Nocturnal Leg Cramps - Help!

More water/fluids, Yes. Minerals, Yes.
My cramps and restless legs were still driving me crazy. HYLANDS homeopathic pills for both saved me. There doesn’t seem to be a downside. They may help. For $10 Homeopathy might be worth a try.

I had muscle cramps as a child and then again as a senior citizen. Only thing
I ever used (because it worked!) was Magnesium pills/tablets. Initially as a senior citizen I took it daily for several weeks and then I was able to decrease it to
prn (as needed). It comes in 2 ways: Magnesium glycinate complex 200 mg. (Nature Made) and Untra Magnesium glycinate Complex 250 (Qunol) coated tablets. Both seem to work well. The first is 2 tabs per serving and the second
is 1 tab per dose and states it has superior absorption. As a senior I only needed to take it for a few weeks (so far).

There are a lot of electrolytes in pickles and pickle juice, or so I've been told. Loss of electrolyte, causing an imbalance, can lead to cramping. And I love Vlasic Dills........

Potassium helps me. I get horrible restless leg and knee and calf cramps, sometimes Charlie horses where I can see the muscle contract up my calf. It’s especially bad lately since I’m not working and tend to sit too often, then have “bursts” of movement during errands.
Anyway, I found that a glass of orange juice, just 8 oz a day, helped tremendously. I just search potassium and dozens of food sources came up.
And, of course, hydrate. If you’re sick of water, try putting a flavored tea bag in your cold water. It’s much less expensive than the flavored waters they sell and I can use a tea bag 3-4 times since I’m not making a strong cup of hot tea.
Hope this helps and good luck. Now I need to get myself off the recliner. 😆

Perhaps you should try Trace Mineral Drops by TRACE MINERALS. They are available on Amazon and several other sellers; Fullscript sells a different brand.
I drink 30 drops a day in a a 16 oz drink (usually iced tea or Liquid IV Hydration) and as long as I take them I don't get night cramps in feet, calves, etc. They have been wonderful for me. My primary doctor recommended them over 2 years ago.
Good luck!!

To me this sounds like the perfect approach to aching night legs.
It works for me, the Dove Soap not at all. And did you really expect it too? Come on!

Ankle pumps, ankle circles, and calf stretches where you pull back your toes to stretch your arch before bed and whenever you wake up before getting out of bed. They are especially good when you feel a cramp starting. All those exercises get the circulation going and the stretching loosens the tight muscles. When my therapist first showed me ankle pumps I thought they were silly, not real exercise. After knee replacement surgery I think of those silly ankle pumps as my best friend!

I was taught several years ago by a massage therapist to get rid of the calf cramp take the side of yours or whoever’s nearby and take the pinky side and hit across the center of the foot and it will knock the cramp out ( believe me I used to get them all the time) just don’t hit to hard I bruised my hand the first time. If you try it and it works please comment so others will try.

I empathize with you as I have dealt with this for years. I’ve been told to increase potassium. When that didn’t work my doctor put me on magnesium. Again, this did nothing for me.

I walked the floors several times a night, drank pickle juice, took spoonfuls of yellow mustard and still suffered with nocturnal leg cramps.

Our neighbor told me to drink 4-6 ox of tonic water with quinine. I asked our pharmacist about this and he shared that he recommends this also, so I gave it a try. It sure seems to work for me. At $1.00 for 32 oz it’s been a blessing.

If you’ve tried everything, give it a try and see if it helps. It won’t hurt to try.

Quinine