I can be just fine... until I slip under the covers and try to find a comfortable position. All at once my legs, particularly my knees, start to ache. If I try to hold them still, I end up twitching. If I wiggle them around and rub them, I keep my husband awake. Actually, when I try to hold still and can’t, the twitching disturbs him, too. The poor guy is just about as cursed by this as I am, because of the secondary effects.
Over the years I have tried many things:
- rubbing my knees with arnica gel before I go to bed
- taking two extra strength acetaminophen pills
- drinking milk (calcium) and eating a banana (potassium) for a snack in the late evening
- drinking tonic water (quinine)
- taking a calcium/magnesium/zinc supplement at bedtime
All of these things help sometimes and none of them helps every time.
I finally went to the doctor because of my fibromyalgia. If you have fibromyalgia, you know how much help it is to go to the doctor. Ha. Anyway, the family practice doctor referred me to a rheumatologist who referred me to an endocrinologist. None of them really helped the overall issue...
But when I was at the rheumatologist, she mentioned to me that... I might try stretching out my hamstrings before I go to bed.
Why had this never occurred to me?
Now I like to spend the evening stretching in front of the fireplace while the family is watching TV. It helps if I do this in front of the fireplace, because heat increases flexibility. On nights when nobody has time to watch TV, I just stretch in my bedroom, but it’s nicest when I can do it in the middle of family time.
The best stretch I’ve found is the old V stretch where you sit on the floor with your legs in a V and...
- Stretch to the left, touch your head to you knee (or as close as possible).
- Stretch to the right, touch your head to you knee (or as close as possible).
- Stretch to the center, touch your head to the floor (or as close as possible).
Hold each stretch for 10-30 seconds, working up as you become more flexible. Repeat through the stretches three times or more. Be sure to stretch both sides equally!
- Afterwards, I like to stand up and bend over and touch my toes a few times.
- Following that, I do a neck stretch from side to side (like the first picture you see in this link).
I’ve found that when I spend a tidy little chunk of time stretching in the evening, I spend a lot less time tossing and turning with leg cramps after I go to bed.
Do you have any hints for getting your muscles ready for sleeping?
Thanks, Ruth. I have the same problems as you at night. Some of your suggestions I already do. But the stretching is a good reminder of something I've heard many times before and yet still fail to do. I'll give it a try.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Gloria. I've been astounded by how much this very simple measure helps. Vigorous exercise is no good for those of us with fibro. But long, slow, gentle walks and stretching both help me a great deal. In the winter, when the cold makes walking outside counter-productive, stretching is all the more helpful. I hope it helps you, too.
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