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my legs ache in bed

by Milton Volkman Published 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago

Why do my legs ache at night and could it be a warning sign of vascular disease?

  • Vascular disease. It is caused by a build-up of fatty deposits in the walls of the leg arteries. ...
  • Blood clots. Blood clots often happen in people who have been travelling, especially if it involved a long flight or sitting for a while.
  • Cramps. ...
  • Nerve pain. ...
  • Gout. ...
  • Bone fracture. ...

Some people write off nightly leg pain as a symptom of getting older, but if you are experiencing nightly leg pain that is interrupting your sleep that could be a symptom of Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD). Peripheral Artery Disease is a circulatory disease that is caused by fatty deposits in your artery walls.

Full Answer

Why do my legs hurt when I Lay in bed?

Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)

  • Take a warm bath or shower before going to bed.
  • Try placing alternate hot and cold compresses on your legs to relieve the pain.
  • If you’re getting the symptoms when you’re lying in bed, massage your legs to stimulate circulation.
  • If you can’t sleep, go for a short walk to the kitchen or bathroom. ...

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Why do my legs ache when sitting or lying down?

  • Cramping or aching after walking or climbing stairs that subsides with rest
  • Numbness or weakness in your legs
  • A cold feeling in your lower leg or foot
  • Sores that won’t heal on your legs, feet or toes
  • A weak pulse in your ankles or legs
  • Shiny skin and/or a bluish tint to your legs
  • Loss of hair on your legs
  • Slow growing toenails v

Why does your leg pain feel worse when lying down?

Sciatica is an irritation of the largest single nerve in the human body—the sciatic nerve, which runs from the lower back on down. A common symptom associated with this condition is sharp, shooting pain that extends into the leg, and usually only one leg is affected. It’s also not unusual for people with sciatica to report discomfort that gets worse when lying down to rest or sleep.

How to relieve leg pain at night?

  • Use The Towel To Stretch Your Calf Out: In this exercise, you should use a bed sheet or a towel to stretch out your legs horizontally. ...
  • Stretch Your Inner Calf: When you sit, you should stretch one leg out and bend another leg. ...
  • Stretch Your Affected Legs With Wall: In this stretch, you can use the aid of a wall to help you. ...

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Why do my legs ache so much in bed at night?

If you're experiencing cramps at night, this could be from restlessness and turning over in bed. This triggers the muscle causing it to cramp. Interestingly, they can also be caused by a lack of movement, specifically if you hold a position for a long period of time.

How can I stop my legs aching in bed?

How can I stop leg pain at night?Elevate your feet. Put a pillow or folded blanket underneath your mattress. ... Ease into the evening. Many people are active up until the moment they jump in bed. ... Do some yoga. ... Drink plenty of water.

What are aching legs a symptom of?

Most leg pain results from wear and tear, overuse, or injuries in joints or bones or in muscles, ligaments, tendons or other soft tissues. Some types of leg pain can be traced to problems in your lower spine. Leg pain can also be caused by blood clots, varicose veins or poor circulation.

Can dehydration cause leg pain at night?

Nocturnal leg cramps in particular are not associated with dehydration, but drinking water is still important. The exact amount of water you need to drink each day depends on your body weight, activity level, medications, and local climate.

Why put a bar of soap under your pillow?

Before you tuck yourself into bed, slip a bar of soap under the covers. The unproven folk remedy might cure your nighttime woes, according to its loyal adherents at least. Snoozing with suds supposedly prevents nocturnal leg cramps, those painful muscle contractions waking you in the middle of the night.

Should I worry about aching legs?

See your doctor as soon as possible if you have: A leg that is swollen, pale or unusually cool. Calf pain, particularly after prolonged sitting, such as on a long car trip or plane ride. Swelling in both legs along with breathing problems. Any serious leg symptoms that develop for no apparent reason.

What vitamin is good for tired legs?

Vitamin D helps your body use calcium. But when you're deficient in this vitamin, your legs may feel weak, sore and heavy.

Do legs ache with Covid?

People using the app have reported feeling muscle aches and pains, particularly in their shoulders or legs. COVID-related muscle pains can range from being mild to quite debilitating, especially when they occur alongside fatigue.

Does Covid affect your legs?

