Lower Leg Pain While Sleeping

[roses25]

Does anyone else have lower leg pain similar to what I've described below while sleeping? This pain doesn't occur every night and it's not at a certain time. I'll wake up to my lower left leg (between my knee & foot) hurting like crazy. I rub it and it hurts for like 10-20 seconds and then the pain goes away. Does anyone know what this is? It hasn't ever happened to me until these last couple months of my pregnancy.

Carolyn

[trauerweidchen]

I had something very similar a bit earlier in pregnancy. What usually happened for me was I'd stretch in bed and then my calf muscle would get very tight and painful, sort of like a spasm or a charley horse. I'd have to rub it and try to relax and it would slowly dissapate. The best conclusion I could come to was that it really was just a charley horse, but I wasn't sure what caused it, other than that they aren't uncommon in pregnancy. It always happened in the middle of the night, though. Calcium+magnesium supplements are supposed to be good for muscle aches and pains, and I think RRL tea helps too because of the calcium in it. I haven't (*knock on wood!*) had it happen in awhile, and I think maybe drinking more RRL tea has helped, but I don't really know for sure.

[lil_miss_understood]

We've been discussing nutrition a great deal in the Allergies forum lately and muscle cramps have come up as a fairly common symptom of magnesium deficiency. RRL is a pretty good source of magnesium, as well as calcium and potassium but the best food sources appear to be swiss chard or spinach.

[the_lissa]

I've woken up 3 times in the past two weeks with leg cramps from hell.

I drink RRL tea, eat bananas, cheese, and spinach. I wonder if I am getting too much calcium because I read it could be from too much or too little calcium.

Quinine is supposed to help too.

One thing I read and have been doing is have my partner rub my calves before bed and do leg stretches where you point your toes up to your knees. If you feel a cramp coming up, try to get up and walk or stretch your toes to your knees. If you stretch your toes the other way, it can make it worse.