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Leg cramps are nasty whenever they occur. Leg cramps at night are even worse. That’s because they can strike without any notice. You can be fast asleep one moment and the next be writhing in agony. Sadly, neither health professionals nor the Food and Drug Administration have come up with effective treatments. Maybe that’s because nocturnal leg cramps have not been perceived as worthy of research dollars.
Leg Cramps at Night Are Serious!
On a scale of 1 to 10 of health problems, leg cramps may not seem like such a big deal. They’re certainly not as dangerous as heart disease or diabetes. But nighttime leg cramps can be extremely painful and disruptive.
Many people get them so often that they can’t get a good night’s sleep. Lack of sleep often leads to next-day drowsiness. Sleep deprivation can also impact concentration, memory and mood. Immune function can be affected, increasing susceptibility to infection.
When you can’t get a good night’s sleep on a regular basis there are even more serious consequences.
A recent review noted (Nature Medicine, Dec. 2017):
Sleep deprivation is a major source of morbidity with widespread health effects, including increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart attack, and stroke. Moreover, sleep deprivation brings about vehicle accidents and medical errors and is therefore an urgent topic of investigation.”
All of a sudden, leg cramps at night are a big deal. Doctors have no FDA-approved medications to treat this painful condition that can have such serious long-term health ramifications.
Stories from Readers About Leg Cramps At Night:
Here are just a few stories from readers to illustrate how serious this problem can be and the lengths people go to for relief.
One reader wrote:
I have a history of severe leg cramps that could last up to two hours. Both my husband and I lost a lot of sleep when I woke us both, screaming in pain.
“The first solution was a ‘karate chop’ my chiropractor taught my husband to do on the calf because nothing else would stop it at the time. The alternative was crying and screaming for hours. I’ve had primary care doctors tell me, ‘It’s just a cramp. It will go away.’ They have never had such severe pain as I experienced.
“Later, I took quinine and that was a good solution for me for years. The FDA banned it, so I had to switch to tonic water. It is probably the bitterness of the tonic water that stopped the cramps.
“Neither soap nor mustard worked for me, but pickle juice gave relief in less than a minute. I tried those after reading your newsletters.
“I almost never have cramps as severe as I had thirty years ago because I am very proactive. I don’t allow myself to become dehydrated. I make sure I don’t strain my calves by standing on tip-toe. I also take action at the least hint of an impending cramp, any tiny pain or twinge so I can head off a painful wakening in the night.
“With all this, I usually avoid most cramps. Recently, though, I had cramps threaten every night for over a week. My primary care doctor has me taking potassium gluconate and magnesium glycinate. That solved the problem quickly. The pickle juice I prefer is natural Bubbie’s Pickles with a cloudy ‘mother’ floating around in it, made the old-fashioned way.”
Another reader shared this painful story:
I too have suffered severe leg cramps off and on for over 15 years now. I have them 4 to 5 times a night for a week straight. Then, all of a sudden they go away, only to come back weeks or a month later.
“I have never felt such pain as when the cramping begins in my inner thighs and radiates to my hamstrings. I cannot walk when this happens, but I certainly cannot stay still in bed. Somehow, I get up and try stretching, only to cry out loud with the pain. I have had them in toes, feet, ankles and thighs.”
What Causes Leg Cramps At Night?
Health professionals have come up with some interesting explanations for nocturnal leg cramps. Here are just a few of the purported triggers:
Overexertion:
Over-exertion of leg muscles is frequently trotted out as a reason for nighttime cramping. In our opinion this is nonsensical. Most of our readers report that they are lying in bed peacefully sleeping when out of the blue a leg cramp strikes. Many of these folks are older individuals who have not been running marathons or climbing mountains during the day.
Standing or Sitting Too Long:
Other common explanations blame daytime activities or lack thereof. Some health professionals say that if you stand too long on hard floors you will get leg cramps. Others say too much sitting is the cause. If these reasons were true, why do the cramps come on at night when people are sleeping instead of during the day when people are sitting or standing?
Dehydration and/or Electrolyte Imbalances:
We suspect that dehydration and electrolyte imbalances are the most often cited contributors to leg cramps at night. Health professionals and victims of exercise associated muscle cramps (EAMC) frequently blame cramps on not enough fluids or a lack of potassium or magnesium or both.
Maintaining Potassium Intake Banished Leg Cramps at Night:
Q. I got a painful cramp in my calf one night. Over the years, the discomfort intensified to terribly excruciating pain in both legs several times a night. When it started occurring almost nightly, I knew had to find a solution, or my mental health would suffer from lack of sleep and dread about going to bed.
