No, because they didn't used to be this frequent. But I'm going to -- I have to make an appointment sometime the next few weeks anyway as a condition of my insurance.

Aiyeeee, great sympathy. Mine wake me up swearing like a sailor and scaring the cats.

Bananas kind of make me gag since I lost my sense of smell (all texture, no flavor), but I've found that tonic water (which I quite like, having a bitter tooth where other people have a sweet tooth) also helps.

I also have fewer of them if I sleep with my feet outside the covers. My theory is that the blanket pushes my foot down and that can trigger the cramps.

Hm. Quinine, huh? I like tonic water.

And, hm. I may try the blanket trick if iamjw's soap suggestion doesn't work (I like to be all wrapped up in blankets).

Quinine is apparently a muscle relaxant in addition to its other properties.

While lack of potassium is sometimes the problem, it's usually magnesium that's the culprit. I started taking my cal/mag supplement (doubled) in the evening instead of the morning and they're gone. Miserable, isn't it? You have my sympathy.

Huh. I always thought it was potassium. I may try adding a calcium / magnesium supplement.

Me too. My naturopath informed me otherwise. So far, she's been bang on. Still, could be potassium for you, but a cal/mag supplement probably won't hurt anyway. :)

Yeah, I get horrible leg cramps if I stop taking magnesium every day.

Magnesium tends to speed up digestion, calcium slows it down. Combined calcium-magnesium supplements are usually designed so the effect on digestion cancels itself out.

That's the only saving grace of the problem I had with my leg about 14 years ago. So many nerves were severed that I don't have near as many leg cramps as I used to.

One thing that helped was to wring out a towel in scalding hot water (as hot as your skin can tolerate) and slap it around the calf of your leg. It helps relax the spasm.

The hot towel sounds like an excellent idea. I'll try to keep that in mind.

Okay, I recognise that this is going to sound bizarre, however, have you tried putting a bar of soap in the bed?

No, really.

A few weeks ago I was link-hopping and I found somebody talking about leg cramps as well as restless leg syndrome, and various people piped in with the bar of soap theory. Any non-glycerin soap (although apparently Dove and Dial don't work) in the bed with you.

I thought it was crazy but a) snopes reports it as something that hasn't been debunked and b) I've been sleeping with a bar of soap in the bed for about three weeks now, and I'm no longer waking up every morning with back pain - despite sleeping on the oldest mattress in the Western hemisphere. I put it under the bottom sheet.

There are a variety of ideas why it seems to work, but nothing conclusive. It does seem to have limited range, so you'd want to have it near your legs.

And if it's all nonsense, you can always use the soap for its intended purpose.

That's bizarre, and I've never heard of it before, but what the hell -- it can't do me any harm, and I *have* soap handy, where I don't have calcium/magnesium or tonic water.

That was my reaction almost exactly *g*

Well, no major cramps last night. One twinge, but I was able to flex my foot before the cramp took hold.

Dale was massively disconcerted and disbelieving. "You want to do what? You're going to put soap in the bed? REALLY? You'll forgive me if I'm a bit cynical. Just keep it on your side, and if you wake up in the morning farting bubbles, don't say I didn't warn you."

*giggles helplessly, hands shoved to mouth*

ROFL!

If you google soap in the bed there are all kinds of discussions about it. Weirdest home remedy ever!

Two questions. One, what kind of soap did you use, and Two, did you fart bubbles in the morning?

Younger Brother

Ivory, because that's what we keep in the house.

No.

Definitely get some calcium and magnesium into your system and see a doctor if that continues. Those are some nasty-sounding cramps!

ow, that sounds horrible. thankfully, i've yet to start getting cramps in my sleep, though i get some pretty bad ones at other times.

Bananas *and* gatorade. And do make that dr's appointment, dear one.