leg / foot cramps at night
fancyroberts
Posts: 75 Member
Does anyone get lower leg / foot cramps at night ? I have been getting them since I cut my carbs...is there a connection?
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Replies
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You might need more electrolytes. Drink some powerade zero or some broth? I've never had these issues, but I hear that this should fix it up
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I do drink gallons of water, but maybe that isn't enough...will try some broth. Thanks0
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Are you literally drinking gallons of water? Because if so, you are diluting your electrolytes even more.
LCHF/keto diets are naturally diuretic. They deplete your glycogen stores and the water associated with them. It's important to stay hydrated, but not overhydrated, and it's important to get enough sodium, potassium, and magnesium, as those minerals will flush out with the water.
Drink salty broth and take a potassium/magnesium supplement (more is not better...mag is a mild laxative).0 -
well I drink like 9 glasses of water / day....0
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Magnesium. It's a natural muscle relaxer. Some people feel drowsy if they take it during the day so night time is better (also helps you sleep). One warning - too much might cause diarrhea. I think the RDA is 400mg, but every body is different. I take 800 mg.0
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Yes, I had some pretty severe ones about 3-4 weeks in. Added a cup of bouillon for a couple of days (with a TBSP of cream-my favorite way to drink it) and 200mg Magnesium twice a day, which I'm continuing as I'm sleeping better (? WOE or the Mg, not sure...)-no further problems.0
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Are you by any chance taking medication (statins) for high cholesterol? I've gone through about 3 different prescriptions until my doctor was able to get me one that has reduced the leg cramps. I drink a lot of water which I think is one thing that helps - my husband doesn't and he sometimes wakes up with terrible cramps/spasms in his legs.
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If your calf muscle cramps up remember "toe to knee". Move your toes up toward your knee, this stretches the muscle and will ease the pain.0
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Definitely magnesium deficiency. I take two Twinlab CellMins Potassium and Magnesium before bed and it eliminates the cramping. You can also get Natural Calm. It's a powder that you dissolve in warm water and drink. Helps with constipation too.
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fancyroberts wrote: »I do drink gallons of water, but maybe that isn't enough...will try some broth. Thanks
That's what I was going to say. A MFPal said the cramps went away when she drank more water. I use to get them but I stopped flexing my foot under the covers and they stopped.0 -
Magnesium. It's a natural muscle relaxer. Some people feel drowsy if they take it during the day so night time is better (also helps you sleep). One warning - too much might cause diarrhea. I think the RDA is 400mg, but every body is different. I take 800 mg.
Ditto the above. I use magnesium citrate (Solgar) from Amazon. I started with 400mg, but still got leg cramps, so I upped it to 800 and the cramps stopped. Since on the Keto diet, I also get constipated, so I welcome the laxative effect.
And yes, (to the original post) low carb causes the liver to flush minerals more so than a low fat diet. So you should be salting your food more than before (Yahoo!). I use Morton Lite Salt because its half sodium/half potassium.
I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
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Potassium. Read Atkins.0
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ditto the sodium, magnesium and potassium.0
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