Thankfully, I found the solution: potassium, delivered via real food—specifically, a banana and/or a handful of pecans daily. If I skip a day, no problem. If I skip three, a nighttime cramp is guaranteed. These were foods I did not like when I was younger, but now I relish them. This has been life saving for me.
A. There seem to be numerous triggering factors for leg cramps, corresponding to many different preventive tactics. You are not alone in finding potassium helpful. Other readers have also reported that magnesium can be useful.
In addition, when people experience one of those painful muscle cramps, swallowing a spoonful of yellow mustard usually resolves it within a few minutes. We believe this is working through transient receptor potential (TRP) channels on the nerves that activate muscles. You can learn more about this and many other approaches in our eGuide to Favorite Home Remedies.
Athletes and Muscle Cramps:
It seems logical to blame muscle cramps on dehydration and electrolyte imbalances. The only trouble with these explanations is that the data don’t support them. Elite athletes are like canaries in the coal mines. That’s because they exercise much harder than the rest of us. They also have been carefully studied.
Over two decades ago exercise physiologists from South Africa challenged traditional theories about muscle cramps (Journal of Sports Sciences, June, 1997).
They wrote:
Scientific evidence in support of the ‘electrolyte depletion’ and ‘dehydration’ hypotheses’ for the aetiology of EAMC [Exercise Associated Muscle Cramps] comes mainly from anecdotal clinical observations, case series totalling 18 cases, and one small (n = 10) case-control study. Results from four prospective cohort studies do not support these hypotheses. In addition, the ‘electrolyte depletion’ and ‘dehydration’ hypotheses do not offer plausible pathophysiological mechanisms with supporting scientific evidence that could adequately explain the clinical presentation and management of EAMC.”
You have no doubt seen elite athletes fall down in extreme pain brought on by muscle cramps. It could be a basketball player paid millions of dollars to win a championship game or a sprinter in the Olympics. These incredibly fit individuals have high-priced trainers who are diligent about preventing both dehydration and electrolyte imbalances.
An experiment conducted on ultra-marathoners who ran a 56 km race demonstrated that neither dehydration nor electrolyte imbalance accounted for muscle cramping (British Journal of Sports Medicine, Aug. 2004).
The investigators concluded:
The results of our study do not support the common hypotheses that EAMC [exercise associated muscle cramping] is associated with either changes in serum electrolyte concentrations or changes in hydration status following ultra-distance running. An alternative hypothesis to explain the aetiology of EAMC must therefore be sought.”
An Alternative Explanation for Leg Cramps at Night:
An exercise physiologist working to understand this problem came up with a completely different explanation for muscle cramps.
We think it is much more plausible (British Journal of Sports Medicine, June, 2009).
There is a growing body of evidence to suggest that the mechanism for muscle cramping has a neuromuscular basis. Firstly, as has been discussed, voluntary muscle contraction or stimulation of the motor nerve can reliably cause muscle cramping. Secondly, there is evidence from experimental work in human subjects that stimulation of the 1a afferents through electrical stimulation or using the tendon tap (activating the 1a afferents) can induce cramping”
OK, that’s complicated. But it boils down to “altered neuromuscular control.” That means problems with the connections between nerves and muscles. When muscles are fatigued and/or nerves are overstimulated or damaged, cramping can occur. This would explain why people with type 1 diabetes who experience nerve dysfunction are also very susceptible to muscle cramps (Clinical Neurophysiology, Jan. 2018).
Why Home Remedies Work for Leg Cramps at Night:
Why have we bored you with all this scientific gobbledygook? Because we think it explains how so many home remedies work so fast to end muscle cramps.
A study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise (May 2010) proved that swallowing a little pickle juice could terminate muscle cramps. The effect was so fast that it could not be explained by restoration of body fluids or electrolytes.
We now know that strong flavors like pickle juice, mustard, quinine, capsaicin (the hot stuff in hot chili peppers), ginger and cinnamon stimulate specialized nerve TRP (transient receptor potential) channels in the mouth, throat and stomach.
Stimulating these TRP channels can stop muscle cramps in their tracks (Muscle & Nerve, Sept. 2017). We suspect that this works whether the muscle cramp is brought on by fatigue due to exercise, electrical stimulation, medications or nerve damage caused by diabetes (Muscle & Nerve, Sept. 2017). Some people may just be more susceptible to problems with the nerve-muscle connections.
Don’t Believe Us? How About A Harvard Professor:
We had an opportunity to interview a world class neuroscientist at Harvard University. Bruce Bean, PhD, is a professor of neurobiology. He and his Nobel-Prize-winning colleague, Rod MacKinnon, MD, figured out the underlying cause of muscle cramps and came up a surprising treatment. You can listen to Dr. Bean’s interview at this link. The streaming audio (green arrow) and mp3 downloadable file are free:
Show 1054: The Scientific Explanation for a Weird Remedy
Read the scientific explanation behind yellow mustard for leg cramps at night at this link:
How Does A Teaspoon of Mustard Cure Muscle Cramps?
