I swear I took my magnesium supplement last night, and drank eight glasses of water yesterday. I even had a banana at lunch.
The cramp didn't care.
There I was, in that first dip of deep sleep that comes an hour after my head hits the pillow, when the outside of my left ankle spasmed into a hard, breathtakingly excruciating knot. The pain quickly traveled up my calf before I jumped out of bed. When this happens, it doesn't matter which way I turn my foot or leg; every movement just makes the knot worse. Pressure from standing sometimes does the trick, but not this time. I hobbled to the bathroom, whimpering as my calf seized up, cursing the interruption to my much-needed sleep.
My foot now up on the toilet seat, I can feel the hard knot in my calf, and try to massage it away with a modicum of success. The spasms stopped, but I could feel the tension still there in my ankle. I carefully made my way back to bed, spending precious minutes of what should be sleep trying to find a position that wouldn't trigger a full-on cramp again.
At some point I must have drifted off. The memory of the pain was front and center as my alarm blared, exhausting and prompting another twenty minutes of sleep. And the cramp? Nowhere to be seen this morning. I danced to the radio in the dim light of the living room, sending it even further away.
You may have taken my night, cramp, but you're not ruining my day!
You are not alone! I had a leg cramp last night, too. They are awful. Mine almost always occur when I’ve not had enough water. When one starts, I immediately grab my water bottle and gulp. Never let the leg cramp win! I hope today is stellar.
ReplyDeleteMe too! I had them in both legs. I had to grab for my stretching strap and give each foot a tug toward my head. What a pain!!
ReplyDeleteThis has happened to me a number of times, Chris - so annoying! You description is spot-on. Hope your leg wasn't sore today and here's to the weekend - may it be filled with good, cramp-free rest!
ReplyDeleteNatalie Dunne
ReplyDeleteMiddle of the night leg cramps are the worst. I'm sorry you get them. Glad you were able to get back to sleep.
I like how you danced it further away in the morning. I hate leg cramps! They love to visit me, too, any time day or night. I have chugged pickle juice to help calm them down-that seems to be the only thing that works. Then I douse them with Biofreeze, suck in my breath, and hope they go away.
ReplyDelete