Do your legs hurt when you go to sleep at night? You might have trouble drifting off due to soreness in your legs. Then, when you do fall asleep, you’re startled awake by sharp cramps. Your varicose veins could be the cause of the aches, pains, and cramps. Get the details on why varicose veins make your legs hurt at night and what you can do to alleviate the symptoms.
There are two main reasons that varicose veins are so painful at night. First, blood pools up throughout the day. Thus, if you spend a lot of time on your feet during the day, the aches and pains will be worse during the night.
Second, you don’t have any distractions when you’re lying in bed at night. Sometimes, the pain isn’t worse when you’re in bed. However, you notice it more because you aren’t focused on other activities. That can make the discomfort unbearable.
Now, let’s look at what you can do to reduce the aches, pains, and muscle cramps at night.
Moving around more during the day can reduce the symptoms of varicose veins at night. Avoid sitting or standing for too long. Instead, go for walks, engage in yoga, and do stretches to promote blood flow.
Wearing compression stockings during the day will improve your circulation. Then, your varicose veins won’t be as swollen when you go to bed at night. You should notice fewer symptoms when you go to sleep after wearing compression stockings throughout the day.
Elevating your feet while you sleep will help the blood flow from your varicose veins. That, in turn, will reduce the symptoms. You don’t need to get an expensive hospital bed to do this. Instead, put a pillow at the end of the mattress. Place it underneath the mattress to secure it, and then put your feet there at night.
While these tips will help you alleviate some of the symptoms, they won’t address the underlying problem. If you want to get rid of the pain altogether, you’ll need to undergo varicose vein treatment. Minimally invasive treatment collapses the varicose veins, diverting the blood into healthy veins.
There are various minimally invasive options, including radiofrequency ablation (RFA), endovenous laser ablation (EVLA), VenaSeal and sclerotherapy.
If your varicose veins are keeping you up at night, schedule a consultation with Dr. Vinay Madan at the Center for Varicose Veins. Dr. Madan will assess your condition and recommend a treatment for you. Then, you’ll be one step closer to getting a good night’s sleep.