Remedies for Leg Cramps at Night:
Remedies that people have used with varying success include swallowing a teaspoon of yellow mustard, drinking a few sips of pickle juice or tonic water and holding a bar of soap next to the cramping muscle. Read some stories from readers:
Blanche in Greensboro, N.C. found a cheap way to counteract cramps:
I keep the small packets of mustard that you get with take out sandwiches on my bed stand. I don’t relish the thought of swallowing mustard in the middle of the night, but it’s easier than trying to get to the kitchen and the cramp is gone in about a minute.”
Jackie and her brother use different strategies:
My brother and I have both suffered from painful night cramps in our feet, calves, and inner thighs. He drinks pickle juice to stop the cramping.
“I take another approach: I prevent the cramps from starting in the first place by drinking tonic water. I used to get cramps all the time, but now I never do. About 4 to 6 ounces of diet tonic per day does the trick for me. Perhaps there’s a neurological effect. Whatever the mechanism, this is an approach that other cramp sufferers might want to try.”
Lyn in Waxhaw uses soap:
Rather than experience the unpleasantness of swallowing pickle juice or mustard, I much prefer holding a bar of soap where the cramp is. It works in about two seconds for me. I keep the soap on my bedside table. It’s wonderful.
“From what I’ve read on People’s Pharmacy before, it’s the fragrance of the soap that makes it work. So if I think it’s not working as well as before, I replace it with a fresh bar, which I’m guessing may be every 6-12 months.
Read about the soap remedy at this link:
Why Put Soap Under Your Bottom Sheet?
You can learn more about remedies for muscle cramps in our book, Quick & Handy Home Remedies. This book is filled with kitchen table wisdom that offers simple solutions for common ailments.
Share your own experience for leg cramps at night in the comment section below.
Marla
I get leg cramps that I can resolve with Mg sprays & chewables.
Sometimes the cramping is so severe that the muscle hurts for days. What can be done for this subsequent condition?
Michael
Nowhere is mentioned if these people with cramps take statins?? The moment I stopped statins, me and my wife stopped having leg cramps. It may be best to alternate statins with time-off periods.
Best of luck.
Jane
My experience after many years of struggling with night time leg cramps were related to ‘antihistamine’ drugs. I discovered it by accident when I stopped the Claritin for my allergies and noticed my cramps were not occurring at night, and then a few months later started a generic antihistamine and that night the cramps resumed. Whenever I have tried any allergy medications prescription or over the counter my cramps come.
Judy D
After suffering from nocturnal leg and foot cramping for years I’ve discovered that the way I lay in bed can cause a cramp. When I’m on my side or stomach, I unconciously point my toes down and after a short time my foot begins to cramp. It has happened often enough that I become aware of the onset and bend my ankle. Most of the time it stops. But I do keep a bar of soap under the bottom sheet, just in
case ;)
Christina
Really interesting comments, such great ideas! I rarely get leg cramps. But just the other day, I woke up and moved my leg in a certain way to stretch it, and a wild cramp in my calf ensued. I cannot imagine some of these folks hobbling to another room to take something, I just moan.
The only thing I do is rub it like it’s a magic lamp, and press into the cramp. This one was so bad, I could still feel the effects hours later. I’m gonna start eating more mustard on food during the day, more vinegar stuff too. Thanks everybody!
B.
My husband and I are both 81 years old, and we get leg cramps whenever we have failed to eat green leafy vegetables and/or have failed to take magnesium capsules. We read here about putting a bar of soap under the sheets, and here above about putting soap near the cramp. Instead, we each keep a dry, new bar of soap on our bedside tables and use the dry bar of soap to heavily massage the horrific leg cramp. The cramp stops within half a minute with good heavy pressure massaging the cramped muscles with the dry bar of soap. Thanks for collecting our remedies for this very painful situation.
Rose E
Read that Vitamin K was clinically tested overseas and far superior to magnesium. I drink coconut water for balanced electrolytes, take K and do nightly leg stretches before bed. Works.
Nanci
I am a skeptic by nature, but when it comes to the folk remedy of putting soap under the sheets, I am sold! I suffered with heinous cramps in my toes every single night for a very long time. When I read about putting soap under my sheets, I tried it since I had nothing to lose.
Starting with DAY ONE, I have never had cramps in my toes again. I even do it in hotels when I travel. Recently, I started getting cramps in my thighs at night, so I put a second bar of soap under the sheets at knee level and it worked, too! I don’t know why it works, and I don’t care. In my book, it’s nothing short of a miracle and all it costs is a bar of soap. I use lavender because I like the smell, but I suspect any soap will probably do.
