Why Do We Get Cramps?
Cramping. Every body gets it one time or another, whether you’re throwing someone around on a judo mat or you’re sitting at home reading the mail. You can get cramping from too much exercises, PMS or even typing away at your computer.
Of course, the right kind of calcium can be very helpful to have on hand, if you have an inquiring mind, you may want to read why and how cramps occur.
Essentially, cramping has to do with the way our bodies are fed signals through the nervous system that will tighten muscles. When protein interacts with calcium in a certain way, you get a cramp. Technically, it goes like this…
Certain mechanisms within the brain and the rest of the central nervous system help regulate contraction. Interruption of these mechanisms can cause spasm. Motor neurons that are overly sensitive may fire below their normal thresholds. The muscle membrane itself may be over sensitive, causing contraction without stimulation. Calcium ions may not be recaptured quickly enough, causing prolonged contraction.
Cramps can happen in one muscle, like the hamstring, or they can happen in a number of muscles together, like in your hands if you have writer’s cramp. They can happen once and then not again, or there can be a series of on-again-off-again cramping.
So what causes the interruptions mentioned above?
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