nocturnal leg cramps

[Brett Luna]

Stretching before bed seems to help a little.

No idea if this applies to the OP situation but stretching "wrong" has caused my worst calf cramps. If I stretch with my toes pointed down, it can trigger a killer cramp as the calf tightens instead of stretching. Stretching with toes pulled up does the trick for me. I've tried to train myself to keep the toes up and I only have a problem when I forget to do it that way...like when I'm half-asleep.

[Justin Koenen]

Dave, Temporarily, till you find the cause, you can can get relief within seconds from two or three swallows of dill pickle juice. Works for my wife and me. NO JOKE.. Justin

[Bruce Page]

I will sometimes get calf cramps if I don't drink a minimum of 24oz of water each afternoon. When I forget to drink the H₂O and start to cramp in bed, a simple calf muscle squeeze massage of 75-100 reps per leg usually does the trick for me.

[William Whitfield]

Try drinking some tonic water.

[Chris Parks]

Magnesium for me, if I take it regularly then I never have cramps. Apparently there are issues with the body absorbing Magnesium and these need to be known before you start using it. It is no good taking it if the type you are taking has a low absorption rate, it then does not alleviate the problem.

[Dave Cullen]

No idea if this applies to the OP situation but stretching "wrong" has caused my worst calf cramps. If I stretch with my toes pointed down, it can trigger a killer cramp as the calf tightens instead of stretching. Stretching with toes pulled up does the trick for me. I've tried to train myself to keep the toes up and I only have a problem when I forget to do it that way...like when I'm half-asleep.

Stretching, half asleep, will almost always bring on a cramp for me. It's like, "Dave you idiot! Why did I do that?" Never experimented with toes up or down -

Dave, Temporarily, till you find the cause, you can can get relief within seconds from two or three swallows of dill pickle juice. Works for my wife and me. NO JOKE.. Justin

I've heard that before, and I do have some dills in the fridge. Thanks for the reminder.

I was strolling down an isle in my local pharmacy one day and saw a remedy that said for night time leg cramps. It was vitamin E. I have some (400 usp) and will take one when a cramp comes, but sometimes it works and sometimes not.

[Andrew DiLorenzo]

Magnesium for me, if I take it regularly then I never have cramps. Apparently there are issues with the body absorbing Magnesium and these need to be known before you start using it. It is no good taking it if the type you are taking has a low absorption rate, it then does not alleviate the problem.

This above. Magnesium pills are very inexpensive and widely available. Start with maybe half of one pill to check for any negative reaction. Give it a few weeks.

Has your thyroid levels been checked? Low thyroid can cause cramps in the calf.

[Justin Ludwig]

Dave, Temporarily, till you find the cause, you can can get relief within seconds from two or three swallows of dill pickle juice. Works for my wife and me. NO JOKE.. Justin

90% of participants saw relief within 85secs of swallow 2oz of dill pickle juice. Yup. Pickle juice. Proven in multiple studies. Inhibits neuro... blah blah blah technical mumbo jumbo. It works. Don't like pickles or pickle juice? Enjoy the cramps.

I take PJ with me to Tough Mudder and Spartan events.

[Al Launier]

I experienced similar symptoms:foot/calf/toe cramps - had to walk them off & they still returned. My doctor recommended Magnesium 500mg tablets (non-prescriptive & available at any pharmacy) at bedtime. Started using them a couple years ago & have had almost total freedom from cramping since - only a couple of minor episodes.

[Kent Adams]

Dave, you mentioned your night time pee is yellow and smelly. This is because you aren't hydrated enough and the yellow includes a high amount of minerals in it, including potassium. Eat a couple of bananas during the day and drink some more water before you go to bed and you should be fine, unless there is a more serious problem going on which you should check out. Potassium should be included in your normal blood work every year. Make sure you're doctor is checking for it. I'd go ahead and make an appointment for that blood test.

[Alan Rutherford]

Been there. For me, the problem is usually created or avoided between dinner and bedtime.

I agree about staying hydrated but of course that means you'll be up more often at night. For potassium, get some no-sodium salt substitute (100% potassium chloride). Try replacing your salt shaker with it at the dinner table and skip salty snacks later. It's not just the potassium - it's the ratio of potassium to sodium (as in table salt). If you have to get up, a half-teaspoon or so of non-salt in water (or orange juice - tastes better) might work wonders. Same as a banana but more like a couple of them.

If you (or anyone else reading this) are taking a diuretic, then you need to know if it's potassium-depleting or -sparing. You can really mess yourself up taking extra potassium with the latter. With the former - maybe that's part of the problem as well as a reason for dehydration.