When i get them i up my calcium and magnesium at night, You process calcium and magnesium at night. This eliminates the problem for me. I think you need to find what works for you.
Yup, & your body needs magnesium to processes calcium.. so even if your getting lots of calcium, its not doing any good if your mag's to low.
Quinine tablets used to keep me from having leg cramps. I'd take 1 every month or so and be cramp free. I don't have a source for them anymore though.
I have suffered from leg cramps at night for over a decade. The best thing I have found to prevent them is a bar of Ivory soap under the bottom sheet just below my feet. Yeah, sounds crazy, but it has worked for years. Also, make sure the sheet over your body and the covers at the foot of the bed are not tightly tucked in when you go to sleep. Finally, when a cramp attacks, a good tbsp of yellow mustard and several swigs of dill pickle juice works really quickly to stop them. A banana is my 3rd choice.
If you don't have Gatorade available, try Pedialyte to rehydrate. Keep some on hand at home. It can help with a lot of various things, like when you have the flu, heat exhaustion, and so on. Also start taking a multi-vitamin with potassium and magnesium. Usually a shortage of that is what causes night cramps.
I followed @runswithdogs magnesium oil recommendation and I also found that nu salt is an easy potasium additive in the place of salt if you get tired of banana's https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000H185N6/?tag=survivalmonke-20 magnesium oil is made with 50% distilled water (so it lasts longer) 50% magnesium flakes (don't use Epsom salts) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XF6J5V1/?tag=survivalmonke-20
So this is totally n=1 but Lately id kept getting leg cramps at night. Not really bad but just anoying. The mag oil & potas. Helped but dident seem to be actully getting rid of it. About 3-4 weeks ago I started eating liver for 1 lunch a week (about 1/2 lb chicken or turkey livers) Ive had Absolutely no cramping since (and havent been taking the mag or potasium in that time either )
everyone is different... I have to drink pickle juice and broth once in a while and that stops let cramps too. I have never found a perfect combination, it's why i post different options. I've tried them all and some work one day and not the next.
Im just wondering if it wasn't mag. Or potas. That was the issue... or maybe a bio-availability issue? Dunno.., but haven't had any more cramping in calves since I started eating the liver. Kinda odd as ive never really “liked” liver (my mum used to cook it with onions and burn the snot out of it... ) but lately, I wouldn't say ive been craving it ezactly but just feel like I “need” it. And chicken or turkey livers both are pretty ok for taste... got some goats liver to try also.
Not sure about taking a pill form type of cure. Sounds like something that would have to be taken continually , and my cramps aren’t an every night occurrence. I’m more interested in the quick cures for the occasional cramp attacks. But for the ones that have the nightly or more frequent attacks , those pills could be a life saver.
You haven't lived until you've had southern fried chicken livers with a brown gravy and mashed potatoes!
When I was in congestive heart failure from Atrial heart flutter I had a bunch of short lived cramps every day when active. If you have frequent cramps that resolve in a minute or so and come back somewhere else only to resolve again....go get an ECG! I didn't feel any heart symptoms but after a hard life I thought I was either played out or chronically dehydrated. I was dehydrated but spent months rehydrating before I crashed from an electrical problem.
thanks for sharing that @Zimmy the 'electrical problem' phrase made me smile. I had mine checked for the same reasons as heart problems show up differently in women as cramping and shortness of breath.
I get chicken or turkey liver (duck is best but harder to find) and either make pate or just fry in butter with salt & pepper. Much milder taste than beef liver... just dont burn it with onions like my mum used to do.... bleahhhhhhh