Cramp (in bed?)

[Alf]

With all the mileage and long races I have done this year with never a twinge of cramp I woke up this morning screaming the house down with a bad cramp in my right calf. My calf is now very sore and my annual trip to Borrowdale this weekend is now looking very doubtful :angry: My last run was at the weekend and was certainly not strenuous so I have no idea where the cramp came from?

[cyclops]

sorry to hear about yr cramp - I've only ever had it out running. could you be dehydrated? all this heat could be a contributing factor.
have a read of this: http://globaltherapies.blogspot.com/2011/05/cramp.html
a bit of self massage, hydrating adequately and some RICE protocol application could help.

[simgreen78]

Unless you are a sleep runner, I thought cramp in bed was generally linked to dehydration too.

[martmason]

Cramp in bed is associated with stretching or lack of according to my physio. Try stretching before bed to see if it helps. Coincidentally I also woke up with cramp in my left calf today, unfortunatley its in a cast cos my fibula is broken, so just had to ride it out........

[anthonykay]

For the second time within a year, I have had my sleep disturbed by cramp in the night after a fell race (despite not having had any cramp during the race or before I went to bed). Does anyone have anything add to the suggestions in earlier posts on this thread, i.e. dehydration as the cause, and stretching before bed as a possible prevention?

[Llani Boy]

For the second time within a year, I have had my sleep disturbed by cramp in the night after a fell race (despite not having had any cramp during the race or before I went to bed). Does anyone have anything add to the suggestions in earlier posts on this thread, i.e. dehydration as the cause, and stretching before bed as a possible prevention?

I never have cramp in bed after a race Anthony. The 4 or 5 pints of Real Ale probably helps!

[Latege]

I often get cramp in bed - calves and feet, though it usually kicks in just as I'm waking up rather than when I'm actually asleep. I'm training myself not to stretch as I wake! It doesn't make a difference whether or how much I've been running, it's just random. Recently I've got sometimes got twinges even when just moving around the house, again often when stretching for some reason. Good hydration does seem to help but it's not the whole story - plenty of cramp when well hydrated. I've read that magnesium deficiency can contribute to cramp so I now try to keep up a good level and it has helped but not entirely resolved the problem. From what I've read, the experts say there's no single factor (and therefore no silver bullet) but a combination.

[anthonykay]

I often get cramp in bed - calves and feet, though it usually kicks in just as I'm waking up rather than when I'm actually asleep. I'm training myself not to stretch as I wake! It doesn't make a difference whether or how much I've been running, it's just random. Recently I've got sometimes got twinges even when just moving around the house, again often when stretching for some reason. Good hydration does seem to help but it's not the whole story - plenty of cramp when well hydrated. I've read that magnesium deficiency can contribute to cramp so I now try to keep up a good level and it has helped but not entirely resolved the problem. From what I've read, the experts say there's no single factor (and therefore no silver bullet) but a combination.

Yes, I also get that cramp when I wake up and stretch myself, so I try to remember not to stretch. But the cramp that has woken me up in the night after a race is something very different.