Cramps (mostly nighttime) - Magnesium supplements?

[NHAero]

I get cramps in my legs fairly easily at age 65, especially at night, and mostly feet and lower legs, outside front of shin. I keep track of my hydration carefully, and that's a good start. I also have a banana daily, and eat pumpkin seeds, arugula, and other food sources of minerals. I looked through the threads here on cramps and magnesium and calcium combined turn up as a daily supplement recommendation. Has that helped anyone here, and if so, what product/brand do you use?
Thanks!

[biker72]

Try a teaspoon of yellow mustard before bedtime. Works for me.

[jtakeda]

I get cramps in my legs fairly easily at age 65, especially at night, and mostly feet and lower legs, outside front of shin. I keep track of my hydration carefully, and that's a good start. I also have a banana daily, and eat pumpkin seeds, arugula, and other food sources of minerals. I looked through the threads here on cramps and magnesium and calcium combined turn up as a daily supplement recommendation. Has that helped anyone here, and if so, what product/brand do you use?
Thanks!

Mag helps me. I’d give it a shot

[kbone]

My mother had really bad leg cramps for years. She tried all sorts of stuff and nothing really helped. I turned her on to Nuun and she would drink some before bed and it stopped the cramps. You may want to try it.

[false_Aest]

I'm a huge Mg fan.
But I also cramp because of temp variation.
If I've been super warm during the day and my legs get too cold at night there's a good chance I'll cramp.

In the SoCal summer daytime highs might be in the 80s or 90s but the lows at night might be in the mid 60s. I pretty much have to wear long PJs and make sure my legs are covered -- though I'll still sleep with out a shirt.

My body is weird yo.

[rccardr]

I take a potassium-magnesium supplement every night at bed time.

No more cramps-ever!

[Ralph]

I'll just assume you don't take statins.

[David Tollefson]

I started having night cramp issues when I'd do an evening trainer session. Using a Stick massager and working the "stuff" out of my legs is what cured it for me.

[alessandro]

I’m thinking you need more potassium, and that might help stop the cramping. One banana may not be enough for you. I’m not a medical professional, so I’d talk to your primary care doc.

[Louis]

I started having night cramp issues when I'd do an evening trainer session. Using a Stick massager and working the "stuff" out of my legs is what cured it for me.

David,

Is this video a good example of what you do with the stick? Or do you do something different? How about quads and hamstrings?

TIA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EffbdrFoYG4

[SlowPokePete]

lots of water and Hammer Anti-Fatigue caps keeps night cramps away fro me following a long ride...

SPP

[martl]

there was an in-depth backgroud article about cramps and Mg etc. in a german magazine. The summary was:

- muscular cramping is not very well researched
- there is no real proof that supplementing Mg helps
- there is no proof it is related to dehydration or electrolyte levels in the bloodstream

Mg is recommended in some official medical advisories because it is *not* proven that it *doesn't* help :) and it has no side effects ("can't hurt")

The Mg recommendation stems from one article from 1983 about a tennis player (in "Physiology of Sports Medicine").
Subsequent small studies said Mg was almost as useless as a placebo, especially for nightly cramps/older test persons (https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD009402.pub2/abstract)

There is something that helps, which is chinin sulfate. It has severe sideeffects and should be taken on doctors advice only

[NHAero]

Which of their products has worked for her?

Thanks

My mother had really bad leg cramps for years. She tried all sorts of stuff and nothing really helped. I turned her on to Nuun and she would drink some before bed and it stopped the cramps. You may want to try it.

[kbone]

I didn't realize they had so many options. She's been using that SPORT version with success for a few years.

[David Tollefson]

David,

Is this video a good example of what you do with the stick? Or do you do something different? How about quads and hamstrings?

TIA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EffbdrFoYG4

I only work one direction -- back towards the heart. So up-strokes only on the legs. Working the waste products out of the muscles. Start with the calves, then go to hamstrings, then quads.

[glepore]

Potassium, and only as needed as regular supplementation can lead to an excess with cardiac consequences.

[CNY rider]

Magnesium may or may not help your leg cramps but it is a highly effective laxative, so if you decide to try it plan accordingly.

[Johnnysmooth]

On a day that I cycle, take Mg supplement before bed. Usually works, occasionally not. When cramps still hit at night despite Mg, I take a shot of straight apple cider vinegar and poof they are gone within 60secs

[SoCalSteve]

Emergen-C works for me. Especially if you are already cramping. Works very quickly.

https://www.emergenc.com/

Good luck!