Diane
I appreciate the info about a banana a day. I used to always have a banana every day and have gotten out of the habit. When I do suffer a leg cramp at night that won’t go away, I get up and start drinking pickle juice straight out of the jar. After just an ounce or so, the cramp is gone! (I always keep the jar with the juice after I’ve eaten all the pickles specifically for this reason.)
Kathy
A friend who suffers from debilitating nocturnal cramps, as do I, recently tore her calf muscle while trying to ‘break’ the cramp. I didn’t know that was possible!! The only thing I’ve found that stops mine is a spoonful of mustard once I can hobble to the kitchen. The worst cramps are either both calves at the same time or a calf and corresponding tibialis anterior so that I can’t do the ‘dance’.
James
The only remedy that works for me is to apply a large ice pack to my lumbar area. Unfortunately this involves a trip to the kitchen, but it works every time.
Carey
You had an article a couple weeks ago about K2, but when I searched your website I can’t find it again. I can only find one from 2018 that doesn’t have the new information. Help!
Gordon
I am 73 yrs old and have often had excruciating abductor cramps for 40 years.
Things that cause them:
– biking after too many days off, and too many rides w/o enough miles or climbs
– days where I climb too much (a couple 2 mile, 1000 foot climbs when well trained, one couple-mile, 1000 footer when I’ve been slacking off).
– long rides at summer temps
– over-eating pizza (guaranteed and horrible if I’ve already ridden, extremely likely even if I haven’t).
– thighs too warm and comfy when cramps are likely (I avoid by sleeping with top and bottom blankets and thighs uncovered, watching TV in the evening in short-shorts with boot socks and leg warmers to the knees)
What helps:
Pickle juice works great, also going outside in short-shorts when it is cold out. I take 250 mg magnesium oxide a day.
Kim H
I get muscle cramps in my ankles, toes, thighs, fingers and calves.
Pickle juice (dill) and yellow mustard work, but, I depend on a little pill that you can get at most pharmacies called Hyland’s Leg Cramp pills. I get the regular one, but there is one with a sleep aid and one for restless legs. Like I said, the regular one works great for me as prevention ( feeling the twinges, ) and during a cramp ( if I can hobble to the bathroom) it takes about 3-5 minutes to totally release the cramp and prevents another from starting. It has some magnesium in it. I recommend this product.. and I carry it in my purse for daytime episodes.
Janet E
TX
Benfiotiamine (B1, thiamine, but better absorption), magnesium glycinate, turmeric, 1 capsule before bed helps with muscle cramps. Hyland’s Muscle Cramps…just in case. I have to order benfotiamine online. This us what stopped mine.
Jim
British Columbia
I’ve read many studies on leg cramps at night. It has to do with the nervous system. Doctors and studies refer to nocturnal leg cramps as idiopathic, which means there is no causative reason. Basically, they don’t know. It is to do with the nerves, and only one thing worked for me, and it has done so for the last four years. I got it at stopacramp.com. Cheap, simple, and they back it up.
Sherry
Richland, Ms.
I don’t just get the cramps in my legs. I also get them in my forearms and hands, ribcage and sometimes my THROAT. Those are when I am awake. At night the cramps start under my outer ankle bone and make a huge dent in the outside of my calf. I thought it was the dehydration but I have FIBROMYALGIA, and I’m just not certain anymore. I use A magnesium spray from Swanwick. It DOES work but I hate the way it feels on my skin. Last night was a dancing and crying night. I was miserable until I could get the cramps to stop long enough so I COULD use the spray. After reading your article, I’ve begun to think it’s a combination of dehydration and muscle-nerve problems, working against me. I keep myself busy due to the fiber, and I love digging in the dirt. I’m convinced that more research NEEDS to be done. It’s embarrassing, as well as PAINFUL, to have hands and forearms cramp up in public. Not to mention having to stop my car, get out and walk or do the ‘cramp dance.’ It’s better than having an accident I suppose. I NEED some real help…. Thanks.
Jesse
WA state
I found my night leg cramps were always (yes always) associated with late night fruit eating or fruit juice drinking. I can get away with cereal and raisins or a little ice cream, but I have to quit the fruit 3 hours before sleep. Cherries, apples, oranges and orange juice, apple juice, grapes… if I eat or drink more than an ounce at night they all affect me and can lead to multiple fits of utter agony throughout the night. It’s apparently not just the sugar, as I can eat cereal OK. So it is apparently a combination or catalyst effect. This came on after the age of 40. It took several years to discover the main cause. Of course heavy leg use after a layoff is another trigger, but not as consistent as the late night fruit.
