3 Vitamin Deficiencies That Can Cause Muscle Cramps

While most muscle cramps occur due to idiopathic (unknown) causes, they are often linked with factors such as exercise, muscle overuse, straining, and diet. Muscle cramps can also occur in people with low levels of certain vitamins.

1. Magnesium Deficiency

Magnesium is an essential mineral that virtually every organ in your body needs to regulate good health. It supports normal body functions like blood pressure, blood glucose control, bone health, and muscle and nerve function. A magnesium deficiency, also called hypomagnesemia, occurs when your magnesium levels are lower than the amount needed to support these functions.

Magnesium is naturally present in many foods and beverages. It is also added to some foods and other products such as antacids and laxatives. A magnesium deficiency is unlikely to occur in healthy people who consume a well-balanced diet. Instead, magnesium deficiency is typically linked to health conditions that include:

In addition to muscle cramps, symptoms of a magnesium deficiency can include:

• Abnormal heartbeat
• Anorexia (loss of appetite)
• Mood or personality changes
• Muscle spasms
• Muscle weakness and fatigue
• Numbness
• Stiffness

Your healthcare provider can diagnose a magnesium deficiency with a magnesium blood test. Depending on your results, the following strategies may be effective in restoring normal magnesium levels:

• Decreasing or eliminating foods that contain ingredients that can interfere with magnesium absorption, including alcohol, added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium
• Eating foods high in magnesium, including brown ice, dried beans and legumes (such as baked beans, lentils, and soybeans), nuts (almonds and cashews), and whole grains
• Taking magnesium supplements, medications, or intravenous (IV) fluids as advised by your healthcare provider
• Treating to address any underlying health conditions, such as kidney disease, that may be causing the deficiency

2. Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin obtained from sun exposure, foods, and supplements. “Vitamin D” is an umbrella term for two different forms of the vitamin: vitamins D2 and D3. They both promote calcium absorption in your gut and support your nervous, immune, and muscle systems. The inadequate calcium and phosphorus absorption that occurs with a vitamin D deficiency can lead to brittle bones and muscle weakness.

A vitamin D deficiency can occur as a result of any of the following reasons:

• Advanced age that interferes with your skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D
• Certain medications
• Certain types of cancer, like lymphoma
• Darker skin pigment
• Family history of vitamin D deficiency or childhood rickets
• Inadequate sunlight exposure
• Kidney failure or liver failure, which can prevent your body from adequate vitamin D processing
• Malnutrition

A vitamin D deficiency can be asymptomatic in many people. When symptoms occur, they can include:

• Abnormal bone growth, including scoliosis (abnormal curvature of the spine) and bowed legs or valgus knee alignment (knock-knees)
• Bone pain
• Muscle aches and spasms (tetany), especially in infants who develop rickets, as a result of low calcium levels that occur with vitamin D deficiency
• Muscle weakness
• Painful walking
• Weakness of the spinal, pelvic, and leg bones

Your healthcare provider can diagnose a vitamin D deficiency with a blood test. The diagnosis is sometimes reached with X-rays. Your healthcare provider may advise one or more of the following treatments to reverse a vitamin D deficiency:

• Calcium and phosphate supplements
• Increased exposure to sunlight with proper skin protection to avoid sun damage
• Vitamin D supplements, often consumed in high doses daily by mouth for about a month then gradually reduced to the recommended use

3. Vitamin B Deficiency

Vitamin B includes a group of eight vitamins that are important to converting food into energy. Together, they are called the vitamin B complex. Since each B vitamin has a unique function, the impact of a vitamin B deficiency can vary based on the specific B vitamin you are lacking. Muscle cramps are most likely to occur from a vitamin B12 (cobalamin) deficiency.

Vitamin B12 naturally occurs in foods that originate from animal sources such as meat, fish, poultry, dairy products, and eggs. While plants do not contain vitamin B12 naturally, many breakfast cereals and nutritional yeasts are fortified with vitamin B12.

Research indicates that a vitamin B12 deficiency can occur with a heterogeneous list of symptoms. The most prevalent symptoms include:

Causes of a vitamin B12 deficiency are most often linked to one of the following problems:

• An inability to absorb vitamin B12 from food
• Lack of intrinsic factor., which assists in B12 absorption
• Gastrointestinal tract surgery
• Prolonged use of certain medications such as proton pump inhibitors
• Dietary deficiency of vitamin B12

Blood tests are used to diagnose a vitamin B12 deficiency. Based on your condition, your healthcare provider may advise one or more of the following treatments:

• Vitamin B12 injections to bypass barriers to absorption
• High doses of oral B12
• Dietary changes to include proper absorption of foods with B12

Other Common Causes of Muscle Cramps

Insufficient Stretching

Muscle cramps can occur as a result of an intense workout or other physical activity. Your muscles consist of bundles of fibers that expand and contract to produce movement. Regular stretching lengthens muscle fibers so they can contract and tighten during exercise.

