You’ve probably felt foot cramps before—whether they may have come in the middle of the night or in random moments throughout the day. It is important that you find methods for getting rid of foot cramps. But the most important question is: how do you get rid of foot cramps—and fast?

Before we go on, what are foot cramps?

It’s a type of muscle cramp that affects the upper part of the foot, the toes, and the arch of the foot. Foot cramps can occur due to various reasons—lack of hydration, over-exertion or even too-tight shoes.

Whatever might be the cause of your foot cramps, what are some simple methods you can use to eliminate them?

1. Drink a lot of water

Our bodies need lots of fluid to carry out most of its functions. Your foot cramp might be caused by dehydration.

It’s therefore vital that you take in water and other fluids during the day. You can also hydrate with drinks containing electrolytes in them since this helps tackle dehydration.

This is even more essential if you take part in sports activities and other activities that can make you lose body fluid during the day.

For instance, if your job requires physical strength and lots of movement during the day, you should drink as much water as possible to keep your body hydrated to prevent foot cramps.

Generally, you should take between six and eight 8-ounce glasses of water during the day to prevent dehydration. If you take part in many physical activities, you’ll need to take in more.

2. Take part in some exercises

You can strengthen your foot muscles through some exercises. For instance, one exercise you can engage in is calf raises.

To do this, stand close to a wall. This is to have a place where you can place your hand on the wall to keep your balance. Then raise your heels up—standing on your tip-toes—and hold for about 3-5 seconds. You can repeat this move about 8 to 10 times. Consequently, you can strengthen your foot tendons and muscles through this exercise.

Another simple exercise to relieve you of foot cramps is to take a walk. When you take a quick walk, it ensures your body stays active. Sometimes sitting for a long period of time could be the cause of foot cramps. In cases like these, a simple walk can be a remedy.

3. Stretch your feet and toes

To getting rid of foot cramps, you need to relax your foot muscles. One way to do that is by stretching your foot. You can stretch your foot and toes and then wiggle your toes after this movement to help the muscles relax.

To get the best angle, you can sit on the bed or floor with your legs stretched out in front of you. After doing this, flex your foot and toes forward and hold for a few seconds. Repeat the same motion in the backward direction (toward you) and hold for a few seconds.

Once you’re through with that, you can then spread and wiggle your toes out. You can continue this motion until you stop feeling cramps in your foot.

If you’re unable to stretch your foot, you may need to use your hand to make the stretch possible. To do this, maintain the same pose but bend your knees to move your foot closer to the reach of your hands and fingertips.

This way, you can hold your foot for a few seconds in your hand and stretch it. You can do the same for your toes until the cramp goes away.

4. Wear comfortable shoes for getting rid of foot cramps

Most times, we wear shoes to protect our feet—other times, they might be victims of fashion.

But while trying to look good, your shoes might be causing harm to your feet. If your shoes are too tight, it can restrict blood flow in your leg and cause the foot muscles to cramp.

How do you know your shoes are too tight? Most times, you’re unable to straighten your toes due to restrictions from the shoe.

Another sign that tells you your shoes are too tight is if you remove your shoes and you see too many marks on your foot, made by the shoe itself.

Therefore, one of the considerations you should make apart from looks is how comfortable your shoe will be for your foot.

5. Avoid too much exercise

Even though we’ve mentioned earlier that you should engage in exercises, doing too much exercise can also lead to foot cramps. Too much exercise can lead to dehydration and put an excessive amount of stress on your foot muscles.

If you observe that you regularly suffer from foot cramps after exercising, you can prevent this by reducing the amount of time you engage in exercise. Likewise, you can reduce the intensity of your exercises.

6. Eat the right foods

The food we take into our body helps keep our bodies functioning properly. Eating the right foods can help keep your body in the best shape possible and that helps in getting rid of foot cramps. In another sense, eating the wrong foods could cause harm to your body.

Having said this, some foods can help you gain relief from your foot cramps. Some foods you can try for foot cramps are pickle juice, mustard, and apple cider vinegar.

These foods are effective for foot cramps because of their vinegar content. Vinegar contains acetic acid which helps to make acetylcholine. This is a neurotransmitter that helps your muscles work.

Taking about two or three teaspoons of these foods can help relieve foot cramps for a short period of time.

7. See your doctor

If you’ve tried these remedies and you see no relief in your foot cramps, then you need to see your doctor. In some cases, if foot cramps occur too regularly, it could be caused by another condition you’re unaware of.

In some cases, people with diabetes or people treating cancer can suffer from nerve damage that can cause foot cramps. When you visit your doctor, you can get more details about this and what to do.

Foot Cramps Running Afoul

In most cases, foot cramps will go away after a period of time. But you can help speed up the process if you take these steps when you feel cramps in your feet.

It can be almost impossible to walk when you feel cramps in your foot. That’s why it’s vital to always take action to eliminate it as fast as you can.