Demanding workouts causes leg cramps

I have been having some troubles with my calf muscles cramping during the night; The pain is sharp enough to wake me up and stop me from sleeping. I then am forced to get up and stretch in order to make the cramping go away. I am frequently up for most of the night. I’m then sleepy the whole next day. I’ve researched the reasons for cramping in my calves. I believe that the cramps are due to overly demanding workouts and insufficient hydration. I workout every day for around an hour. I focus strongly on high intensity cardio. I frequently spend almost the whole 60 minutes jumping rope or running wind sprints. There’s a hard impact on my joints and stress on the muscles. I make sure to take the time to thoroughly stretch, warm up and cool down. Now, in an attempt to alleviate the nightly discomfort, I’ve been concentrating a lot more on stretching for longer and spending more time on the warm up. I am focusing on the calf and thigh muscles. I also have tried to be better about drinking water. I don’t really like the taste of water. I never feel thirsty. I tend to go all day without taking more than a sip of water. I prefer to drink hot tea, juice or iced tea. Even if I carry a bottle of water around with me, I neglect to sip from it. I have started filling a water bottle prior to my workout. I force myself to drink the whole thing over the course of an hour. I refill the bottle and try to drink all of the water by the end of the day. I drink a ton of water right before I go to bed. Although I repeatedly get up to use the bathroom during the night, it’s much better than dealing with leg cramps.

 

Demanding workouts causes leg cramps