A closer look
Muscle cramps are rarely caused by dehydration or potassium deficiency, despite what the multi-billion-dollar sports drink industry wants you to believe; they are actually caused by altered neuromuscular control, meaning your tired nerves simply freak out and forget how to tell the muscle to stop contracting; this means all those expensive electrolyte powders and frantic banana-eating sessions are largely just a placebo effect, while your nervous system throws a localized temper tantrum; it is a perfect example of how health marketing completely overrides biological reality, convincing us to buy brightly colored, sugary liquids to cure a problem that is actually just our brain momentarily losing an argument with our calf muscles
