I keep waking up in the night with cramp in my calf muscle.?

Question

I get enough salt in my diet. Any ideas what may cause it & how to fix it?

Skater 5 - I hope it's not growing pains - I'm 37!

Answer 1

Not sure exactly the cause but drinking tonic water that contains quinnine is supposed to help. Eating bananas too.

Answer 2

Sounds as if you are experiencing charlie horses. You need to increase your potassium intake (bananas are amazing for that). Also during the night when you get one, try stretching your leg mid-cramp. Point your toes towards your knees as best you can. This will stretch out the calf muscle and alleviate the cramp. When I was pregnant, I used to get several of these a night (sometimes as many as 10) and this technique worked well. I would have eaten more bananas, but the whole pregnancy thing turned me against them.

Answer 3

Your cramp may be caused by stress, tiredness or poor posture. Dehydration, especially in hot weather or after exercise, can also cause cramp. It is thought that the dehydration causes a chemical imbalance in the muscle, making it suddenly contract.

At night, you may wan to use an electric blanket on cold winter nights. This can keep the calf muscles warm and pain free. Remember to sleep on your side with knees bent and a pillow between them. Sleeping on your stomach with your legs straight out makes the calves more prone to cramping. Loosen your night covers and wear roomy pyjamas. The pressure of heavy blankets and tight pyjamas could be partly to blame for cramps.

Take regular exercise. Walking, swimming and cycling are excellent. Yoga is a good way of learning to relax and stretch your muscles. · Remember to drink plenty of fluids, especially before, during and after exercise. Have a good warm-up before you start any type of exercise.

I hope it is helpful.

Answer 4

Ideas: 1) Water... 2) Diet. Cramping can be caused by a lack of water or calcium amongst other things. If your diet lacks calcium there are a plethora of foods to eat or drinks to have (or supplements). 3) Stretch when you get up, stretch before you go to bed. 4) Exercise... mix it, do something fun. 5) Have that special someone massage your legs.
Best of luck.

Answer 5

I used to get leg cramps a lot. Eat bananas and stretch out your leg muscles before you lie down at night. I found the only thing that got rid of the pain for me was to lie flat on my back and press my foot flat on the wall until the pain subsides.

Answer 6

Eat a banana! Potassium....and NEVER over do Potassium, it can cause a heart attack. Start stretching your calf's, and while in the shower (with a wand shower head) run hot water over the calf, then cold,back to hot,then cold ...7 times. This naturally pumps blood through your muscle and removes toxins and improves circulation.

Answer 7

Take 100 mg of Potassium pills every night before bedtime, without fail.

Of course eating bananas can definitely be a plus, but in everyday life, bananas may not always be available, so the potassium pills (which you can get at any vitamin store or vitamin aisle at any grocery or drug store) are the most reliable.

I haven't had any leg cramps since I started this regimen.

Answer 8

I think that the cramping could be due to lack of potassium or some vitaman deficiency. My cousin had a similar problem it turned out that her diet was not very healthy. Try changing your diet and eating a few more bananas and if you still have this problem see your doctor.

Answer 9

You probably should keep yourself very hydrated and more than likely your body is lacking potassium, a banana a day can help that. Also if you are wearing shoes with a different heal than you are used to can cause leg cramps.

Answer 10

I get the same.

Two options I find work;

- Need to drink more water, or
- The muscle is not being exercised and stretched enough. Do lots of walking (especially up hills) and stretch the muscle before and after.