I know that cramps are the involuntary contraction of a specific muscle, but I want to know how that happens. What process causes them?
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Muscles are controlled by electrical signals from the brain, but a balance of electrolytes (sodium and potassium are the mains ones, but there are others) is required for those signals to function correctly. When the balance is not right, muscles either don’t contract properly or at all, or contract when they shouldn’t, which is a cramp. Essentially, a cramp is your muscle squeezing itself as hard as it possibly can, which is not how they’re designed to work and not pleasant.
Prolonged exercise can cause electrolyte imbalances, in particular you can lose potassium which is the main cause of cramps. Hence why eating bananas is “good” for cramps, since bananas contain a lot of potassium.
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