and liver diseases.

I always say prevention is better than cure, so let's first talk about what you can do right now to help reduce leg cramp occurrence and duration.

Number one: drink more water

Also the sports drinks that contain a lot of electrolytes that can help replenish sodium, magnesium, calcium and potassium.

Number two: take slightly warmer baths and showers

Number three: massage or stretch the legs as often as you can

Number four: increase blood circulation with regular exercises or even meditation

Number five: eat calcium rich foods like almonds, figs, cheese and broccoli

It helps with muscular contractions especially the blood vessels that pump the blood to the heart.

Number six: eat potassium rich foods, like bananas, avocados, melons and sweet potatoes

This will help with the nervous system and the functions of your muscles.

Number seven: eat magnesium rich foods like beans, nuts, seeds and whole grains

This will stabilize the energy source that fuels the muscular contractions.

Now I'm going to show you some exercises that you can do to relieve or calm a leg cramp.

It could ultimately help to stop it as well.

Now number one is stretch out the contracted muscles by leaning forward against a wall or a chair with both feet flat on the ground and then you stretch out the leg with the cramp by placing it behind.

You should then feel the stretch throughout the hamstring and you should hold that position for as long as you can until the crap goes away.

Number two: while lying down grab a towel and lift up the affected leg, wrap the rolled towel around the bowl of your foot like so,

and then flex the foot and gently pull the towel towards you while keeping your knees straight.

Hold this position until the cramp is over.

Number three: sit down on a chair, lift up the cramping leg then straighten it and lift it up slowly.

Try to flex the foot towards you and hold it for as long as you can.

This is best if you can get someone to help you as well.

Make a fist with your hand and then rub the middle of the sole of your foot to warm it up.

There are so many pressure points on the bottom of your feet so massaging there it's gonna be good anyways.

Next thing you can do is slightly cup your hands and then gently pat along the calf muscles, this can help relax the muscles and increase the blood circulation.

You can then finish off the routine with a gentle massage with both hands starting from the ankle towards the knee.

Make sure you straighten the leg and flex the feet and now you're set.

If you ever get a cramp while swimming remain calm.

Hold the toes and raise them towards the chin and then you can also pinch or bite the upper lip that will help to calm you as well.

You can also try other tips like walking around, jiggling the leg or applying hot or cold pads.

Now if all that fails is always pressure points.

This is also suggested to do every night before going to bed.

Traditional Chinese medicine consider leg cramps as a sign of stagnated Qi in the leg.

Qi is the energy therefore applying pressure to certain points on the leg can not only help with blood circulation but also increase the flow of Qi through the legs and body.

Number one: the first pressure point is the one directly behind your kneecap

It is also the softest part of the knee area so just press in firmly with your thumbs and massage the point for at least 30 seconds.

The second pressure point is located on the calf muscle, it's the halfway point between the first pressure point and the ankle bone.

Press firmly for 30 seconds.

Number three: the next pressure point is located next to the ankle bone

Find the ankle bone and then directly next to it which is also another soft spot knead firmly for 30 seconds.

Number four: there's a pressure point on this side of the leg

To find this pressure point first locate your knee bone, measure three fingers down on the side of the tibula bone, the pressure point is located directly below it.

Press down firmly for thirty seconds.

The last pressure point is on the shin, which is near the tibia bone.

Find your kneecap, measure three fingers down and the pressure point is below that point.

Press down firmly for thirty seconds.

I hope you guys find this somewhat helpful.

Also let me know if you ever do get leg cramps, and where it was like the most awkward place you had leg cramps?

Anyways thank you guys for watching.

I hope you guys have a lovely week and I will see you in my next video, bye!