Peggy
Between drinking vinegar, (Heinze apple cider) honey and water twice a day and a dollop of mustard every once in awhile, the cramps are nonexistent for me. Every time I have meat loaf or anything that I can put mustard on I do it and I don’t remember when I had cramps last! Wish I had known that in the early 1980s!
Chuck
Durham, NC
I know this will sound like a “One Weird Trick!” e-mail, but I have discovered a technique that, for me at least, relieves leg and foot cramps in 15-30 seconds 100% of the time. And, you don’t even have to get out of bed to use the technique.
I would really appreciate finding out whether or not this technique works for other people and, if so, to what degree.
There are further details below, but the basic technique is to turn on the bedside light to its brightest setting and stare directly at it. When I do this the cramp totally relaxes in 15-30 seconds. Something in the neural pathway from the eye is disrupting or suppressing the signal from the brain to the leg. This fits with the concept of “altered neuromuscular control” mentioned in the January 29th article on leg cramps.
To confirm that the effect was real, and was acting in the brain, I tried covering one eye. When I cover the eye on the opposite side of my body from the cramp, nothing happens. When I cover the eye on the same side of the body, the technique works. Since the hemispheres of the brain control the opposite side of the body, this confirms that the effect is acting in the brain.
Next, I discovered that the technique doesn’t work if I leave my head lying on the pillow. I have to raise my head to the vertical position. This indicates that the vestibular system of the ears is somehow involved. This could correlate with Benadryl sometimes being used as a preventative for leg cramps. Benadryl is also used for seasickness, which involves integration of the eyes and vestibular systems.
Finally, I found out that the technique works if the room is dark but doesn’t work if the room is even dimly lighted (i.e. after sunrise, even with the blinds drawn). I then tried shining a flashlight directly into the eye on the opposite side of my body from the cramp, and the cramp relaxed in 15-30 seconds. Apparently the signal from the eye has to be significantly stronger than the background lighting.
To recap, the technique that works for me 100% of the time to relieve leg cramps in 15-30 seconds is:
• Raise the head to the vertical position.
• In a dark room, turn on the bedside light to its brightest setting and stare directly at it.
• In a dark or lighted room, shine a flashlight directly into the eye on the opposite side of the body from the cramp.
Taken together, this information might also explain, at least in part, why leg and foot cramps happen when sleeping, in the dark and when the head is horizontal, and not during the day in light and when the head is normally upright.
Margaret
Albuquerque
INSTANT Relief. I don’t remember where I learned this remedy, but it works. Pinch (massage) your upper lip just under your nostrils. The pain will subside Immediately.
Barbara
North Carolina
My husband and I suffer from leg cramps at night. The thought of taking mustard or vinegar on an empty stomach in the middle of the night just didn’t appeal to us. Soap under the sheet did not work. Someone mentioned using the essential oil, Lavender, so I decided to try it. I put 3 to 4 drops of Lavender oil on each leg and smooth it on just before going to bed. My skin does not seem sensitive to it. It works great for both of us even though I’m the only one using it. I think we sleep more soundly, too. No more leg cramps.
Carol
Washington state
I’ve suffered from leg cramps since I was a little girl. I keep a small bottle of diluted apple cider vinegar by my bed and it works in seconds every time! (I suppose it’s in the same family as pickle juice,) My local health food store carries Hyland’s homeopathic remedies; their leg cramp pills are very effective and fast as well.
Sharon
Seattle
Yellow mustard does work for me but not not in extreme cases. For severe cramps I keep a small bottle of glycerin bedside and apply it to cramping area which always provides immediate relief.
Stacy
I would reliably have quadricep cramping a few hours after karate training until recently when my Sensei added some warm up exercises that were were particularly challenging to the opposing muscles in my legs and hips .
I’ ve had relief from pickle juice and topical magnesium in the past.
Charles
Reading, PA
I had terrible leg cramps. I used to eat one banana every day. I stopped eating the bananas and my cramps diminished.
Missy W
I buy the individual packets of pediaolite for infants and dissolve in a 10 oz. bottle of water. I drink one daily and this has practically eliminated leg cramps. Throughout the day I drink lots of water too.
Deloris
I used to have night-time leg cramps after a day of a lot of physical activity. I found that drinking Gatorade during the day kept the cramps from even starting. Then I took the cholesterol-lowering drug simvastatin for a year and a half. I cramped up almost all night long and it was horrible. The worn-out muscle pain usually continued into the next day. Though I quit the drug, the cramps didn’t stop, and now I have permanent nerve damage.
