@ashby1947 mentioned "Maybe they would have anyway. I have heard of people drinking pickle juice for them"

"The first thing I would do is to drink more water."

There are two significant statements here-

1) Dill pickle "juice", which is actually the liquid that contains H2O and the brine from pickling the cucumbers contains a "hot shot" of potassium, sodium and magnesium. It's a temporary fix. Only alleviates the initial cramping, but those cramps will come back.

2) The comment she makes about water- none of drink nearly enough of just plain water. Gatorade and other "power" drinks alluding to balancing electroylytes contain sugars, either real sugar or synthetic. Which IMO, just adds to the root of the problem, which is just hydration from water, only. On a side note, super charged caffeinated drinks like Red Bull, are capable of killing a person (I know this to be true, even affects the younger population).

I've been getting a LOT of relief, including sleeping through the night minus those annoying cramps, below the knees (calves, feet, etc.) IF I drink at least 2-3 cups of water before I hit the sack. I'm also becoming much more conscientious of drinking more water during the day. Of course, most people want their caffeine (coffee/tea/soft drink) in the mornings to give out brain receptors a boost to fire on all cylinders, just remember- caffeine dehydrates. Therefore, water, water and MORE WATER throughout the day. Helps with kidney function as well (water does indeed flush out the renal system).

I still drink ONE ginger ale a day, the sugared kind- due to aspartame and other synthetic sweeteners being total poisons to our CNS functions. I also use the more natural cane sugar in raw form, the un-bleached processed white sugar. Something I use in my coffee and I only drink 2 cups of coffee in the morning.

I limit myself (I used to drink way too much coffee/caffeinated beverages), quit all the caramelized, carbonated drinks years ago- just ginger ale if I want something carbonized.

Commercial fruit "drinks" are very low in the real juice from fruits- look at the list of ingredients! My take, eat the fruit and if you really want the "juice", squeeze it out (will take a lot of work and more fruit to get a decent amount).

So, my point is- drink a LOT of water, even if you're not thirsty. Especially in the evenings/before bed. I'm finding real relief, been at this for just a few weeks and noticing a marked change. What a delight to sleep through the night!

Of course, I understand for both male and female- as we age, waking up just needing to urinate all the fluid can be a problem to those of us in the "geriatric" stage. Getting up to urinate sure beats waking up from those awful, painful cramps one needs to "walk out" and going back to sleep! Especially for men, given prostate issues due to the aging process. I've witnessed this in both men and no, women have our own issues (due to the urethral sphincter muscle that holds urine from releasing from the bladder), which can be caused due to childbirth and aging in general.

I'm just suggesting you try drinking at least 2-3 cups RIGHT before you go to bed. Try it for a week, see if you get any relief and if you do, therein lies the solution! So many of us, especially in these times, just don't drink enough water- we all want the sweetened, tasty stuff and it's really affecting us negatively.

I hope this novella helps you! (you're welcome to give me feedback after you've tried this!)