Wear comfortable shoes. Supportive, well-fitting footwear will keep you comfortable while you're on your feet and help minimize nerve compression in the spine, which can reduce the chance for cramping later on.If you sweat heavily while working out, replenish your lost electrolytes with a sports drink. Avoid exercising in extreme heat. Heavy sweating can up the risk for dehydration and cause you to lose electrolyte minerals like potassium, calcium and magnesium. Reduce your caffeine and alcohol intake. Both can act as diuretics, which may contribute to dehydration.When your muscles are hydrated, they're less likely to cramp. Stay hydrated. Sip throughout the day to make sure you're meeting your fluid needs.And even gentle movement (think: walking, changing from sitting to standing and vice versa) will help keep your blood moving and your muscles more relaxed. A few minutes of gentle leg stretching before bed can make a difference, notes the Cleveland Clinic. Stretch and move regularly. Stretching helps keep your leg muscles limber, so they're less prone to tensing up.

Exercise during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Frequently asked questions: Nutrition during pregnancy.The spasms can last for a few seconds or up to a couple of minutes. In severe cases, you can actually see the muscle seize up. These involuntary contractions can feel like tightness in the muscle, and sometimes the muscles can feel stuck. If the cramp is severe, your muscle may be sore for. Charley horses are muscle spasms or cramps, and they most often occur in your legs and feet. They can last several seconds to several minutes. In: Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Obstetrics & Gynecology. Nocturnal leg cramps are a tight, knotted feeling in your legs that happens at night. Interventions for leg cramps in pregnancy. Maternal adaptations to pregnancy: Musculoskeletal changes and pain. If leg cramps keep coming back or if they are severe during pregnancy, talk to your health care provider about possible treatment options. A hot shower, warm bath, ice massage or muscle massage may help too. Walking and then sitting and raising your legs might help keep the leg cramp from coming back. If you get a leg cramp, stretch the calf muscle. That's the part that surrounds the heel and helps secure the foot in the shoe. It might help to wear shoes with a firm heel counter. Pick shoes that are comfortable and provide good support for your feet. You also might consider eating more magnesium-rich foods, such as whole grains, beans, dried fruits, nuts and seeds. Talk to your health care provider before you take a supplement. Although the evidence from research studies is mixed, taking a magnesium supplement might help prevent leg cramps during pregnancy. If you're pregnant or could become pregnant, get 1,000 milligrams of calcium a day. Some research suggests that lower levels of calcium in the blood during pregnancy could contribute to leg cramps. If urine is darker yellow, it might mean that you're not getting enough water. When you're drinking enough fluids, your urine should be clear or light yellow in color.

Keeping your muscles hydrated might help prevent cramps. Before you begin an exercise program, talk to your health care provider to make sure it's safe for you. Regular physical activity might help prevent leg cramps during pregnancy. Keep your back straight and your hips forward. Slowly bend your left leg forward, keeping your right knee straight and your right heel on the floor. Place your hands on the wall in front of you and move your right foot behind your left foot. Stretching before bed might help prevent leg cramps during pregnancy.

Leg and foot cramp at night