Charlie Horse

Hello. A long time ago (ok maybe not that long, during the spring) i could just tighten my calf muscle, or contract it, and i would give myself a major charlie horse. Im smart enough to not have done that again. But im wondering why?

This morning one of them most painful charlie horses in my left calf woke me up out of a deep sleep. I could hardly breathe. Could this have anything to do with me taking a week off from exercise? Are my muscles freaking out now just because of this 6 day break? I eat 3 bananas a day and take multivitamins, so i dont think its potassium deffiency. I get enough water, by far. Why do these horrible, painful things happen?

You say that you are getting enough potassium and plenty of water but are you getting enough sodium?

According to this article, the cause of night cramps is unknown:

"Rest cramps: Cramps at rest are very common, especially in older adults, but may be experienced at any age, including childhood. Rest cramps often occur during the night. While not life-threatening, night cramps (commonly known as nocturnal cramps) can be painful, disruptive of sleep, and they can recur frequently (that is, many times a night, and/or many nights each week). The actual cause of night cramps is unknown. Sometimes, such cramps are initiated by making a movement that shortens the muscle. An example is pointing the toe down while lying in bed, which shortens the calf muscle, a common site of cramps."

Also magnesium deficiency can also cause cramps.

Original Post by trhawley:

An example is pointing the toe down while lying in bed, which shortens the calf muscle, a common site of cramps."

Thats exactly what i did. Ouch. Shortens? Hm. does that mean that i randomly cause preassure on it or something?

I used to get those so badly that I'd legitimately wake up yelling. It was bad. They're also caused by calcium deficiencies and suck, a lot. =[