The nightmare of nocturnal cramps

Old age or dehydration? Jane Bates investigates the cause of her night-time muscle spasms 

Nocturnal cramps have not disturbed my sleep since I was a cyclist. Back in the day I would push myself to the limit, but I hadn't been cycling, I’d just spent a long, arduous day at work.  

Anxious not to spend another night clutching my calf and hopping round the bedroom, I googled ‘night cramps’. The treatment caught my eye. Quinine. There is quinine in tonic water, and there was plenty of that in the fridge. 

But quinine came with dire warnings – ‘may cause blindness and death'. Yikes. Diluting the tonic with plenty of gin seemed the only solution.  

So if the treatment was a bit scary, I had better tackle the cause. Pregnancy, dehydration, over-exertion, getting older. The last one stuck out like a knotted muscle. 

I spend half my life explaining to people (tactfully) that their condition is a result of old age. Reactions from patients are mixed; most people possess enough common sense to have already come to terms with this, while others respond with humour. But I was proving to be one of those in denial. ‘Whaddya mean, getting older?’ 

Then I re-read the list, and ‘dehydration’ caught my eye. My shift had been on an exceptionally hot day with few chances to grab a glass of anything, and I had been too tired to drink when I got home. 

So that was probably the explanation, because the muscle spasms have now ceased. I might just have a gin and tonic to celebrate. For medicinal purposes, of course.  

About the author

Jane Bates is an ophthalmic nurse in Hampshire