My
wife gets
severe leg cramps occasionally, and there's nothing that
wakes you up faster than a loved one just sitting up and
screaming bloody murder. Leg cramps
hurt, and it took almost a half hour for me to get rid of them.
I usually straighten out her leg and massage the calf, making sure her toes are pointing up. By the time she is feeling like she may actually live through it, my hands are all cramped up.
Here were some suggestions that were given to me by my doctor:
- Drink lots of liquids, like Dannye noted above.
- Try to keep warm blankets on your lower legs when you sleep.
- Do not drink any caffiene-laced drinks, as they are diuretics (they dehydrate you by making you go pee).
- This was the interesting one: Take a calcium supplement. My wife still had leg cramps, but not as often after items 1 through 3. After she started the calcium, she has not had one in over two years.
Hopefully these will help you out. I still rub her calves and feet after a long day, but I get to do it at my pace.