Morning Calf Cramps in Bed

Isn't it postassium shortage? I know when I have this problem I just add a banana to my diet each day and it goes away.

Calf problems like that are very typical for men as we get older. I was awakened by just such a calf spasm for the first time about a month ago. I've had ongoing calf problems that have affected my running for about 10-12 years now. I find that the best stretches of time I have without pain is when I do the following...

Make sure to keep potassium levels up

Make sure to stay properly hydrated

Daily stretching of calves, mostly being concerned with toes pointed UP instead of down (so, stand on a step and drop the heel DOWN...don't raise up on your toes)

Proper sleep (7+ hours at least every night

For people who have never had a cramp such as these, they are no joke, and can sideline you for a week or more. The first time I got one I was in the midst of a short run, and it hit within a mile of the finish. I foolishly limped (continued to try to run) home instead of walking. I then had a limp for several days and could not run for almost two weeks. I've since had a cramp come up and bit me a few times while running and now I stop and walk the rest of the way immediately.

I've had these periodically. First time was on a cool-down run and I dropped like I had been shot. The middle of the night or early morning ones are bad. Sometimes it takes several days to loosen up, too.

My tips:

Stay hydrated

Eat Bananas

I use the foam roller on mine.

Whenever I cramp in my legs at night I know I am dehydrated.

Shutterfly.

You are going to think I am crazy, but try this...

Put a bar of soap under the mattress cover in your bed, around the area where your legs rest at night. Just something normal, like Lever 2000 or Irish spring. This will stop all of your cramps, at least while in bed.

Report back.

I am not kidding.

Of course this is not a cure for the actual cause, but while you try to find the cause, do this.

Shutterfly wrote:

The last few mornings I've gotten horrible calf cramps while lying in bed and stretching upon waking up.

If stretching right after you wake up makes your calves cramp, don't stretch them then. Give you muscles time to move around and relax before stretching them.

Cramps of various kinds are often caused by dehydration. Look into your hydration.

Thanks for all the good advice, guys. I do eat 2-3 bananas a day so I thought I had potassium covered.. its entirely possible my hydration sucks though because I hardly ever pee throughout the day. I'll definitely work on that.

thanks again

I'm bumping a thread that's been buried for a while, but I think it's a common problem. All of the ideas above are great, but I just learned a new one from a massage therapist and it makes a lot of sense.

Typically, the calf cramp is a result of constant plantarflexion when running (pointing toes down at push off) and not enough dorsiflexion. The muscles get so over-worked doing that motion and never really stretch the other way. I found I used to get them in the morning and, shockingly, they were most directly related to when I thought I was actually stretching to help it. Stretching by plantarflexing your feet in the morning just constricts your calf muscles. What you actually want to do is dorsiflex at your ankles. Stretches where you raise your toes instead of lowering them will be best for avoiding calf cramps.

Nighttime calf cramps is a symptom of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Be sure to research other symptoms if you have relatives with autoimmune disorders. Let me know if you need more insight.

What has worked for me:

- Daily banana. Must have my daily banana.

- Warm water epsom salt foot soaks. A massage therapist recommended this when even the bananas were failing, and it seems to work. Magnesium, or so he said.

- Don't go to sleep dehydrated.

For a quick fix, ask your pharmacist for oral rehydration salts. If those help, you know the problem is a lack of some salts.

Good luck. Cramps suck, but this is definitely manageable/curable.

I know someone with Hashimoto's. Definitely have that checked out.

Magnesium supplement and lots of water.

Some great advice so far. If you don't get any relief you might want to get your iron levels checked, though you'd probably have more symptoms than calf cramps if you were deficient. When I was very anemic it would take me 5 minutes to get out of bed because my calves were so cramped.

I read somewhere that cramps can be related to a lack of oxygen as well as electrolyte deficiency. So when you feel one coming on, take some deep breaths. Believe it or not, it has worked for me.

I've had the exact same morning cramps in bed when I first wake up and almost involuntarily stretch. If it's really bad, it can cause a muscle strain that you feel for a day or 2. The deep breaths have saved me from that.

