Tips for night time leg cramps

[MacMac123]

Am 26 weeks and getting agonising leg cramps at night, where one foot literally curls up and I have to leap out of bed and force my foot down onto the floor to stretch my calves.

Know it's common but anyone got any tips to stop them happening?

Hi, me too - it's agonising isn't it!

So far I've gathered that the following are good:

• drinks that replace electrolytes (maybe ask pharmacist to recommend a drink or powder)
• extra salt in diet (depends obviously on your blood pressure etc as to whether this is a good idea!)
• bananas
• calf and foot stretches... I'm trying to do them all day long
• drink lots of water

Banana! Have one everyday, it's helping me 100%. I had a few days without bananas last week, as I was being lazy going to the shops. N low n behold the craps came back.

If u get a cramp pull/point ur toe towards ur knee If u see what I mean. Helps it go quicker.
Tell ur DP this tip. As I woke up screaming n it helped that he knew what to do.

Hope that helps x

Tonic water and stretches before bed.

Make sure you are not sleeping on your back, my midwife told me this can interfere with blood supply and cause this, mine are 90% better when I'm on my side. I also second tonic water. I missed 3 days of work cos of these and the agony after them at the same stage as you so I really sympathise

This is about poor circulation - not diet. If you sleep on your back (like me) and wake up with cramps (like me) try sleeping with a pillow under your knees - it really helps...

I find I only get it when I don't have water next to my bed to sip at, not sure if that's just coincidence or not but I seemed to work for me! :-)

I had that, too. what helped me was

• drink plenty
• take magnesium an hour before bedtime
• wear flight socks during the day

good luck!

I am prone to calf cramps even when not pregnant, am now 36 + 5 and have only had 3 during my entire pregnancy - how:

I went to pregnancy yoga and the teacher recommended doing effectively calf stretches every night before bed, only takes a few seconds. Point your toes and then slowly rotate your ankles a few times in first one direction and then the other. Then slowly point your toes and stretch to the max and then pull your toes up towards your leg as far as they will go - repeat a couple of times. That's it.

Also helps with swollen ankles. I've only had swollen ankles twice in my pregnancy and both times some time spend stretching my calfs deflated them immediately...

milk works for my occasional cramps.

Someone told me recently, bananas and fish for potassium

Lordy, Lordy - I HATE LEG CRAMPS!

I rang the midwife about them yesterday and she suggested tonic water. (I already stretch loads before bed and stay hydrated). However, being a ridiculously paranoid obsessive compusive cautious pregnant lady I'm reluctant to try it. Quinine, the active ingredient, is not recommended in tablet form during pregnancy (NHS) and I believe the FDA has banned its prescription in any form (including tonic water). I'm going to try a banana every evening instead and see if that helps... it that fails I'm chopping my legs off...