Leg Cramps Keeping You Up at Night?

Nothing could be more frustrating after finally getting to sleep than being suddenly jarred awake by a painful “Charley Horse” that won’t go away. These leg cramps are quite painful and can last 10 minutes to a full hour in some people. No one knows for sure, but there are many theories on what causes these night-time leg cramps – here are just a few:

Prolonged sitting
Prolonged standing
Too much exercise
Too little exercise
Flat feet
Sitting with crossed legs
Dehydration
Illness
Disease (Parkinson’s, Diabetes, Peripheral vascular disease, Thyroid disease)
Medications
Mineral imbalance (magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium, etc)
Vitamin deficiency

Although these leg cramps are most common in middle-aged persons, it can happen at any age. So how do you make them go away? This may be the most frustrating part, because it may take several different tries before you find one that works, and you will probably be fully awake by the time it does. These are some things to try:

Stretch your calf muscles. An easy way to do this is by flexing your feet at the ankle, pointing your toes up as far as they will go towards your knee, and then slowly lowering down till you can go no more. You may have to do several repetitions, but it can be done while still in bed, so try this first.

Sit up and massage the leg for several minutes to work out the cramp and then try stretching again. If this does not work you may have to get out of bed and walk around a bit.

Take a hot shower, or sit in a warm bath and massage the leg. Even though you have had to get out of bed, a warm bath may help you get back to sleep.

To prevent nocturnal leg cramps you may want to consider taking supplements such as calcium, magnesium and potassium. These are also supplements that help to promote a restful sleep. Some people find that taking 400IU of Vitamin E and/or Vitamin D stops the recurrence of nighttime leg cramps.

Gently stretching your calf muscles (see exercise above) before going to bed may help to prevent the tightening that precedes cramps. Also make sure to drink enough water throughout the day.

Placing a bar of soap (yes, plain old Ivory Soap) under the sheet has worked for many people. The reason seems to be a mystery, but it is certainly worth a try!

Nighttime Leg Cramps vs. Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) – These are two separate conditions. Night cramps are just that – cramps. RLS is a tingling, crawling (sometimes painful) sensation that forces the affected person to move their legs in order to stop the symptoms. This will be covered in our next post.