Also I find that it happens when I'm trying to ramp up some aspect of training. It goes away as time goes on and I grow used to the new level.

99% of the time calf cramping like this has NOTHING to do with mineral deficiency. Your calf muscle has just gotten to big for the sheath around it. A few times a day, whether sitting or laying there flex your foot so your toes go up, pretend like you are flexing it towards your kneecap. You will stretch out that sheath and won't have many more problems.

I've seen grown men say they have literally been screaming at 4am and crying because of these kind of calf cramps.

if i don't drink enough water i get calf cramps, and especially during sex.

Guys, dealt with calve cramps since about age 37, very severely the last 2 years until I bought some compression sleeves for my calves. Miracle.

I don't even wear them running, just after hard workouts after I cool down and shower they go on for the rest of the day and usually overnight. I trained for NYC and did not get one cramp at all since making this change. At times when I am cold, dehydrated and can feel my body tightening up after say a 20 miler, I can even feel my calves about to twinge and cramp, but it does not happen as long as the sleeves are there to apply a little pressure and keep the pressure there. At one point I even got the full compartment syndrome testing and was considering if I would have to quit running...this changed my life, please try it.

Hi there! I'm not a runner, but I came across your information and wanted to offer you something.

I used to have leg cramps when I was a kid as well. They went away and everything was everything. Then I went keto in the cramps came back with a vengeance one month later. Although I am no longer on the keto diet and had to switch to the same guy that you are on, the resources available for people on the keto diet are insurmountable.

They know the problems that you're going to have before you have them and what you can do to solve them. I found that my leg cramps were caused by a magnesium deficiency. We always think it's either sodium or potassium, but we rarely think about magnesium which completes the top three electrolytes that we need the most.

So anyway, they advised to get this magnesium called slow mag. Walmart has it. You can also get it on Amazon, but none of the health food stores carry it. The reason why you want to lean towards this is because magnesium is a laxative and because of this, any other magnesium will poop out so fast that the body doesn't get a chance to absorb it.

Also, I was getting bad night cramps; Three a night and it took me forever to walk them out. I started taking the slow mag and although it takes a couple of weeks to kick in fully, after a few days, you start to feel your legs doing better. Now, I'm getting the ones in the morning when I stretch as well. However, they come right out very, very easily.

The keto books taught me that when you drastically cut your calories like that, you are also drastically cutting your electrolytes and whatnot, but when it comes to magnesium, I think the research says like 75% of Americans aren't getting enough because of the process foods and things that strip all that away. The doctors of the books I read claims that more than likely, you will already deficient in this mineral, but because you were eating so much more, your body was able to mask it. Now, I eat about a thousand calories a day so I'm eating only with my body needs right? If I'm not getting the amount of magnesium I'm supposed to be getting it, it's going to show now that I'm in my forties.

Also, I read that most Americans get 170-220mcg of magnesium a day and it should be damn near twice that much. In case you're wondering of overdosing, I checked that too. You would have to eat well over 5000 micrograms of magnesium to do that. This is about one-tenth of that amount.

I've just come to realize that now we are in the day and age of supplements that we cannot afford not to take. When I looked at the keto forums and it talked about people with these issues, all of them gave me everything I needed. My doctors wouldn't help me and the keto forums told me that they wouldn't. They're going to tell you everything is fine and send you home and that's exactly what my doctors told me. I was dying every night and they would not help me. The keto forums also taught me that if you skip one day of magnesium, you're going to pay for it. I paid for it dearly.

Because you are probably deficient, the doctors of the book say to take 3 slow mags a day for 20 days and then stop. If the cramps come back, take three a day for 20 days again and then take two. That should help, but it doesn't help for me. I suppose because I eat so few calories, I have to stay on three a day. Once, I even took one of my three slow mags a couple of hours late and I caught a cramp that night. It's exactly how the people in the keto Forum talked about. You will definitely feel a difference if you start taking them things for a couple of weeks and then just up and stop. That's how you know it's a magnesium deficiency. I hope this helps you and I'm sorry it's so long.