I get bad a charlie horse at night.?

Question

What causes this? I take vitamins. My doctor brushed it off and told me to increase my calcium

Answer 1

This is the first place your body targets when you are dehydrated. Drink lots of water! I recommend purified water and mineral water mixed 50/50. The mineral water is going to put back into the muscles what they are losing on a daily basis.

I suggest that adults and children drink 40 ounces of water per 100 pounds of body weight every day. Realize that exercise, ambient temperature, and state of health affect the water needs of your body.

In the evening take a hot bath with 2c. of dissolved Epsom salts and soak for 30 minutes. Afterwards , if you have something shaped like a cylinder and made out of hard material (think of a large rolling pin you would use for pizza dough or something) place it under your leg and push down and roll it back and forth...this should massage the spasms out of your leg. It will hurt while you're doing it, but more so the type of pain that actually feels good, in the long run.

500mg of calcium and magnesium twice daily will help with the pain.

Answer 2

I'm with your doctor. Leg cramps, particularly at night, are often the result of a calcium deficiency. Calcium is necessary for our brains to transmit impluses to our muscles. If there's insufficient calcium, it's very possible for the signal to relax the leg to fail to reach the muscle, and cramps are the result. This happens a LOT to pregnant women because what would ordinarily be "extra" calcium is being used to help the baby develop, so mom gets the short end of the nutritional stick.

I suggest taking a calcium supplement that contains vitamin D; also be sure to get vitamin C, as that is important to allow calcium to do its work.

Answer 3

Try taking vitamin E, make sure it is a good quality vitamin that your body can absorb. Also drink a large glass of water because you could be dehydrated.

Answer 4

Have your doctor take a blood test. You may have low Potassium levels. If that's the case, you could try eating more foods high in Potassium, such as bananas. If it's a severe deficiency, though, you may need to have a prescription strength dose of Potassium.