Why Your Calf Cramps Up in the Middle of the Night and What To Do About It

If you get leg cramps at night, you have probably been told to take magnesium and drink more water. I want to show you what the research actually says, because the real cause of nocturnal leg cramps is not a deficiency. It is the position your foot sits in for seven hours.In this episode I walk through what is happening inside your calf during a cramp, why the nerve firing has no off switch while you sleep, and why the placebo groups in the magnesium trials improved almost as much as the treatment groups. I also cover the one remedy with a surprisingly clear mechanism behind it, pickle brine, and why it works without changing a single thing in your bloodstream. Then I give you the full night cramp protocol: the bedtime calf stretch that actually got results in a supervised trial, how to change the geometry of your bed for free, what to do in the moment a cramp hits, and the medication question worth bringing to your next appointment.What you’ll learn:* Why nighttime calf cramps are a nerve signal problem, not a mineral problem* What the placebo-controlled magnesium trials really found for leg cramps in older adults* The bedtime calf stretch technique that separated the two stretching trials* Why loosening your covers may matter more than any supplement* How to stop a charley horse faster using two pathways at once* Why you should skip tonic water and quinine for leg crampsDr. Marbas Substack Article: https://drlauriemarbas.substack.com/p/why-your-calf-cramps-up-in-the-middleCheck out the Habit Healers Community: https://www.skool.com/habithealers/about Get full access to The Habit Healers at drlauriemarbas.substack.com/subscribe