Frequency of Nocturnal Leg Cramp Symptoms and Gender Comparison of Stress, Physical Activity and Sleep Disturbances in Middle Aged Adults with Nocturnal Leg Cramps

Abstract

Objective:Nocturnal leg cramps are painful, sleep related involuntary muscle contractions of the lower limb. The objective was to determine the frequency of nocturnal leg cramp symptoms and to compare stress, sleep disturbances, and physical activity between males and females in middle-aged adults having nocturnal leg cramps.Materials and Methods:An analytical cross-sectional survey was conducted on 220 participants in twin cities of Pakistan. Patients between the ages of 35-55 years who experienced nocturnal leg cramps in the previous three months were included, those with any comorbidities were excluded from the study. A diagnostic criterion from a previous systematic review was used to determine and find the frequency of nocturnal leg crampsymptoms. The perceived stress scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index, and global physical activity questionnaire were used to analyze stress, sleep, and physical activity, respectively.Results:The mean age of all participants was 44.01±6.74 years. The most reported symptom by participants was pain duration lasting from seconds to 10 minutes 219 (99.55%), whereas pain/cramps in thigh/hamstrings 162 (73.64%) was least reported symptom. The mean age of participants in the male and female groups was 44.27±7.65 years, 44.72±6.56 years. Group comparison of gender showed a significant difference with stress (p0.05).Conclusion:The study concludes that majority of the participants experienced all symptoms of the nocturnal leg cramps, whereas leg cramps were the most frequent symptom. Furthermore, females suffering from nocturnal leg cramp reported higher levels of stress compared with males.

Keywords

• middle aged
• muscle cramps
• pain
• pakistan
• sleep