Has it ever happened to you that you woke up in the middle of the night, clutching your knees and pressing your fingers into it to relieve the pain? Try as you might, even after rocking yourself, you are not able to fall back to sleep. Before you think about it, let us inform you that this is no nightmare that woke you up. It’s leg cramps, and if you don’t delve deep into the problem, you might be looking at several other issues way down the line.
So what are causing these contractions? Muscle cramps are usually an indication of magnesium deficiency. According to the American Physiological Society, the recommended magnesium intake is 320 mg for women and 420 mg for men. A few symptoms of magnesium deficiency include fatigue, nausea, the loss of appetite, anxiety, abnormal heart rhythms, and damage to targeted nerve cells that can cause depression.