You may get pain in your arms, legs, or back that develops spontaneously with no injury. Typically, in a coronavirus infection, the pain is in muscles rather than in joints. But if you have an arthritic joint in your arm or leg, the virus may exaggerate the symptoms. The pain may be severe and limiting.

What causes aching legs NHS?

It's usually caused by a build-up of fatty deposits in the walls of the leg arteries. The fatty deposits (atheroma) are made up of cholesterol and other waste substances. The build-up of fatty deposits on the walls of the arteries makes the arteries narrower and restricts blood flow to the legs.

What does it mean when your legs feel heavy and achy?

The main cause for heavy legs is generally poor blood circulation. Blood circulation problems generally occur in the lower part of your body, especially your legs. This is because the lower section of your body needs to fight against gravity to transfer the blood back up to your heart.

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Why do my legs hurt at night?

The following are some of the causes for leg pain at night: 1. Artery blockages are a serious reason for leg pain at night. Artery blockages (also known as peripheral artery disease) – Many people with poor circulation have leg pain when walking or calf pain when walking. This is called intermittent claudication.

How to stop leg pain at night?

Stretching tight muscles can be a way to avoid leg pain at night. You would be amazed at how effective simple stretches can be. Having said all that, it is important to identify more serious reasons for the pain. For example, poor diet can cause electrolyte abnormalities, but so can kidney problems.

What is leg pain without walking?

This is called intermittent claudication. But nighttime leg pain occurs without walking. If the cause are severe artery blockages, it is called ‘rest pain’. The pain is usually in the foot. But, it can also be in the calf. Rest pain is a severe form of peripheral artery disease which is known as critical limb ischemia.

How to avoid muscle cramps at night?

Making sure your diet has the recommended amounts of electrolytes can help you avoid nighttime cramps. Some medications can cause muscle cramps. The most common example are statins. Statins and leg pain is a real problem. Another example are steroids. 6.

How to care for your feet when you have rest pain?

Here are a few things you may want to consider: Wash feet daily with luke warm water and a mild soap. Inspect feet daily, paying attention to the top, bottom, heels, and in between toes, potentially using a mirror for optimal visualization.

Why is it important to take care of your feet?

This is even more important if the cause is poor circulation. Until blood flow is restored to your feet, you should do your absolute best to avoid any injury to the skin. Even the smallest of wounds can flare up and become infected and spread. For this reason foot care is really important when there is rest pain.

Can stretching help with leg pain?

This may sound “too simple”, but daily stretching exercises can really help those people avoid leg pain from tight muscles.

Why do my legs hurt at night?

The source of most nighttime leg pain is cramping. If your legs are cramping at night try improving your diet, stretching, drinking more water or taking potassium supplements. If pain in your legs at night is too extreme for you to walk it might be time to visit the emergency room. If you start to lose feeling in your lower body visit ...

How to fall asleep when your legs hurt?

Falling asleep when your legs hurt can be difficult. Both dull and sharp pains can keep your eyes open until the wee hours of the morning or wake your from even the deepest slumber! Try different positions in bed, taking some melatonin, using a body pillow to avoid pain or even try a recliner!

What to do for leg pain at night?

One of the best home remedies for leg pain at night is a hot oatmeal bath. It only takes a few minutes to run and is a relaxing cures for aches and pains.

Can running hurt your legs?

If you have been running long distances, doing lower body workouts or just on your feet more than normal pain in your legs is to be expected.

Why do my legs ache when i'm tired?

Could be anything: Sciatica, muscle fatigue, compartment syndrome, varicose veins, peripheral vascular disease, etc. Suggest seeing your doctor to get proper evaluation... Read More

Why do my legs ache when they are really cold?

Circulation - muscle: This could be related to circualtion as vessel contract when exposed to cold. It could be the muscles because the muscles also contract with cold... Read More

Why do my legs ache so much after i drink a little bit of wine?

Lactic acid : There are two main reasons why legs ache after too much of alcohol. One, alcohol intake increases the content of Lactic Acid in your body. Excessive b... Read More

Why do my legs ache after drinking alcohol?

Lactic acid : There are two main reasons why legs ache after too much of alcohol. One, alcohol intake increases the content of Lactic Acid in your body. Excessive b ... Read More

What does sciatica feel like?

Sciatica shows up: Going from butt, to ankle and has a funny feeling of being 'stretched' but uncomfortable. Best if you can be seen by an osteopathic physician for eval ... Read More

Why do my arms and legs ache?