Through the years, I tried many home remedies, and some worked for a while but most stopped working after a month or so. This includes lavender soap, pickle juice, yellow mustard, magnesium oil (rubbed in), calcium/magnesium supplements, and CBD oil capsules from hemp. My latest remedy is a liquid mineral supplement. I only take a quarter of the recommended daily dose, but I haven’t had any painful cramps since I started taking it. Sometimes my muscles seize up but I have no pain. I hope it keeps working.
Mary
Ohio
Last summer I came home with a case of traveler’s diarrhea and discovered by accident that drinking Pedialyte before going to bed prevented my frequent, painful leg cramps. I have since found that if I use one effervescent electrolyte tablet dissolved in a cup of water before going to bed, I am cramp-free all night long. (Rite Aid carries a brand called Hydralyte.)
Sandy
Pickle juice works for me. Some times if I feel a cramp coming on before bedtime, I will use an ache relieving cream to rub my legs down. That seems to help also
paula
harrisburg, nc
I have found that when my legs are not warm enough while sleeping, I will get leg cramps.
So I have a blanket (in addition to other blankets) that I place from the bottom of the bed to my hips to keep my legs warm while asleep.
Linda
Madison
I buy Hyland’s Leg Cramp Pills, they are small little tablets that dissolve on the tongue. I keep them on my night table next to my bed and at the first twinge of cramping pain I take 2. Within minutes the cramp is gone. The formula is homeopathic: Cinchona Officinalis 3X HPUS: pains in limbs & joints
Aconitum Napellus 6X HPUS: pains in joints, legs
Gnaphalium Polycephalum 3X HPUS: cramps in calves & feet
Ledum Palustre 6X HPUS: pain and cramps in legs
Magnesia Phosphorica 6X HPUS: cramps in calves
Rhus Toxicodendron 6X HPUS: pain and stiffness
Viscum Album 3X HPUS: pains in joints
They can be bought on line or at Walmart, etc.
Mickey
LA, CA
I have started using Hyland’s Leg Cramps and it works for me also. A friend put me on to this remedy a year ago and it is great.
Jan
Colorado
My severe foot and leg cramps started several years ago. My husband did an internet search and found Cramp Defense Magnesium capsules. They have stopped my cramps. I started out taking 2 capsules twice daily and for the past three or four years take only 2 capsules daily in the evening. It is pure magnesium with 70 mg per capsule. No stomach or digestive upset.
Karen
Hillsville, Virginia
Several years ago, I read about this remedy in one of your newsletters and it works for me. As soon as I feel a leg cramp coming on, I pinch together the skin between my nose and upper lip until the cramp goes away. It usually works in seconds. Before that remedy, getting out of bed and putting my full weight on that leg got rid of the cramp but my leg would feel achy and it took a while to go back to sleep. I don’t have to get out of bed with the pinch remedy and usually go back to sleep quickly.
Katherine
Having tried ALL the mentioned remedies above, my nutritionist told me to drink more water! (We all should anyway, right?) So, when a leg cramp strikes in the night, I get up and reach for the water – 16 ounces. By the time I get it down, the cramp is gone.
victoria
GA
Have had a tendency to get leg cramps all of my adult life. Started getting more severe and more frequent waking me every night, sometimes twice or more. Soap worked for a short time. Mustard works for me to stop them. But I wanted to stop them from occurring at all. Went through taking potassium, magnesium & calcium. Nothing made a dent – alone or together. Had artery surgery on my legs In Oct. and my surgeon told my son when I was released from the hospital to buy some iron pills for me to take once a day . After about a month of taking iron, I realized that the cramping had stopped and I was sleeping through the night! It’s the only thing different that I did so it has to be the iron. Was very surprised as I have researched cramps alot and don’t recall anybody saying that iron worked forthem.
luba
Victoria, Canada
I’ve been a diabetic for over 17 years. During the last decade when I overindulge dinner carbs (pizza or ravioli or an extra slice of birthday cake), about 6 hours later, I will be woken with the most horrific thigh or shin or toe cramps. Keeping a small soap bar has reduced the number of such painful episodes, and having mustard packets in my night stand keeps the cramp to under a minute in duration, but what works best for me is not to overindulge in those extra carbs period!
I probably had 3 episodes in 3 years. I have learned my carb lesson.
cate
Bethlehem PA
Someone mentioned magnesium rubbed on leg before bed. I often soak my feet and ankles in a foot bath made with magnesium chloride flakes. Never determined whether the cramps ever come on night after I do the foot soak. It is possible to make magnesium “oil” from a supersaturated solution of water with the flakes…1/2 cup water, microwave it in a pyrex measuring cup, then stir in 1/2 cup magnesium flakes. You can put that in a spray bottle after it cools down, and spray it on feet, legs before you go to bed. I would try that, but, OTOH, one would have to use it every single night, since we never know which night we will get the cramps. (Caution: some people are sensitive to this solution, it may produce a burning sensation in those who are). When I get cramps — I have type 2 diabetes and some peripheral neuropathy — I take a few tablets of Leg Cramps formula by Hylands under my tongue, and the cramps are gone within two minutes. Standing on the affected foot/leg does not help.