[SuperColnago]

Tried Magnesium but NUUN is better. Had same symptoms as you I'm 58. Hydration and a 1/2 tablet of NUUN at bedtime. if you have had a big day works for me!

[Mzilliox]

stretch more, foam rollers, hydrate first thing in the am.
green tea with maple syrup
long warmups

[Louis]

I only work one direction -- back towards the heart. So up-strokes only on the legs. Working the waste products out of the muscles. Start with the calves, then go to hamstrings, then quads.

Thanks - I may give that a shot.

Lately I've been doing a lot more rowing than riding, and since the erg is a more whole-body sort of thing, I sometimes find myself thinking that going somewhere for a massage once a week or so might really help.

[m4rk540]

How bad are the cramps? Duration and pain level.

[Shoeman]

Pickle Juice!

[NHAero]

Which Nuun product?
Thanks

Tried Magnesium but NUUN is better. Had same symptoms as you I'm 58. Hydration and a 1/2 tablet of NUUN at bedtime. if you have had a big day works for me!

[NHAero]

So last night I took 400 mg of magnesium a bit before bed, drank a fair bit of water, took a teaspoon of yellow mustard (variation on the pickle juice theme) and woke up cramping, the lower left leg muscles to the left of the shin bone. Hurt enough to get up and walk until it calmed down. I don’t know how long they would last if I didn't do something and merely lay there.

[
QUOTE=m4rk540;2538717]How bad are the cramps? Duration and pain level.[/QUOTE]

[zetroc]

As Shoeman said above - drink pickle juice!

[wc1934]

I sometimes get nighttime cramps along my shinbone after long runs (cramps, not shinsplints) - really painful and last 5 minutes or more. I walk and try to stretch them out but that isnt usually successful. I have started taking
L-Arginine (500 mg) - could be the placebo effect, but it seems to work for me.

[hobbanero]

I have some light cramping issues and a sleep doctor told me to take Magnesium Gluconate for them. There are a few forms of magnesium and that is the one he recommended. I take 2 550mg tablets before bedtime.

[glepore]

some studies show capacin works-so I occasionally do a drop of tabasco

[bikingshearer]

Pickle Juice!

As Shoeman said above - drink pickle juice!

Specifically dill pickle juice.

[Tommasini53]

I get cramps in my legs fairly easily at age 65, especially at night, and mostly feet and lower legs, outside front of shin. I keep track of my hydration carefully, and that's a good start. I also have a banana daily, and eat pumpkin seeds, arugula, and other food sources of minerals. I looked through the threads here on cramps and magnesium and calcium combined turn up as a daily supplement recommendation. Has that helped anyone here, and if so, what product/brand do you use?
Thanks!

At age fifty i developed this problem too. Never ever had cramps before, not even with long intense rides. Mag helped some. BUT real problem for me turned out to be an iron deficiency that had been there for several years. Its worth a few bucks for a complete look, do the full iron panel (binding capacity, iron storage, and ferritin levels) not just the simple blood levels of iron.
I found a new doc that looks a little deeper at these nagging little issues.:) Addressing the iron issue ended night time cramps and a host of other symptoms that had been assigned to that "you're getting older" garbage heap of health issues. It is worth digging into. good luck (fyi: iron deficiency looks much like hypo-thyroidism on the list of symptoms)

[SuperColnago]

Which Nuun product?
Thanks

NUUN Active worked for me

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32875995167_490bf749bc_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/S694YT)61A4A86E-D167-4AC4-8C7F-92B0AFF51783 (https://flic.kr/p/S694YT) by Stephen BOBYN (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157862586@N08/), on Flickr

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/32875994957_16f1b2608b_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/S694Vg)6B1E747C-3DF8-42B8-9BD9-B265AF31AB13 (https://flic.kr/p/S694Vg) by Stephen BOBYN (https://www.flickr.com/photos/157862586@N08/), on Flickr

[93KgBike]

- muscular cramping is not very well researched


How are you basing this statement, please?

[Louis]

How are you basing this statement, please?

I believe it's an accurate statement. Or if it is well-researched, in plenty of cases the research has come up empty.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/muscle-cramp/symptoms-causes/syc-20350820

"Causes

Overuse of a muscle, dehydration, muscle strain or simply holding a position for a prolonged period can cause a muscle cramp. In many cases, however, the cause isn't known."

