Leg cramps...

[patty]

Every so often when sleeping I wake up with leg cramps. Lately it has been quite often. I usually massage them out.

Aloha, patty

[debknott]

Patty,

I have been having the same thing recently, and did a little searching. Dehydration can be a common cause, and I think I have been drinking a bit less water lately. I plan to make sure I drink plenty and see if they go away. Just a possible cause to consider.

Deborah

[Willijan]

Leg cramps/restless leg syndrome can be related to use of medications, such as Nexium and benadryl (those are just the two I know about). One thing that works, at least for some people, to stop them is to take a vinegar product called Stops Leg & Foot Cramps In About One Minute. A helpful supplement is magnesium, taken once or twice daily.
The vinegar solution is made by Caleb Treeze Organic Farm. It contains apple cider vinegar, ginger, and garlic juice. You can make your own, however from what I've read, you have to age the solution for quite a while, or something like that. I made it and used it immediately, and it didn't work well.
My husband has had severe problems with this for years. He got off the medications, but the problem didn't go away completely. When he takes the vinegar solution and magnesium, he's fine.

[Lyndzie]

Willijan, does your husband use it for restless leg? My dad and sister both have dealt with RLS, and I’ve read that it can be caused by low ferritin (iron), which they both have had as well.

[patty]

Mahalo... yes I think it is dehydration. I have found I can drink one or two cups of coffee in the morning and I have been fine. It has been so hot lately, and what has happened in the government has upset me. So I purchased a couple bottles of coke. And of course I wasn't drinking my water. In doing a search after seeing the above posts it looks like extra caffeine from the coke and not drinking water, created dehydration. I had a Client that would always drink a small amount of tonic water daily. So I was tempted to stop on the way home from work to pick up some. I am happy I didn't because I only had a small amount of pain in my calf and foot this morning. Hopefully the issue is resolving itself from eliminating the coke, and back to water. Again Mahalo.

Aloha, patty

[Willijan]

Willijan, does your husband use it for restless leg? My dad and sister both have dealt with RLS, and I’ve read that it can be caused by low ferritin (iron), which they both have had as well.

Well, yes, I think he has been diagnosed with restless leg. He has had it for so long that I don't remember. But his legs jump during the day sometimes; I can see it while we are sitting in the living room reading. And they jump so much in bed that neither of us can sleep. Both of these are when he doesn't take his magnesium and his vinegar remedy.

I thought maybe it would go away when he stopped taking Nexium, but it didn't. However, he still has to take large doses of benadryl when he has an angioedema attack, to bring down the swelling. So maybe that's why he still needs the mag/vinegar.

I wouldn't want him to take iron without low ferritin being diagnosed; too dangerous. I wish he didn't have to take magnesium.

[Dixee]

Leg cramps are somewhat common for pregnant ladies, and we are always advised to make sure we are getting enough potassium. A plant based diet is unlikely to be low in potassium, but I just thought I would throw it out there. Hope you resolve it quickly, as that is a rather unpleasant way to wake up!!

[DebL]

Did anyone mention B-12 insufficiency?

I was supplementing Methyl B-12, but that doesn't always work for everyone and I started getting leg cramps and I know that I wasn't dehydrated and I was drinking electrolyte water, so I knew it wasn't my electrolytes being low.

It turned out that Methyl B-12 wasn't working for me.

Cyano is more shelf-stable and more effective.

If you are uncomfortable with Cyano, you can add Hydroxo or Adenosyl forms.

Don't take too high a dose, but if you are having symptoms, try switching B-12.

[viv]

My legs and feet used to cramp so badly that my toes would distort and arch forwards. I discovered that it was a calcium deficiency. Well the cramps subside almost immediately when I take a calcium plus magnesium tab. And what's amazing is my body knows and literally as soon as I put the calcium tab on my tongue the pains and cramps go away. I also keep a bottle next to my bed in case of waking up at night with cramps, because they are very very painful. I have been taking thyroid meds for Hashimotos for over 30 years and some say that thyroid tabs leach calcium out of the bones, but I don't know whether this is true or not.

[shrike13]

Dehydration was definitely a factor for me. As long as I drink plenty of water I seldom have problems now. Before the cramps were bringing me out of bed!

[countryautumns]

I used to get leg cramps a lot, a few times a night, sometimes. Every time I've been in the hospital, several times since 2015, they've delayed my discharge to give me a potassium bolus. After I get home, I wouldnt have cramps for at least a few weeks. So.. it finally dawned on me to try potassium supplements over the counter to see if they work before talking to doctor about it for a pricy prescription. Sure enough, the potassium works.