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How do you prevent leg cramps?

I used to have evil night cramps so often, but they are much better now I have better control of my BS levels. I now find red wine can spark them off, or if my feet get cold at night (I kick covers off in my sleep). I find drinking lots of water and wearing a pair of flight socks in bed really helps. Long black socks might not be the best bedtime look, but after 34 years together who cares!
 
Randburg said:
Hi,
Try the potato, I would love to hear if it works .
I was getting Cramps often, and take a Potassium pill a few times a week, and the Cramps have gone They are available, often mixed with Magnesium and not to costly,.
Agree with @Spiker you could eat Bananas, they are high in potassium, but also in Carbs and Sugar
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The potato thing is still making me laugh! Sleeping with a potato is so NOT sexy! My feet get cold at night -- the potato can't help there! Besides, my dog sleeps in bed with me -- he'll think I'm crazy! LOL
 
Leg cramps that wake you up at night are really painful and they come on so fast. I used to get them i worked out it was the statins i was prescribed by the doc i stopped taking the statins ive not had a leg cramp since.
 
catherinecherub said:
Did you read this post in the previous thread in my post above?
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/leg-cramps.3737/page-2#post-408782
From BaliRob :-

I was on Quinine Sulphate for over 8 years for uncontrollable waist down body cramps. This was prescribed for me without any warning by a UK GP years after the drug had been banned in the US for causing the death of 90 users. Now I have chronic kidney disease (CKD) which has been attributed to over use of QS

Stick with MAGNESIUM and take salt on the tongue in emergency which should reduce the cramp within about 20 minutes or less.
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Ooh, good catch! Thanks so much! But, I was hoping for something a little more natural, not in pill format. I think I'll just give the potato in the bed thing a go! Or, the banana before bed. :-)
 
RosieLKH said:
I used to have evil night cramps so often, but they are much better now I have better control of my BS levels. I now find red wine can spark them off, or if my feet get cold at night (I kick covers off in my sleep). I find drinking lots of water and wearing a pair of flight socks in bed really helps. Long black socks might not be the best bedtime look, but after 34 years together who cares!
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With my neuropathy, sleeping with the covers on (even in the dead of winter) is a challenge! My feet do get cold, and that's one of the reasons I cramp up, so yes, I do wear socks, but not those long black ones. Cute fuzzy wool ones! (In pretty colors.) But, I don't know--those long black socks might turn SOME men on! ;-)
 
Alicia R said:
With my neuropathy, sleeping with the covers on (even in the dead of winter) is a challenge! My feet do get cold, and that's one of the reasons I cramp up, so yes, I do wear socks, but not those long black ones. Cute fuzzy wool ones! (In pretty colors.) But, I don't know--those long black socks might turn SOME men on! ;-)
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Is Sandra Bullock knitted in to them ! :)
 
Alicia R said:
Are you kidding me? A potato?! What on earth?! Well, at least it made me laugh! No seriously, how would a potato help leg cramps? Does it ward them off or would he use it to rub his legs with when they're cramped? And how do you know for sure he was using it for leg cramps and not something else *kinky*? :-X LOL
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Heard parmolive bar of soap at foot of the bed can relieve nightly cramps .
At least your feet will smell soapy and clean ;)

Don't know if this is true fact or an old wives tale ?

Me - I use low calorie tonic water it has Quinine in it .
Quinine can help reduce cramp .
 
I can safely say my socks could accommodate a couple of Sandras!
 
Also worth checking magnesium levels. Low magnesium can also cause cramps.
 
In pre diabetic days I always put leg cramps at night down to a lack potassium and ate a banana every day but now who knows must of been a lack of potatoes
 
I have noticed a definite correlation between having larger amounts of carbs than normal with severe cramps.
On one or two occasions I had given in to temptation and had a bag of chips and found that I have usually had bad cramp on the same night.
This is also true when I've had more than about two pints of beer in a day. Only this week I was out at an event and had about six pints of very nice real beer (probably the most I have drunk in one day for over a year) and that night I was in agony from cramp in my left shin and foot. I ended up sitting in the shower spraying my leg with the hottest water I could stand for about 20 minutes before it loosened. Four days later, my leg is till sore.
 
I have taken magnesium phosphate for ages but lately, with good control of blood sugars I do not seem to need them much now, I get them from health food shop or online, “ new era “ brand, about eight pounds , gbp, salt does work but with hypertension perhaps not a good idea., I keep tabs by the bed and they work in a few minutes for even agonising cramps. Interestingly since starting Low carb high fat I have had very little cramp, win win situation, Sue
 
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