Pam
USA
All of my doctors have recommended tonic water. It works. Every time.
Nancy
Missouri
I use a product I got at the health food store. It’s little tablets you put under your tongue; call PhosMag. It’s a miracle worker every time. Takes less than two minutes. Sometimes I use 3 or four, and no side effects.
Betty
Miami, Fl
I’ve had nite leg cramps since having back surgery 6 yrs ago, (spinal stenosis) and have felt lack of circulation. Although I still have back issues I tried leggings. They have helped tremendously, had cramps only one night, turning over in bed. My husband also has leg cramps at night and driving in start-and-stop start traffic. He broke his knee years ago. And it’s helpful for him to wear leggings at night (doesn’t like wearing them driving!). I’m sure he has some damage in his spine because he has cramps in both legs, not just the leg with drop foot.
Jeanne
I have learned different medicines have been the cause of them as well. I have had to go off a few kinds of medicines or change families of them in order to prevent them.
Betty
TX
I agree with ‘Carol – SC’, topical magnesium oil rubbed on before bed OR when the cramp occurs eliminates the cramps anywhere on the body.
v
NC
Improved Bar Soap Cramp Relief. Noticing that the bar of soap under my sheet became less effective as it aged and hearing PP report that fragrance seemed to be the soothing agent, I now tie my fragrant bar of soap into the toe of a pair of nylon hose and put it in bed on top of the sheet near my leg calf. I can now move my leg over the soap should I suspect a cramp is coming on. I also frequently scratch the soap bar in the sock, which releases more fragrance. No recent cramps.
After listening to the PP program on Hot Shot, I also put a small plastic bag with candied ginger pieces (from Trader Joe’s) next to my bed. These are spicy hot when biting into, so I wonder if this would work as well as mustard or pickle juice and be easier to eat in the dark at night. However, I haven’t had any recent cramps so haven’t yet tested how well the ginger works.
Rich
Pittsburgh
I get those life ending thigh cramps as several described above. Pain is worse than kidney stones and ruptured disk. Most often they come on when I go to get out of my Recliner, enough to attribute to sitting too long. My PCP put me on OTC magnesium, 400mg a day and it has pretty much stopped them. From reading it appears low magnesium is not uncommon, like vit d, and b12. All three are really vital nutrients. Seniors should have their PCP check those as they are often overlooked.
Joe
Houston, TX
After years of suffering from nighttime leg cramps, I finally found an immediate solution from my long-distance cycling teammates: pickle juice. As stated in your article, it has ALWAYS worked for me, and it’s ALWAYS worked within one minute of ingestion. Plain old pickle juice, straight from the Kosher Dill Pickle jar.
Carolyn
Georgia
For the past 9 years I have kept several slivers of used soap bars under my bottom sheet and specifically under the area of my lower legs. I have not had leg cramps since.
Joan
New York
My Doctor suggested taking 400 IU of vitamin E before bedtime, and I no longer have leg cramps!
Wendy
Wisconsin
Hylands’ leg cramp formula works miracles. I always keep it within arms’ reach of my bed. Works very fast–usually under a minute. Nothing else worked for me and my dr. was at a loss. So grateful I stumbled on this easy solution.
Louine
Dallas, Texas
I also have Leg Cramps at night. I bicycle, play Pickleball and Dance. I have found a Product called Cramp Defence , love it. I have to order it online. It is the only thing I have found that helps my cramps. It helps so much that I try not to be without it.
Val
Florida
Mustard worked for me, but sometimes the pain was so bad I could not hobble to the kitchen. I discovered that taking a magnesium tablet would relieve the pain in less than 20 seconds, so I started keeping a glass of water and magnesium on the bedside table. Eventually I just started taking 200 mg magnesium each day, and I haven’t had a muscle cramp in several years.
Chris
I get leg cramps often if I don’t take precautions. Mostly inner thighs and top of feet. Some nights Im fine other I might get 3-4 attacks. Standing and pressing down or stretching my leg out often works for one in progress. My best method is soap under my sheet to stop the cramps from happening in the first place. When it occasionally doesn’t work I often find that the soap has moved away for the area where my legs are. I have tried mustard and pickle juice as well and both worked but the cramps sometimes came back. I agree that the soap needs to be replaced every so often but have had success in scraping the surface to refresh it. I might try the tonic water. I wonder if drinking a small amount of vinegar would work -it seems similar
Alan
cary
When I get cramps in my legs, I have found that by getting up and standing my cramp will ease up right away. Works for me.
