Aug 21 2008
Charley Horses
The other night I woke from a dead sleep to a hellacious leg cramp. My calf tightened up and even stretching the muscle didn’t help, until the actual contraction ended then I could get up and stretch it out. That maybe one of the only things that can pull from sleep other than Sunshine crying or something similar. I went back to sleep but the muscle was still tender throughout the day.
I don’t get them all the time, I always thought getting a leg cramp was because of lack of calcium or milk. That night I knew it couldn’t be true because I had cereal earlier that day. Did you know that leg cramps can be caused by not drinking enough water? I think this could be the culprit because I get tired of water even if I add a lot of ice and drink it, I get sick of it. My main fluid is coffee and that might be good for the brain but not anything else. Some other causes of leg cramps could be electrolyte imbalance, excess weight and new exercise, alcohol use, pregnancy and even prolonged sitting.
For me when a charley horse hits, when I can stand on it, I stretch it until the pain subsides. Just another nuisance.
