Chronic Leg Cramps at Night

Certain people get leg cramps at night after a long day of exercise. Exercise tends to dehydrate the body and deplete electrolytes. Electrolyte balance in the body helps to support neural function and muscle function as well as other body processes. When you are dehydrated your brain function is slowed and your muscles may twitch or worse cramp.

During the kiteboarding lesson season we are out on the water and in the sun for up to 8 hours a day. Being exposed to the sun for this long alone can deplete the body of water and electrolytes, but add in the amount of exercise we get when walking or running through waist deep water the whole time, then you really have to be careful not to get dehydrated.

You may not feel badly when you go to sleep for the evening, but if your electrolytes are depleted and you have become a little dehydrated you could wake up with leg cramps. I have had them once or twice over the years but my boyfriend gets them all the time and they are awful and debilitating. Until recently, his usual routine was to pace around the room huffing and puffing in pain until the cramp “works its way out”. Sometimes this would take as long as 30 minutes and the cramp would return.

Recently, we were informed of a home remedy that actually works! We went on a kiteboarding trip with our friend Kenny and he had a bottle of mustard by his bedside, which he explained was in case he got leg cramps at night. He explained that a spoonful of mustard cured his leg cramps immediately.

As an RN I was naturally skeptical of this suggested home remedy. It seemed unlikely that a substance taken orally could have such an immediate effect. I was certain that if the cramps were caused by electrolyte imbalance and dehydration, then they can only be corrected over time and not immediately.

However, the remedy works and the proof is in the pudding. There are hundreds of testimonials online about the curative powers of mustard. Additionally there are accounts of positive results after drinking pickle juice, tonic water, and surprisingly placing soap under the bedsheets.

Some scientists believe that muscle cramps are actually caused in part by misfiring nerves which can be “reset” by strong flavors or scents. While we have only personally tested the mustard I would be curious to see if tonic water or pickle juice works as well.