For many of us who suffer from leg cramps and charley horses at night we’ve actually learned to recognize some of the feelings of an impending leg cramp. For some they feel an uncomfortable tingling sensation in their legs, while for others there’s an add tension that in their calf and leg muscles that wasn’t there before. Some people can feel the tension building in their legs throughout the day or evening and are almost certain that when they go to sleep they may suddenly be woken up with a piercing pain.

Hyland’s new leg cramp ointment has also helped some people prevent night time leg cramping.

Fortunately, there are some things you can do when you feel as though a cramping leg muscle may be in your near future:

Stretch and Walk Around: It’s difficult, but not impossible, for your leg to cramp while you’re walking or stretching it properly. You’ll want to stretch your calf muscles by standing straight on an even surface and curling your toes up towards the sky. You may feel stretching tendons and muscles in your heel and calf, which is a good thing. For some people simply putting weight on their legs and walking around for a couple minutes is enough to make the cramping feeling subside, but for others a full stretching regimen may be in order.

Drink The Right Fluids: Making sure your body is hydrated is a good first step to avoiding leg cramps. Drinking water is good, but milk may be a little better because it has extra calcium and other nutrients in it. There are, of course, many other things you can drink as well. It’s well-known that drinking tonic water with quinine will help prevent leg cramps and many people that apple cider vinegar can offer immediate leg cramp relief, though the taste turns some people off. You’ll want to avoid alcohol because that could actually cause more muscle cramping.

Eat Potassium Rich Foods: It generally takes the body a little longer to digest solid foods than liquid, but anything with high amounts of potassium in them can help you avoid a painful leg cramp later on. A lot of people think of bananas when they think of potassium rich foods, but there are plenty of other common foods that contain much more potassium per serving such as avocado, tomato sauce, baked potatoes and even raisins. You’ll also want to aim for eating antioxidant rich fruits and vegetables like blueberries, pomegranates or even items containing that new grain berry.

If you want some immediate relief and you’re looking for something more along the natural and homeopathic line then you might want to try some Hyland’s Leg Cramp tablets. They’re inexpensive (though not always easy to find) and many people keep them in the house and take one at bed time when they feel as though a night time leg cramp may strike. Hyland’s reports that they contain quinine and the tablets are easily swallowed with a glass of water, so you don’t have to deal with the bitter taste of tonic water.

With patience and a few preventive measures you can learn to recognize an impending muscle cramp and learn how to relax your legs and get a good night’s sleep.