[SuperColnago]

Yes must be Brine Pickles, no vinegar.... Works!
Specifically dill pickle juice.

[classtimesailer]

:(I've been getting the randomly occurring randomly located leg cramps for about 9 years now (turn 61 soon). I have had the complete blood, and neurological work up. Thought it might be my back and had an MRI. I tried all manner of supplements, stretching, and nothing works. I think the severity is less since being 99% vegan and I no longer fear going to sleep. The pain can be excruciating. Why are they only from the toes to the groin? (my wife is pretty smart about this stuff being a super star PT OCS DPT etc and there is no known cause or remedy. She is motivated to solve the problem because my cramps also disturb her sleep :()

[OtayBW]

Leg cramps - meh. If anyone could come up with a cure for getting up at night due to the grapefruit size of my prostate, now THAT would be something ....HAR! ;)

[Shoeman]

Leg cramps - meh. If anyone could come up with a cure for getting up at night due to the grapefruit size of my prostate, now THAT would be something ....HAR! ;)

Flomax might work for you it helped me. You can get the Gland removed but then you'ii most likely lose other functions as well

[OtayBW]

Flomax might work for you it helped me. You can get the Gland removed but then you'ii most likely lose other functions as wellWHOA! Nay! Nay! Nuh-uh! No Can Do! Not Gon Happen! No Way Jose! NumNumNum.......Aaaaaand..........Thank-you! :eek: :no: :)

[htwoopup]

With my apologies, it is Mother's Day so I seem to have grown my Mom's pointed and wagging finger....

:Thought it might be my back and had an MRI. I tried all manner of supplements, stretching, and nothing works. (my wife is pretty smart about this stuff being a super star PT OCS DPT etc and there is no known cause or remedy. She is motivated to solve the problem because my cramps also disturb her sleep :()

My take away from the quote above and Tommassini's about figuring out an iron deficiency speak loudly to me.

My cramps which were so intense I couldn't stand, I mean screaming pain were, unlike CTSailer's experience, turns out to have been some damage that minimally rerouted a nerve which I had done to myself at some point. A bunch of time with PT cured me up.

Tommassini's point about the doctor looking deeply and finding iron deficiency is important.

We are all different, but with a good professional looking deeply we can often find solutions that beat just popping more pills.

Ok, My Mom's gone now so I will put away her finger pointing now.

[93KgBike]

I believe it's an accurate statement. Or if it is well-researched, in plenty of cases the research has come up empty.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/muscle-cramp/symptoms-causes/syc-20350820

"Causes

Overuse of a muscle, dehydration, muscle strain or simply holding a position for a prolonged period can cause a muscle cramp. In many cases, however, the cause isn't known."

I do not see how an inability to diagnose the cause of an individual's cramp contributes something about the accuracy of that statement.

I did search 'muscle cramps' (https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C10&q=%22muscle+cramps%22&oq=) google scholar just now, however.

[climbgdh]

I’ve been struggling with debilitating cramps for about 15 years. I’m 54 YO. Originally weren’t really cycling related and typically I only got them in the winter after a hard day of Nordic skiing or backcountry skiing (ie skinning uphill). Almost always at night and sometimes lasting up to 10 minutes. Pain level.... hard to say.... I think I have a pretty high pain threshold and I’ve almost been in tears several times. Generally will start in one leg (adductor) and as soon as I try to get out of bed the cramps start in the other leg probably 90% of the time. I’ve tried Mg & K supplements and I can’t say neither have really helped. Mg is a good laxative though....:). The only thing that seems to work for me is Nuun Active and regular stretching of the adductor muscles in my legs. I’ll use Nuun while I’m cycling or in winter when I’m skiing and really try to stretch after a particularly hard day. Might have to try the pickle juice or Tabasco as recommended earlier.

[NHAero]

After reading up on supplements for this issue, I'm going to try Mag R&R (saltwrap.com, also available on Amazon). Yesterday I did a reasonably hard 40 miles, stayed hydrated, and took a Hammer electrolyte tab mid-ride, then stopped for a piece of cinnamon cake five miles before the end. A second electrolyte tab when I got home and more water. No cramps last night. I wish I knew what the key factors are.

[tigoat]

I think walking as an exercise if possible may help.

