A complex problem

Night-time muscle cramps are more likely to affect us as we age, and the jury is out on effective nutritional treatments.

- Jennifer Bowden

Question: Is there a nutritionally useful element for preventing painful leg cramps that seem to bedevil folk as they get older? Magnesium used to be recommended, but those I know who have tried a supplement have found it doesn't seem to work.

Answer: The sudden, involuntary contraction of one or more muscles is guaranteed to shift one from night-time slumber to absolutely alert in seconds due to the severe pain. And you're not alone in dealing with muscle cramps - they are more common in older adults.

A recent French study found about 46% of older adults experienced them. However, cramps are also common in younger people after vigorous exercise.

Most occur in the leg muscles, particularly the calf muscle, and typically last from a few seconds to several minutes before disappearing. Although stretching the muscle usually provides some relief and speeds up the end of the cramp, it's certainly not the ideal solution. Indeed, about 20% of people with leg cramps have symptoms every day that are severe enough to require medical intervention.

Cramps typically occur while resting - for example, while sitting down reading a book or watching television, or, worse still, in the middle of the night while sleeping. The French study found 31% of older adults reported cramps woke them at night.

Another study found about a third of older Americans suffered from nocturnal leg cramps, with the calf muscle most often affected. Unfortunately, these bouts of pain disrupt sleep quality and, ultimately, quality of life.