Cramps in legs while sleeping

[Mclain]

Hey all! I am in week three and I am beginning to have leg cramps. Is this a sign I need magnesium? Should I just get a supplement at local pharmacy?
Appreciate any input!

[Jerrettscott]

Good possibility that your electrolytes are low.

[MissSimon]

Drink some ketoaid from the recipe on this site, drink some chicken boullion in some hot water, salt all your food!

Blend up some heavy cream, berries, spinach, and sweetner! Lots of good minerals!

[JoeG3383]

Get these too from time to time. Good reminder for me to check my electrolytes. If I have my magnesium I tend not to get them. I also tend not to get them when I up my leafy carbs.

[VirginiaEdie]

All my cramps stopped when I upped my sodium to about 4 to 5 grams a day.

I was already taking 400 mg of Magnesium glycinate and 800 mg of potassium, but the salt increase is what really helped.

[PaulL]

Alternatively, you could eat leafy green vegetables. The magnesium in the chlorophyll molecule is even more bioavailable than in the supplements.

[allan]

Is this a sign I need magnesium? Should I just get a supplement at local pharmacy?

Yup. You have hit the nail on the head here. I had the same thing and now take a supplement before going to sleep and not more leg cramps. I find magnesium taken at night is easier on my digestive system too, if I take it during the day it can cause an explosion or two!

[atomicspacebunny]

THE POWER OF PICKLE JUICE:

1. Reflex inhibition of electrically induced muscle cramps in hypohydrated (HYPOHYDRATED?) humans. •INTRODUCTION: Anecdotal evidence suggests that ingesting small volumes of pickle juice relieves muscle cramps within 35 s of ingestion. No experimental evidence exists supporting the ingestion of pickle juice as a treatment for skeletal muscle cramps.
   •CONCLUSIONS: Pickle juice, and not deionized water, inhibits electrically induced muscle cramps in hypohydrated humans. This effect could not be explained by rapid restoration of body fluids or electrolytes. We suspect that the rapid inhibition of the electrically induced cramps reflects a neurally mediated reflex that originates in the oropharyngeal region and acts to inhibit the firing of alpha motor neurons of the cramping muscle.

2. If You Get Leg Cramps, Try This Strange Harvard-Approved Cure - Dr. Joel Kahn, M.D. cardiologist

3. Suffering From Muscle Cramps? Pick Pickle Juice

4. 6 Proven Health Benefits Of Pickles You Didn’t Know:
   •Quick-processed pickles sold in jars in supermarkets are usually made by heating the packed jar of pickled vegetables to 160 ºF, a pasteurization process used to kill bacteria.
   •Fermented pickles use salt or brine to slowly soften the vegetable and preserve it through controlled decomposition. If they retain the probiotic bacteria – the good bacteria that help your gut bacteria – they can double up as a dietary source of probiotics.
   •Vinegar- or alcohol-based pickles use acids to kill bacteria and preserve the vegetable for longer than in its fresh state.

5. These Things Happen to Your Brain When You Eat A Pickle Every Day, According to Science:
   •According to Dr. Matthew Hilimire, a professor of Psychology at William and Mary, “Giving these animals these probiotics increased GABA, so it’s almost like giving them these drugs but it’s their own bodies producing GABA. So your own body is increasing this neurotransmitter that reduces anxiety.”
   •Scientists at the University also note the link between GABA levels in the brain and decreased permeability and inflammation of the gut. On this end, scientists discovered the lessening of adverse gut reactions – including gut leak and inflammation – and the consumption of fermented foods.

[veronicasaffin]

Hi There,

I have always had the leg cramps. Before keto and on keto. The cramps are less on keto. I also got these on long flights and I found that potassium helped so I always take almonds on my flights. At home I have almond milk and I drink a glass before I go to bed. This usually helps a great deal.

My father has the same problem and his “go to” is pickle juice. I have tried that and it worked for me as well. But brushing my teeth after drinking pickle juice is not so nice.

This is just what helps me. I tried many things and checked with my doctor. We checked my electrolytes and in the end it was the potassium for me. Sometimes when I have bad cramps they go away very fast when I drink almond milk or pickle juice.

I have low blood pressure and am always told to eat more salt. Its hard to do as I dont like it. But since being on keto I have been able to up my salt in a tolerable way and that in combination with the almond milk seems to make my legs cramps less of a problem.

Kind regards

[dspeckleback]

I’ve started getting leg cramps and have been on keto for over 2 months. Perhaps I’m still not getting enough salt? I will certainly up my almond intake but pickle juice is intriguing!

How much pickle juice are we talking about? Can I eat a pickle or two instead?

[SirChubsAlot]

I have this question too. How much pickle juice?

[Dantheman]

I recently found that as long I don’t drink coffee after noon, the cramps are almost no existent, if i do drink coffee more I’ll have more cramps, also if I drink upwards of 2 gallons of water per day it helps relieve cramps

[Robert_Johnson]

[EDIT: I’m an idiot]

Holy Eye Rolls Batman!

(I inadvertently redirected my self into another thread, through @atomicspacebunny ‘s links. I didnt even notice, because I was enjoying the science. You might say, “She blinded me with SCIENCE!” (Inside joke there).

Indeed. It is a salt thing. I knew this for about a year now. Which is why i was taken a back when I failed to remember my .5 ltr bottle of salt water. I learned that lesson months ago, and didnt skip a night until last night. So its sort of really drove that home. Thats why I shared it. Hoping someone else is able to learn from my mistake as well. Plus, we got the added benefit of my @atomicspacebunny (I called dibs as many may recall ). She always brings the very best science .