Leg cramps in the middle of the night

i have had a few foot and calf issues like this, they came after long/hard hilly and hot days on the bike or run. really tight calves from hill running and being dehydrated together did it for me. stretch, roll, stretch some more, and hydrate properly, and you should be good to go.

I used to get this all the time. I started taking a calcium, magnesium, zinc supplement and that ended it. Hydration and stretching are also important, but I was already doing that and still getting the night cramps. Originally I just took a calcium, magnesium supplement, but they discontinued that at the place I bought it and only had the one with zinc available. The one I use is NatureMade because it's just one pill a day. Other brands require 2-3 pills a day.

How old are you? Any medical problems? Are you a smoker?

46, non smoker, had high cholesterol but on meds for over 8yrs.......  

+1 on the Cal/Mag/Zinc at night. I have to take Calcium due to not eating dairy and found that when I was consistent with taking the supplement, my restless leg syndrome and leg cramps were much better! Make sure you are hydrated enough too.

Any problems with activity, i.e. cramps when you run/bike/etc??

Edited by DrPete 2009-09-05 7:16 PM

I used to get them all the time while just sitting watching TV.  My calf's would just tighten and cramp for no reason.  I would also get foot cramps for no reason, which i think is worse, but haven't had it happen for last few years.  I don't know what has change since then. 

In addition to what has been mentioned, I wonder if you're cholesterol meds might be contributing?  Certain statins can cause muscle cramping.  But, I'd try the mineral angle first to see if that alleviates your issue.  Next, I'd get a foam roller and roll the areas with full body weight that tighten up at night.  It will hurt while you're doing it, but you'll feel great afterward.

I was getting night calf cramps during a particularly hot& humid part of the summer - so I started paying more attention to hydration and added more bananas to my diet.
They went away (but so did that weather).
Good luck

DrPete
I have had problems with tight calfs for 2 seasons, 50/50 weather I will cramp up during runs.........

Might be worth a trip to the doc, just to review your meds and get a more detailed idea of what's going on. It might be an electrolyte issue or what have you, but there may be more to it if everything else looks normal.

I'm glad this thread came up. I get this problem too. So annoying. It's either cramps if I ran/biked, or restless leg syndrome if I didn't.