Infection: This sounds like a sign of an infection and the face that your arms and legs ache could be post shivering muscle soreness or a sign of a viral infecti ... Read More

What happens if you put pressure on your back leg?

Under pressure: Seems if pressure is applied to the back of your leg your symptoms increase. That's where branches of the sciatic nerve are. With the pain you descr... Read More

Where does pain come from in the legs?

Peripheral artery disease leg pain can occur anywhere in your leg, but the most common places to feel pain are in the muscles of your calf, thigh or buttocks. The pain can range from mild to so severe you can barely walk a very short distance. PAD is a progressive disease. For some people, pain only occurs during the daytime.

What are the symptoms of PAD?

Sores that won’t heal on your legs, feet or toes. A weak pulse in your ankles or legs. Shiny skin and/or a bluish tint to your legs. Loss of hair on your legs. Slow growing toenails v. Just like with other cardiovascular conditions, there are things you can do to help manage PAD, such as: If you smoke, quit.

What causes a person to die from a PAD?

PAD is caused by atherosclerosis, or of the arteries. Hardening of the arteries is a condition that causes both coronary artery disease, which can lead to heart attacks, and PAD, which, if severe enough, can lead to amputation of a limb, or even death. 2 And like coronary artery disease, PAD is a serious condition.

How do you know if you have PAD?

Leg pain is not the only symptom, there are a number of other signs that could indicate that you have PAD, including: Cramping or aching after walking or climbing stairs that subsides with rest. Numbness or weakness in your legs. A cold feeling in your lower leg or foot. Sores that won’t heal on your legs, feet or toes.

Can leg pain subside after rest?

However, once you stop and rest for a few minutes, it’s not uncommon for the pain to subside. Nighttime leg pain could be a sign of the worst form of PAD – critical limb ischemia (CLI). With CLI, the pain attacks in your legs or feet can persist for minutes to hours.

Can a PAD cause leg pain at night?

Peripheral Artery Disease and Leg Pain at Night. The leg pain or muscle cramping caused by PAD is known as claudication. Symptoms of claudication can be triggered by activity, especially walking or climbing stairs. However, once you stop and rest for a few minutes, it’s not uncommon for the pain to subside. Nighttime leg pain could be ...

What causes leg pain when lying down?

A variety of conditions can cause this type of leg pain, from a herniated disc to a bone spur to a tense piriformis muscle. Continue reading below for information on how leg pain typically occurs while lying down and how to find relief. advertisement.

How to stop leg pain when sleeping on side?

To prevent leg pain when sleeping on your side, try placing a pillow between your legs and keeping your hips in alignment with your spine, rather than curved to the side. Watch: Pillow Tips for Sciatica Video.

What happens when you lay on your back?

When lying on your back, the lower spine’s natural inward curve (called the lumbar lordosis) is more accentuated than when sitting or reclining. Holding the spine in this position decreases the size of the passageways (foramina) where nerve roots exit the spinal column. If a herniated disc or bone spur is present, this position can directly pinch a nerve root and result in sciatic leg pain (called lumbar spinal stenosis).

What causes sciatic nerve pain?

Sciatic nerve pain occurs when an underlying condition causes a nerve root in the lower spine or pelvis to become pinched, irritated, or inflamed. Watch: Sciatica Causes and Symptoms Video. Sciatic nerve pain occurs when a nerve root in the lower spine or pelvis is pinched, irritated, or inflamed. A variety of conditions can cause this type ...

How to relieve sciatica pain while lying on your back?

You can typically ease sciatica pain while lying on your back by keeping your legs slightly elevated. This position will remove pressure from your lower spine and open up the nerve passageways.

How to get rid of back pain?

For example, try sleeping with a pillow beneath your knees. If you have an adjustable mattress or reclining chair, sleeping with your knees propped up can reduce the inward curve of the spine and help you get a good night’s sleep. See Mattresses and Sleep Positions for Each Back Pain Diagnosis.

How to tell if your leg is shooting down?

Getting an accurate diagnosis can help you get the right treatment and find relief sooner. When you go to the doctor, try to describe how your leg pain feels, such as sharp and hot, dull and throbbing, or like it’s shooting down your leg. Additionally, let your doctor know which positions relieve or exacerbate your pain.

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