TOM
Strathroy,ont. canada
I had devastating inner thigh muscle cramps for many years : usually after some type of leg work or exercise!
I was reading about how cows that had given birth often collapsed and after given a shot of calcium were on their feet almost immediately. I tried taking Calcium/Magnesium tablets (OTC) and found that my leg cramps disappeared!!!!
I now take one Calcium/Magnesium pill about once every couple weeks and no longer suffer from the cramps.
If I forget to take a pill the cramps return and by crushing and taking a pill when the cramp starts the pain is relieved within 1 or 2 minutes!!
I have given this advice to many cramp sufferers and all have found this works for them.
Carol K.
Please reply: If soap might work for cramps, and it’s the fragrance that helps, which soap should we use? Which one has the right fragrance? Thanks.
ebm
Florida
Carol K, People’s Pharmacy has special flat bed soap for sale. I would use a fragrant aroma therapy soap. PPh has an article on why the soap
works. Two researchers found that it is the strong fragrance that works.
Some folks like the flat pieces from Hotel rooms.
Anne
Wisconsin
This is an amazingly frustrating condition. I’ve tried so many things, and they either don’t work or they’re almost as miserable as the cramps. For whatever reason, everything I’ve tried swallowing makes me nauseated. Pickle juice and mustard are horrible, but even lime juice bothers me. You had a couple of doctors on your show who invented a concoction they now sell to athletes. I bought several bottles, and the one time I tried it, I was hardly able to get two sips down. I rarely had nighttime leg cramps when I was young, but as I’ve grown older, it can be fairly common, especially if I’ve been exercising.
Sherry
Buffalo, NY
A friend told me about 40 years ago that for a nighttime leg cramp you get out of bed and stand on the leg. GONE IN THREE SECONDS! Without fail. My whole family does that and it works 100% of the time. Alas,I get hand cramps throughout the day and nothing works for that.
Damita
Colorado
Dystonia, writer’s cramp is treated by neurologists who treat movement disorders. I do not want botox and would rather drink pickle juice! I get horrible spasms and cramps in my feet after I walk very much. I scream for an hour. I used to take valium to relax my calf muscle which froze up with my heel after a strenuous ballet class when I took professional classes 7 days per week. I think I have dystonia.
ebm
STAND ON YOUR HANDS??
Ro
St. Charles IL
My 1st experience with leg cramps was when I was trying to complete my 1st 1 mile swim. 1 more lap to go and I got a leg cramp. I also got leg cramps when doing synchronized swimming. That mostly happened with leg extensions and toe pointing. I can still bring on a cramp by extending my leg and pointing my toe.
Carol
Sc
I have found that topical magnesium oil helps dramatically, rub it on the legs before bed
Betty
Yes…that’s how my leg cramps would start, turning over, stretching leg, toes down!!
Carl
Florida
I have suffered from leg cramps often as a cyclist. Sometimes i wake up at night with cramps. But the fairly new product Hotshot immediately stops cramps – it is faster than pickle juice and if taken before a possible cramping incident there are no cramps. I am surprised you haven’t mentioned this amazing product – maybe there is a problem i don’t know about. I once was on a bike ride when i came across a cyclist who couldn’t walk because of cramping. I gave him a Hotshot and the cramps left immediately and we did a 70 plus mile in steep hills together with no further problems.
Joe Graedon
Dr. Bruce Bean, the Harvard neuroscientist we interviewed on the radio, was involved in the development of Hotshot. There is scientific evidence that it works! We think it is an innovative product.
S. Horton
Statesville, NC
I have read that ingesting too much sugar can bring on leg cramps and have experienced this myself. I have also found that sitting too long is a mistake. Exercise your legs some every day – gently at first.
Tonic water works well for me if I do get a leg cramp.
Helen
I keep myself well hydrated all day, and take calcium with lunch and magnesium with dinner. Every time after I use the bathroom, I go right to the kitchen and drink some water, as well as sip various teas throughout the day.
Though it can be very drying, I also mix Epsom salts in warm water and rub this into my feet and lower legs after every shower. I was very slow to start this, though, because it was, as I said, quite drying because of the salt, and my skin is already fairly dry. I have had much fewer nocturnal leg cramps, though, thankfully.
Judith
Mustard works, it can be an ordeal to hobble to the kitchen, but the horrible taste of the mustard will stop the cramp. Also, I have started taking a magnesium supplement, and generally this will prevent cramps. Also keeping legs straight, not tucked helps.