Can someone explain why putting a bar of soap in your bed helps with night time leg cramps?
440257
No one knows, but it does work about 50% of the time.
1117823
It is questions like these that make yahoo answers what it is....\n\nI get restless at nights too, some say it is a twitch pattern that develops while you are sleeping. The reslessness and twitching of your legs keeps your body from hitting deep sleep - effectively wasting the time you spend in bed. \n\nI just reached level three..!!!!!
227051
Natural Ways to Ways to Cure and Prevent Leg Cramps - More Than Home Remedies\nIf you get a leg cramp (or charley horse), the quickest way to get rid of it is to walk on the leg. If the person can't get up and walk on the leg, either heat or ice along with massage will help.\n\nDrinking two ounces of natural apple cider vinegar has been reported to relieve involuntary muscle contractions or cramping in 35 seconds.\n\nBut, if you get leg cramps often, the best thing is to prevent them from happening in the first place.\n\nTaking calcium  and magnesium supplements (or calcium magnesium combination) and eating a banana daily prevent most leg cramps. If this alone does not do the trick, these will help increase circulation: Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. And, zinc helps your body absorb the calcium and regulate the B vitamins.\n\nLeg cramps caused by insufficient fluid intake are prevented by drinking about eight glasses of water each day.\n\nLeg cramps that occur during or after vigorous exercise can be prevented by eating a few bites of something salty and drinking at least half a glass of water before, during and after exerting yourself.
1147692
the cause could be lack of conditioning, poor blood flow, or something more serious like neuropathy ( often from diabetis). try some gentle exercising and make sure you take magnesium. the magnesium soothes irritated nerves that may be causing your leg cramps.
604765
ALL OF THE OTHER ANSWERS are good.and do try them. i used to manage a HEALTH SPA and here is something you can do,Lay on the floor, put your legs and feet up on a sofa or comforetable chair. this tips the urtus back and relieves the cramps.  but a hot bath first then  up with the legs and feet, is even better...do it 20 min at a time...it will help.
1031371
Eating foods high in potassium can relieve cramps.  Bananas are good for that as they are high in potassium.  Likewise doing regular stretches will help relieve the potential for muscle cramping.\n\nIf you do a lot of swimming, you will be using your calf muscles a lot and if you don't stretch them out before and after you swim, you can get muscle cramps.
951620
Cramp is caused by a build up of lactic acid in the muscle.  The way to stop it is to stop exercise until the blood clears the lactic acid away from the muscles.
253841
Soak in a hot bathtub then lay down afterwards with a heating pad.  Also try taking Midol or some other form of pain reliever.  If you have bad cramps every month, I would suggest speaking with your physician and perhaps asking for a prescription for Anaprox which is like a prescription Midol.
788004
It's not that odd and more common than you think.\n\nFirst, consult with your doctor to see if there are any medical conditions that this could be a side effect of.\n\nIn the meantime, potassium is your friend, particularly if you restless legs ever manifest cramps or 'charlie horses'.  The quickest way to get potassium into your system is drink a large glass of orange juice, it almost is immediately absorbed due to the liquid form, with bananas taking second place.  Taking potassium and calcium supplements regularly will also lessen the occasions, but if it starts up, hit the orange juice as soon as possible.\n\nThey also are recent medications for restless leg syndrome, both over the counter and by prescription.\n\nUntil you sort everything out with your doctor and/or find that drinking OJ, eating potassium rich foods, and taking supplements don't work, I wouldn't go straight for the medication.\n\nStretching and walking around also help if you're suddenly hit with an attack.  Hit the OJ, walk around the house a bit, do light leg stretches (and other body parts too as sometimes the 'restless' part can hit other parts of your body).
267645
whenever i get a leg cramp. if i stretch it out, it tends to feel better. if that doesn't work, try something to make you body relax, aspirin, warm milk, you get the idea.
146729
When any of your muscles jump, they are spasming.  There is a saying - if it spasms, feed it magnesium.  You have four major minerals in your body: calcium, potassium, sodium and magnesium that need to be in balance.  Magnesium has a function in transmitting nerve impulses - I think of it like having insulation over an electrical wire - like the one to a light bulb.  Without the insulation (or with low magnesium) your nerve impulses jump around the room (or your body) and cause spasming.\n\nTake 500mg to 1000 mg magnesium at night and see if it helps.  It should also help relax you and help you to sleep better.
