Here are the main reasons you may be getting leg cramps at night. These are based on my own personal experience as well as treating hundreds of patients with this issue. For most of us, it's so easy to manage. Yes, really.
Number one (by far!) - Not drinking enough water during the day. You need to adjust how much water you drink for your activity level. Even low activity days should take into account that we lose about 2 cups of moisture each day just from breathing.
#2 - Not getting enough magnesium. This is a remedy that acts quickly if you take it in liquid form and hold it under your tongue for a minute before swallowing.
Note: what form of magnesium you take affects your bowels. Citrate and oxide forms will "move" you. Chelate and glycinate will have less effect on your bowels.
#3 Potassium is the next most common reason. However, potassium supplements must be taken under a healthcare provider's guidance because too much can cause serious cardiac issues.
#4 Calcium. Though this is the knee-jerk response of many people in the middle of the night, it really is the last mineral on this list to cause problems.
Best to make ever-so-tiny adjustments during the day to ensure a sweet and solid night's sleep free from leg cramps.
Thanks so much, Charlie, for a humorous and spot-on comment. You sure know how to bring the point home!
This is a message about how to K. I. S. S....(How to Keep It Simple, Stupid...:)
It is as much as anything a barb at myself...pointedly to remind myself that more often than not, the simple solutions to the aches and pains we so often complain about are already there for us...on tap...like water...the natural elixir of life!
The pioneers did not have the manufactured miracles that modern medicine offers, so they had to rely on common sense and sharing learned experiences, to find what relief they could, from what they had to work with, whether it be an elixir or an herbal remedy.
After having been one of Dr. Herbert's patients for years, and having found her to be…