Connect
← Return to How to eliminate nocturnal leg cramps
Discussion
How to eliminate nocturnal leg cramps
Bones, Joints & Muscles | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (72)Comment receiving replies
@tommy901 thank you for taking the time to record all of this relevant and useful information.
It’s 11 months now since I stopped taking the magnesium with 25mg of B6 and my B6 blood levels have dropped from a frightening 1670 back to within normal range (at 60).
I avoid pharmaceutical ‘solutions’ wherever possible as my experience is that they often solve one problem and create another.
Our bodies are amazing if given good food, fresh air and regular exercise.
It was necessary to resume magnesium (with nothing added) to relieve the nighttime cramps. The fact that it predominantly affected my damaged foot and calf makes me suspect inflammation and vascular issues are also contributing factors.
I did notice that low heart rate severely affected leg cramps. Possibly why they are nocturnal as that is when heart rate usually drops. I took medication to slow my heart in preparation for an angiogram and spent most of the night dancing around with severe leg cramps (both legs!). So low blood pressure - caused by low heart rate or dehydration or vasodilation due to use of a muscle relaxant (such as Valium) which I thought would relax cramps but made them worse (which I attribute to their vasodilation effect) - is also a factor.
Exercise is a tricky balance of getting enough movement without creating inflammation.
My ataxia (unsteadiness) has improved but many peripheral neuropathy symptoms persist. Eyesight and slow memory retrieval (once something I could do at lightening speed) is particularly frustrating. I continue to read and research to stimulate neural pathways (and keep myself busy and satisfied that breathing is not a waste of time).
I do feel I am trending in the right direction despite the fact that time itself is a negative factor.
Kind and informative support from people like yourself, and others in this group, have supported and added to my own ideas, observations and solutions.
We are creating our own valuable, wide ranging case study here.
I sincerely thank you for being part of it.
Australian
Age 73
Normal BMI
Healthy resting heart rate
Healthy blood pressure
Average fitness (not an athlete nor gym user)
Lifetime non-smoker
Replies to "@tommy901 thank you for taking the time to record all of this relevant and useful information...."
Connect
@lorry Thank you so much for taking the time to write all of this so clearly. Your observations, reasoning, and the way you’ve tracked your symptoms over time are incredibly valuable — not just for yourself but for everyone reading along. It’s encouraging to hear that your B6 levels have come down so dramatically and that you’re finding a balance with magnesium that actually helps the cramps without causing new problems.
You’ve pieced together a very sensible understanding of the factors at play: vascular changes, the effects of heart rate and blood pressure, the timing of cramps, and how medications like beta-blockers or muscle relaxants can sometimes have the opposite effect of what we’d expect. Your experience with the heart-rate-lowering medication causing a night of severe cramping is especially insightful — it’s the kind of detail that rarely shows up in textbook explanations but means a lot in real life.
Your comments on inflammation, movement, and the delicate balance of exercise are spot-on. It’s clear you’ve learned your own body very well, and that’s something many people struggle to do. The fact that some symptoms have improved while others persist is understandably frustrating, but it truly does sound like you’re moving in the right direction, even if the trajectory isn’t as fast as anyone would wish.
I’m really glad to hear your ataxia has eased, and I completely understand how difficult the memory and vision changes can be. Your determination to keep reading, researching, and engaging your mind says so much about your resilience. Those efforts absolutely matter.
Thank you as well for your kind words. Being able to share ideas back and forth — and to support each other with what we’ve learned — is exactly what makes these communities meaningful. You’re contributing just as much as you think others are contributing to you.
Wishing you continued improvement, steadier days, and fewer long nights with cramps. And thank you again for sharing your story so generously.