Muscle Fatigue

Skeletal overload and muscle fatigue can trigger muscle cramping in overworked muscle fibers. When a tight muscle tries to relax, it can begin to contract more than normal and cause a cramp. This often occurs if the muscle is out of shape and being exercised after a lengthy period of inactivity or underuse. It is often the case for athletes, who are more likely to develop cramps in the preseason when their bodies are not well-conditioned.

Sedentary Lifestyle

Research indicates a strong association between a sedentary lifestyle and nighttime leg cramps. People who live a sedentary lifestyle are more likely to have muscle weakness in their lower limbs, a factor that is linked with nighttime leg cramps.

Heat, Dehydration, and Loss of Electrolytes

Muscle cramps are more likely to occur in hot weather when you have a higher risk of dehydration. The loss of fluids, salt, and electrolytes that occurs with sweating in hot weather or during intense physical activity can cause a muscle to spasm, especially when these substances are not immediately replenished.

Muscle Atrophy (Loss)

The muscle atrophy that starts in your mid-40s and continues with aging is accelerated with inactivity. With aging, your muscles can’t work as hard or respond as quickly as they previously had. Aging also decreases your body’s sense of thirst and your ability to sense and respond to temperature changes, making you less likely to replenish lost fluids.

Use of Certain Medications and Other Substances

Certain medications and substances can contribute to the onset of muscle cramps. Examples of these substances include:

• Angiotensin 2 receptor blockers
• Beta-blockers (some types)
• Bronchodilators
• Diuretics
• Oral contraceptives (birth control pills)
• Stimulants such as caffeine, cocaine, or nicotine

Health Conditions

The following health conditions can contribute to the onset of muscle cramps:

• Alcohol use disorder
• Effects of dialysis, a treatment the removes excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys fail, when fluid is removed too quickly
• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland)
• Motor neuron disease (nerve disorders that affect voluntary muscles)
• Myopathies (muscle disorders)
• Peripheral neuropathy (damage to peripheral nerves, the nerves outside your spinal cord and brain)
• Spinal nerve root compression
• Structural musculoskeletal disorders such as flat feet or genu recurvatum (a knee joint deformity in which the knee bends backward)
• Tight calf muscles

Ways to Prevent Muscle Cramps

You can help prevent the onset of muscle cramps and reduce your risk of having these painful problems with the following strategies:

• Acclimate yourself to your environment when working out. Warmer temperatures can affect your body’s metabolic balance and normal muscle and nerve reactions.
• Consume carbohydrates before your workout to give muscles the energy they need to activate and relax to prevent cramping. To add carbohydrates to your diet, consume bread, potatoes, pasta, and beans.
• Consume foods that contain potassium, a nutrient that facilitates muscle contractions and provides communication between muscles and nerves. Foods rich in potassium include melons, sweet potatoes, cooked spinach, nuts, and beans.
• Drink plenty of fluids and beverages that contain electrolytes when you participate in vigorous activities. Electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, chloride, and magnesium help your body’s cells exchange fluids correctly, which can help muscles and nerves perform as they should.
• Stretch the muscles in your calves and hamstrings during the day even if you are not exercising. Repeat the stretching or mild exercises such as walking or riding a stationary bike before you go to bed to prevent muscle cramps at night.
• Train appropriately by warming up your muscles before you exercise and progressing your workout intensity gradually. This allows your body to accommodate the change in muscle use.

Summary

While most muscle cramps are brief and not harmful, they can cause severe pain and debilitation when they occur. Working to prevent muscle cramps can help you enjoy movement during the day and avoid the interruption of muscle cramps at night.

While the exact cause of muscle cramps is unknown, they may occur as a symptom of certain vitamin deficiencies. Other factors, such as muscle fatigue, inadequate stretching before exercise, and loss of body fluids can also trigger muscle cramps.

Most muscle cramps resolve on their own without the need for medical treatment. However, muscle cramps can also occur as a symptom of an underlying health problem. Contact your healthcare provider if you have muscle cramps that are severe, frequent, constant, or concerning.