[Louis]

After reading up on supplements for this issue, I'm going to try Mag R&R (saltwrap.com, also available on Amazon). Yesterday I did a reasonably hard 40 miles, stayed hydrated, and took a Hammer electrolyte tab mid-ride, then stopped for a piece of cinnamon cake five miles before the end. A second electrolyte tab when I got home and more water. No cramps last night. I wish I knew what the key factors are.

I'd say the cinnamon cake. :p

[martl]

How are you basing this statement, please?

*i* don't at all, which is why i wrote it was the summary of an article on the matter. Quick googling found numerous other articles saying essentially the same thing. *the conditions* under which spasms are more likely to occur are known, as during/after physical exercise, in pregnancy, people with certain diseases (Liver, kidney..). The root cause of what goes wrong that causes the nervous system to send the faulty signal to the muscle is not known.

The commonly recommended cures, getting hydrated, supplementing Calcium and Magnesium, are based on what these conditions above have in common. Whether its correlation or cause is not proven by any means.

Magnesia seems to help some people, although not all. I'm a bit paranoid about all those artificial nutrition products, a person living on a first-world diet should have everything the body needs (and it will actually tell you if it doesn't). Those products are big business, and the Marketeers are very quick with promises.

The gist of the deeper studies on the subject talk more about getting your fitness-level up, do passive stretching, work on muscular dysbalances. (Matches my own experience: as a young lad, i drank very little while riding. I did have cramps, but they vanished as i trained more frequently.


Update: There is a study which says the susceptibility for cramping could be lowered by artifially inducing cramps. No idea if this is used yet.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0094910



Studies:
Magnesium for skeletal muscle cramps
https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD009402.pub2/abstract (Cochrane)

"It is unlikely that magnesium supplementation provides clinically meaningful cramp prophylaxis to older adults experiencing skeletal muscle cramps. In contrast, for those experiencing pregnancy‐associated rest cramps the literature is conflicting and further research in this patient population is needed. We found no randomized controlled trials evaluating magnesium for exercise‐associated muscle cramps or disease state‐associated muscle cramps (for example amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease)."

Muscle Cramping in Athletes—Risk Factors, Clinical Assessment, and Management
https://www.sportsmed.theclinics.com/article/S0278-5919(07)00090-7/abstract

This study found no correlation between EAMC and dehydration

[awdwon]

I’ve been having quite bad cramps/muscle spasms in my leg in about what seems like the same spot as the OP mostly at night. Initially thought it was a hydration thing which just lead me to peeing more frequently as a result of drinking more water. I think that actually made things worse as it seemed like I was flushing minerals etc out of my system by doing so. Since then I went down the path of magnesium supplements and have come across some that work really well. I use 200 mg of elemental magnesium biglycinate at bed time (magnesium citrate will make you **** your pants) Knocks me out and eliminates 90% of my leg cramps. Stretching and yoga have also been a huge help.

I’ve also come to the realization that I’m most likely dealing with some sort of leaky gut type issue which prevents my body from properly absorbing what I eat. From what I’ve read there’s not a lot of real science about the whole leaky gut thing but I’ve eliminated gluten and alcohol and made great improvements in my overall health (was causing a tremendous amount of brain fog and fatigue). Just my $0.02.


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[NHAero]

The tip about the type of magnesium compound was very helpful. I bought Mag R&R capsules on Amazon, 90 capsules for $40. Any evening that I feel so much as a twinge I take one before going to bed and it has worked (even though they say the serving size is 3 capsules). The capsules have some other supplements that are supposed to be symbiotic with the magnesium compound. Thanks all for the help!!




I’ve been having quite bad cramps/muscle spasms in my leg in about what seems like the same spot as the OP mostly at night. Initially thought it was a hydration thing which just lead me to peeing more frequently as a result of drinking more water. I think that actually made things worse as it seemed like I was flushing minerals etc out of my system by doing so. Since then I went down the path of magnesium supplements and have come across some that work really well. I use 200 mg of elemental magnesium biglycinate at bed time (magnesium citrate will make you **** your pants) Knocks me out and eliminates 90% of my leg cramps. Stretching and yoga have also been a huge help.

I’ve also come to the realization that I’m most likely dealing with some sort of leaky gut type issue which prevents my body from properly absorbing what I eat. From what I’ve read there’s not a lot of real science about the whole leaky gut thing but I’ve eliminated gluten and alcohol and made great improvements in my overall health (was causing a tremendous amount of brain fog and fatigue). Just my $0.02.


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