Those awful leg cramps
August 16, 2008 - 10:15am
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3 comments
The last couple nights, I have had the worst and I mean worst leg spasms or "charlie horses" that woke me out of a dead sleep.
A few things have changed in the last week in my life, including becoming more active on my legs. I figured that since I have become more active, maybe I was burning more calories or 'something' that caused me to have these horrible late night pains.
So I did some soul searching on the Internet and wanted to share some fabulous information that I found about how to combat that night time terror.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/night-leg-cramps/AN00499
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Have you tried eating bananas? The potassium in them is supposed to be good for leg cramps. That trick has helped me out on several occasions.
Good advice!
I just read the article on leg cramps, and it says to help prevent night leg cramps, to: drink plenty of fluids during the day, stretch muscles before bed and get adequate potassium in your diet!
In fact, a Runner's World article said that potassium is the best mineral for aiding in recovery and keeps you hydrated. Here are good sources of potassium (bananas, surprising, did not make the list?!):
Apricots
Avocados
Cantaloupe
Honeydew
Kiwi
Lima beans
Milk
Oranges
Prunes
Spinach
Tomatoes
Meats, poultry, fish
Runners will eat bananas during or after a long run more for the sugars and water content than the potassium, and that's why they didn't make the list of foods. Bananas are about 75% water and are a quick source of carbs, but not the best source of potassium.
A balance of sodium, potassium and magnesium help maintain a healthy level of electrolytes in your system that aids runners in combating muscle fatigue and leg cramps. Non-runners can also benefit from such a balance of minerals.
Your increased activity may indicate that there's a bit of an imbalance n your nutrition. I hope you can figure out what's hapening and get relief son.