Leg Cramps At Night – Causes, Cures and Prevention

Don’t suffer in silence, discover how you can treat and prevent night time leg cramps.

Hi, my name’s Sarah and I’ve created this website to discuss the awful problem of leg cramps at night. Some people call it Charlie Horse and hopefully give you some tips and advice as well as sharing my own experiences with you.

While needing to get a good night sleep, some people find themselves woken up by painful leg cramps. It is one of the worst feelings that anyone could ever experience because it can be excruciating pain.

Sometimes people with leg cramps feel a tightening sensation of the muscles and many times the foot muscles cramp up as well. Foot cramps at night may actually be a separate and unrelated problem. These are not just spasms but actual cramps in the leg and foot. Don’t mistake this pain for Restless Leg Syndrome – Leg cramps while sleeping it is far, far worse!

Various studies have shown an increase in electrical activity in the muscles when cramping; however they have still been unable to pinpoint exactly what causes it. Some scientists believe that it occurs due to a deficiency of certain minerals in the body and perhaps combined with a fluid imbalance.

Personally I believe leg cramps occur for different reasons for different people and methods to prevent them will work for some but not for others. Otherwise scientists would have found a common cause by now and been able to pin-point how to prevent it in the first place.

Until that happens, there are various remedies you can try to help prevent night time leg cramps. One remedy is to avoid tight sheets or blankets that restrict movement; especially around the legs which may cause the toes to point. The legs and feet need to be able to move freely.

Something that can be done to stop the pain or at least minimize it is to do leg stretching exercises before bed. This will stretch the muscles out and hopefully not cramp up later into the night.

Concentrate especially on the calf, foot and hamstring muscles as these are the most common muscles that cramp up. Spend a few minutes warming the muscles up first and then do your stretches.

Some studies have shown that a potassium deficiency causes leg cramps; therefore it would be important to eat a few more items with potassium or take a vitamin supplement. Some foods that are high in potassium are bananas, beans, cabbage, potatoes, and tomatoes; just to name a few. Simply type “foods high in potassium” into your favorite search engine and you will discover plenty of food sources, recipes and more.

It is important to monitor how much of a potassium increase you take because too much can actually make the cramps worse! Again it will be different for everyone.

There has also been a link to dehydration and leg cramps at night. These days we know how important drinking enough water is to our bodies and general well being. Despite this understanding we still don’t drink nearly enough on a daily basis and it could certainly be a contributing factor for your leg cramps. This is especially important when dieting, pregnant, and taking any diuretics. (You can find out more about leg cramps during pregnancy by reading my article.) It is imperative we take on enough water and it is recommended we drink approximately 8 large glasses a day.

You might find relief by wearing compression socks. Sure they’re not the sexiest items of bed wear, but they might just be the cure for you. They are designed to improve circulation and certainly recommended on long haul flights to help prevent deep vein thrombosis.

If you do get cramps despite your stretching and water intake etc. it helps the area if you apply a warm compress. Obviously a warm compress is a little impractical during the night if you are in bed, but you might have a hot water bottle handy that is still warm.

You should find a little relief if you gently massage the cramped leg and very gently stretch out the leg. Point your toes towards your knee not away from you. If you can bare it, try standing on it and walking around to get the circulation going. Despite popular belief avoid excessive stretching as this might actually tear a muscle. Your leg muscles will be cold at night and over stretching could damage them.

I used to suffer terribly with night time leg cramps and researched many different solutions and remedies. I tried everything under the sun to find a cure. What helps me may not help you but I take a daily supplement, take regular exercise (I didn’t exercise much before) ensure I drink lots and lots of water and eat a diet that contains a few potassium rich foods. I do a few stretches at night and take a hot water bottle to bed during the winter months.

The single biggest noticeable difference for me has been since I started taking a tablet specifically designed for leg cramps. The ones I take are called Leg Cramps with Quinine and I take one each afternoon. They are a natural product that do not contain aspirin, have no side effects and can be taken with other medications. The pills are quite new to the market as an over the counter treatment and contain quinine which is regulated by the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States. It is used in diluted quantities to stimulate the bodies own healing process.

Along with my other methods they seem to do the trick. They’re not a 100% cure and will help some people more than others. But for me they are a God send. They are certainly worth a try if you’ve exhausted all the other methods. I still get leg cramps at night but few and far between these days.

Check out the video below for some more natural leg cramp remedies:

I would love to hear about your stories and cures/preventions. We might discover something that works that we haven’t tried before. Please drop your comments below.

Warmest regards,

Sarah