853994
LEG CRAMPS\n\nWhat are LEG CRAMPS?\n- Cramp is a term often used to refer to a painful, involuntary contraction of a single muscle or a muscle group.\n- Leg cramps frequently occur in the legs of elderly patients and can be extremely painful.\n- Severe leg cramps my be followed by residual tenderness and evidence of muscle fiber necrosis, including elevation of serum creatinine kinase.\n- Cramps in the calf muscles are so common as to be considered normal, but more generalized cramps may be a sign of chronic disease of the motor neuron.\n- Complaints of muscle pain and muscle fatigue are among the most frequent symptoms offered by patients. The decision as to which patients require extensive diagnostic tests can usually be made by history, examination, and routine blood studies.\n- Muscle cramps can be particularly troublesome during pregnancy, in patients with electrolyte disturbances (hyponatremia), and in patients on hemodialysis.\n- Spasms (abnormal movements of muscle) may arise from abnormal electrical activity of the central nervous system (CNS) mediated via the motor neuron or occur within the motor neuron or muscle fiber itself.\n\nCauses of LEG CRAMPS\n- In many cases, it is impossible to determine the cause of the leg cramps.\n- Muscle cramps can arise from spontaneous firing of special nerve groups followed by contraction of certain muscle fibers.\n- Cramps that are recurrent and localized to one muscle group may suggest nerve root disease.\n\nTreatment of LEG CRAMPS\n- The decision to treat a patient with leg cramps depends on the severity and degree of impairment.\n- If the pain is mild and self-limiting, topical and/or oral non-prescription analgesics may be appropriate. (Specific products may be recommended by a physician or pharmacist.)\n- For more severe pain or if the pain is referred, the patient should see their physician for further evaluation.\n- Quinine Sulfate is usually the prescription drug of choice for leg cramps.\nAlternative names   \n\nPain - leg; Aches - leg; Cramps - leg \nDefinition     \n\nLeg pain is a common symptom and complaint. For more specific topics, see foot pain, hip pain, knee pain, muscle pain, joint pain, shin splints, and blockage of leg arteries.\n\nCommon Causes    \n\nLeg pain can be due to a muscle cramp (also called a charley horse). Common causes of cramps include:\n\nMuscle fatigue or strain from overuse, too much exercise, or holding a muscle in the same position for a long time \nDehydration or low amounts of potassium, sodium, calcium, or magnesium in the blood \nMedications such as:\nDiuretics, which can cause you to lose too much fluid or minerals \nStatins, which lower cholesterol \nAn injury can also cause leg pain from:\n\nA torn or overstretched muscle (strain) \nInflamed tendon (tendinitis) \nShin splints -- pain in the front of your leg related to overuse or repetitive pounding \nHairline crack in the bone (stress fracture) \nOther common causes of leg pain include:\n\nBlood clot (deep vein thrombosis) from prolonged bed rest \nAtherosclerosis (plaque buildup) that blocks blood flow in the arteries (this type of pain, called claudication, is generally felt when exercising or walking and relieved by rest) \nInflammation of the leg joints by arthritis or gout \nNerve damage -- common in diabetics, smokers, and alcoholics (symptoms include numbness, tingling, or a sensation of pins-and-needles) \nInfection of the bone (osteomyelitis) or skin and soft tissue (cellulitis) \nVaricose veins \nLess common causes include:\n\nSlipped capital femoral epiphysis -- usually seen in boys and overweight children between 11 and 15 years old, this refers to a separation of the ball of the hip joint from the thigh bone. It causes pain and growth abnormalities. \nLegg-Calve-Perthes disease -- poor blood flow to the hip that may stop or slow the normal growth of the leg. This condition usually affects boys between 4 and 10 years old. \nBenign tumors or cysts of the femur or tibia
916012
It's just for pain relief. I think that maybe the midol is impeding your menstruation flow, that may also be the reason why you have cramps. And if you would like to lessen the cramps without drinking some medicines drink plenty of water.
1072084
Have you been checked out for hyperinsulinemia? Having high insulin can lead to all sorts of other pains and cramps and leg movement during sleep.  \n\nMy dad would have RLS and he was a hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) which is one result of hyperinsulinemia.\n\nYou may want to check out www.hufa.org for more info on the tests.
853428
80 percent of the time doctors relate cramps and muscle cramps, as a lack of not drinking enough.  Water  is a lubricant, for our body. Actually, cranberry juice is just as important. For 2 months drink  your fill. eight glasses of water and cranberry juice only.If the cramps wake you a nite especially. Relax a little, prop  your legs up on a  moist heating to increase your circulation. Also massage them,with a moisturing lotion> Always massage going down to ur feet. This will get ur circulation up to par
429459
It's cramps due to lack of electrolytes.  You can get rid of them by replenishing your electrolytes when you are drinking water.  Sometimes drink something that has some sodium or potassium in it.  Otherwise your body will be in electrolyte imbalance.
1160352
There's a pressure point in Chinese reflexology that helps.  To locate it, start with your inside ankle.  Feel just below it and towards your calf (away from the shin).  There's a little indent in your foot there.  If you feel the indent and then feel up your calf muscle on the inside, you will notice a slight groove along the bottom edge of your calf muscle.  This is the point to massage.  \n\nRub up and down from the side of your ankle until halfway up your calf.  Do it on both legs.  This can not only help relieve cramps, but also minimize their occurence.  I have used this point when I've been doubled over in agony.  Rubbing these areas relieved the pain almost immediately and helped the cramps to pass in a few minutes.