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Best Drink To Prevent Muscle Cramps Fast: Top Hydration Solutions & Improve Muscle Health

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Best Drink To Prevent Muscle Cramps

Muscle cramps are extremely painful, lasting for a few seconds. It causes sudden tightness in the muscle, which makes it impossible for that area to move. The reason behind it is believed to be mostly dehydration. Cramps are not very serious for our health, but the severe sensation of pain makes it extremely important to find solutions to tackle them faster. It is important to find various sources to keep our bodies hydrated throughout the day to avoid getting cramps. So, today we will discuss the best drink to prevent muscle cramps to help us deal with this situation.

What Is A Muscle Cramp?

Muscle cramps, as the name suggests, are a painful feeling mainly in the legs due to the contraction of the calf muscle. This sensation can last from seconds to a few minutes. People use another interesting term to address this cramp, called “charley horse”. Cramps can occur due to various reasons, such as dehydration, staying in the same position for too long, straining the muscle, and electrolyte imbalance. Certain underlying medical conditions can also cause muscle cramps. Such as:

  • Any problem in the artery that carries blood to the leg can cause cramps while performing any heavy activities, like exercising.
  • Shortage of certain minerals in the body, like Potassium, Calcium, and magnesium, can also be the reason behind all these issues.

Although the maximum time cramps are common in the legs, there are certain other parts where you might also experience this. Like:

  • Belly
  • Feet
  • Thighs
  • Arms
  • Hand

Symptoms

The body immediately shows intense symptoms if you get cramps. These are often unbearable and can even make the person cry from pain.

The symptoms are:

  • The muscle becomes tight, stiff, and forms into a knot due to sudden clenching.
  • Difficulty to move
  • The affected area gets hardened.

After seeing all the painful symptoms, you might be wondering about the methods for how to stop muscle cramps fast so that you can feel relaxed. Now, we will be discussing all those root causes of this and also the cure.

Importance Of Electrolytes

Dehydration can be the major reason behind having cramps. This is because the body requires enough electrolytes, like sodium, potassium, and calcium, for smooth contraction and relaxation of the muscles. But if you lose water from the body continuously, this can hamper the functioning of muscles and lead to involuntary actions.

Maintaining an appropriate level of electrolytes is very important due to various reasons, like:

  • It helps to maintain the blood volume, which in turn helps the oxygen to reach every part of the body. Oxygen is essential because a decrease in its quantity can cause cramps.
  • Being well hydrated also helps in maintaining the appropriate temperature of the body because being too cold or too hot can trigger cramps.
  • Electrolytes carry potassium, calcium, and magnesium for the proper functioning of muscles because the absence of electrolytes causes muscles to behave involuntarily, causing cramps issues.

What Is The Best Drink To Prevent Muscle Cramps?

We saw that hydration plays a key role in keeping muscles healthy and also prevents them from getting cramps. Drinking only water is not enough because we can’t get all the essential elements from it. This might raise a query in your mind: What can I drink for leg cramps? There are various other types of options available, which can help us fulfill all the extra requirements that we don’t get from only water.

Let’s discuss the best drink for muscle cramps.

Milk

Milk, as we all know, is the best source of calcium, which is a very essential nutrient for healthy bones and muscles. The other available nutrients of milk, such as potassium and magnesium, are also the best source of electrolytes, which help in the smooth contraction and relaxation of the muscles.

Coconut water

This is rich in electrolyte content, such as potassium, magnesium, sodium, and calcium, which are highly essential for the body. Coconut water is the best source to help the body stay hydrated by preventing dehydration. All these properties of coconut water make it especially beneficial for athletes and also for people doing extreme physical activities.

Electrolyte Solutions

Electrolyte drinks are the best source for preventing cramps because they contain sodium, whose loss is associated with getting cramps. Certain options like Oral Rehydration Solution (ORS) are easily available in the market, which is a mixture of sodium as well as electrolytes. This is the best source to prevent dehydration, along with maintaining the sodium levels in the body.

Pickle Juice

Although there are not many studies available regarding how pickle juices are effective against muscle cramps but it has been helpful in the case of some individuals. It is mostly believed that the acetic acid formed in it helps trigger the fatigue muscle, making it active, which in turn helps it to function properly. This method is widely used by players before going to their important matches. Before using pickle juice, you must be aware of the fact that the high content of sodium can trigger the blood pressure. So, you do not have to drink a large amount; instead, try small shots of it.

Sports Drinks

Sports drinks are especially made by keeping in mind the loss of electrolytes. Players tend to sweat heavily due to which there is huge water loss from their bodies, which can cause dehydration if not treated properly. So, these sports drinks contain plenty of sodium and potassium, which make up for the loss and even provide extra energy. This also helps the player in maintaining their muscle health, which prevents painful cramps from distracting them.

Medicines To Prevent Muscle Cramps

The pain of muscle cramps might go away, but the aftereffects still remain. In some cases, due to various underlying conditions, cramps become very common, which can become very uncomfortable. In such cases, all these natural methods won’t be very effective since it takes time to recover. Taking medicines is the best option during this time. Let’s look into various drugs that help deal with these conditions.

Drugs helpful for cramps are:

How To Avoid Cramps?

There are various precautions that you must take beforehand if you have a history of getting cramps or do not want to be affected by them in the future. The steps that you can follow are:

  • Exercise regularly, especially try to concentrate more on stretching exercises to make your muscles more flexible.
  • Drink plenty of water along with other substances with enough electrolytes to help you remain hydrated throughout the day.
  • Maintain a healthy weight because being overweight can put pressure on your leg muscles, which can cause a sprain.
  • Wear proper footwear, which can make your feet and legs feel relaxed.
  • Adjust your sleeping position and try to change positions in between.

Conclusion

So, we hope to have provided you with all the relevant information that would provide you with relief if you get cramps. At last, all we can say is always drink sufficient water and remain hydrated because it can prevent tons of health issues. If you face cramps at regular intervals, it’s best to visit a doctor and let them guide you with a permanent solution.

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