BBC Morning Live's Dr Xand shares the best way to prevent and relieve cramps

Dr Xand demonstrated an casual brushed lunge agelong alongside Strictly Come Dancing pro Luba Mushtuk

TV doc Xand van Tulleken has shed airy connected a elemental workout for anyone who struggles with cramps. Speaking for BBC Morning Live, helium claimed that specified a wont tin trim the 'severity and frequency' of pains, which are often rather troublesome astatine night.

"So, stretching is 1 of the main things that radical speech astir erstwhile you've got a cramp and to forestall cramps," helium said connected the show's Instagram page. "So, for your bedtime routine, this is astir relaxing and stretching your muscles retired to get them acceptable for lying down successful bed."

The NHS explains that cramps mostly instrumentality spot erstwhile a musculus tightens, triggering abrupt symptom that 'makes it hard to move'. While cramps tin impact immoderate musculus successful the body, they are peculiarly communal successful the legs, lasting anyplace from a fewer seconds to 10 minutes astatine a time.

In the studio, Dr Xand demonstrated a straightforward brushed lunge agelong with the assistance of Strictly Come Dancing nonrecreational Luba Mushtuk. This involves extending 1 limb guardant with a bent genu portion the different limb is stretched retired behind.

It is an workout associated with assorted benefits for improved equilibrium and musculus spot arsenic good arsenic perchance eliminating cramps. Dr Xand continued: "So, arsenic you are stretching there, that's the full backmost of your leg, that's your calf.

"If you crook your leg, you tin absorption connected your calf a small spot more, you mightiness privation to get your legs consecutive and absorption a spot much connected the bum and the precocious leg. That's a beauteous one. You're trying to people muscles that impact you."

Despite this, Dr Xand stressed determination is nary one-size-fits-all attack to stretching earlier bedtime, urging viewers to fig retired what suits them best. "There is nary circumstantial authorities that you should beryllium doing," helium continued. "So, if cramps are truly disrupting your life, decidedly spell and speech to your GP due to the fact that determination are loads of causes. Some of them are serious, but tons of them tin beryllium treated.

"But if they are conscionable bothering you a bit, past immoderate stretching earlier furniture tin truly help. So, effort it retired - mightiness trim the severity and the frequency. Good luck."

Beyond stretching, the NHS asserts that predominant massages tin assistance with cramps too. Its proposal states: "Stretching and massaging the musculus whitethorn easiness the symptom during a cramp, though astir cramps spell distant without you doing anything.

"Standing up and putting your value connected the limb with the cramp whitethorn besides help. Paracetamol oregon ibuprofen tin assistance to easiness musculus soreness aft a cramp, but they volition not assistance erstwhile it's happening arsenic they instrumentality excessively agelong to work. Regular calf-stretching exercises whitethorn assistance to trim cramps but whitethorn not wholly halt them from happening."

Individuals experiencing numbness and swelling alongside cramps are encouraged to spot a GP. Cramps lasting longer than 10 minutes oregon excessive cramping whitethorn besides beryllium indicative of thing serious, including liver disease.