Why do I get leg cramps at night and what helps?
Night calf cramps hit a third of adults, more with age, pregnancy, dehydration, hard exercise, standing days, and some medicines, diuretics and statins among them. Most have no sinister cause.
In the moment: stretch the calf hard, toes toward the shin, stand and press the heel down, walk it off; heat relaxes the after-ache. Prevention with the best evidence: daily calf stretches before bed and staying hydrated. Magnesium disappoints in most trials but is harmless to try.
Cramps with calf swelling or one-sided pain that persists, or with muscle weakness, step outside the harmless pattern and deserve review.
Source: NHS, leg cramps
See a doctor promptly if
- Calf pain with swelling, warmth or redness in one leg: possible blood clot, seek urgent assessment
- Leg pain that comes on with walking a predictable distance and stops with rest: possible narrowed arteries
- Cramps with new weakness, numbness, or muscle wasting
- Severe cramps with dark, tea-colored urine after intense exertion or a new medicine
- Cramps that started after beginning a new prescription, especially diuretics or cholesterol medicines: worth a medication review, not stopping on your own
Try the symptom diary10 seconds a day, free, nothing to installTime of day, what came before it and how long it lasted are the three things you will be asked and the three nobody remembers.
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS · How we review
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