what causes leg cramps or"charlie horse" when your sleeping?

Answer 1

A need for potassium & possibly some dehydration - Eat some bananas & drink some water or Gatorade....if you wake up with a Charlie Horse be sure to flex your foot - do not point your toes - try to get out of bed & stand up, then stretch your leg out flat-footed....

Answer 2

There can be many causes of nocturnal leg cramps including -- dehydration (not drinking enough water), electrolyte imbalance (potassium, magnesium, sodium, calcium, etc...), over exerting your muscles during the day.

Another common cause is wearing bad shoes. If you wear shoes that do not properly support your feet, you can suffer from mucles discomfort and problems in your feet, legs, and even in your back. So, wearing good shoes with proper support during the day might help to reduce muscle fatigue and muscle dysfunction (which could then reduce the leg cramps).

Another cause is lack of exercise. If you do not use your leg muscles enough they can be prone to cramping at night. If you have a job (or school) where you spend most of te day sitting, you could try doing some leg stretching exercises during the day while sitting to get the muscles moving and get the blood flowing.

To prevent nocturnal leg cramps some tips include -

-Making sure you are drinking enough water and getting proper nutrition/vitamins from food or a multi-vitamin.

- wearing supportive shoes

- exercise and stretching the leg muscles (but be careful not to over do it because too much can also cause leg cramps)

- make sure you are sleeping in a comfortable position with plenty of room for your legs. Some people find that a knee pillow helps keep their legs in a comfortable position at night, other people like using a leg wedge pillow to sleep with their legs elevated.


Most people suffer from the occasional nocturnal leg cramp at some point in their lives but if you are having cramps that are severe or they are happening often enough to disrupt your sleep on a regular basis (several nights a week, or several times a night), you should consider talking to your doctor about causes and treatments.

I hope that helps :-)

Answer 3

Strenuous activity from during the day maybe or dehydration. Try drinking more water and eating bananas which prevent cramping (pottassium).

I also find that if I wear heels or new shoes that day, I'll get cramps! I also find that heating pads work pretty good to relieve any pain, and also pop an advil or two!

Answer 4

A lot of things can cause that. Dehydration, lack of circulation, lack of potassium, improper footwear (especially if you walk or stand alot).

Best remedies can be drink plenty of water and eat things high in potassium, i.e. bananas and tomatoes. If you are on your feet alot make sure you have comfortable shoes and during breaks it is a good idea to massage your legs.

Hope the problem goes away. Best wishes....

Answer 5

Charley Horse While Sleeping

Answer 6

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
what causes leg cramps or"charlie horse" when your sleeping?

Answer 7

A charlie horse can be a symptom for many different things. It can be caused by deficiencies of such things as magnesium or potassium. You can even also get a charlie horse by being struck suddenly.

Answer 8

I take 3 onces of Tonic water, 3 onces of pineapple, dash of nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon. Drink and go to bed. The tonic water has quinine in it. You can get it in the mixed drink section of the grocery store. Good for leg cramps and restless legs. It works. Good Luck

Answer 9

These answers are good, it could be any of these things, but I found out, on my own, no help from the doctor, that it was my arches. So I got arch supports for my shoes, and it has helped me. But lack of potassium will cause them, that's for sure.

Answer 10

its from overstrecthing in your sleep It happens to me all the time and I eat a banana a day and take vitamins and it still happens I think its from a lack of sleep to me when I dont sleep as much because of all of my acitvities and caffiene whenever I am stretching the most is when I am really getting comfortable during my sleep and yada yada yada get some Icey hot spray it works for me my mom sells the spray pain away from Tammy Taylor thats what I use