Magnesium citrate may be the most effective type if you want to try a supplement. If you're magnesium deficient, there may be other benefits from increasing your intake of this nutrient. And other remedies are available for leg cramping that may help.
Recommend purpose: Magnesium Citrate is a more well-rounded form of magnesium for general wellbeing. It is helpful for calming the nervous system and muscle cramps.
Although further research is needed on magnesium and muscle cramps, taking 300 mg of magnesium daily may help decrease symptoms.
While magnesium deficiency has been proposed as a cause of leg cramps, there is no evidence that magnesium supplements provide a clinical benefit other than for pregnancy-related leg cramp.
Potassium. Potassium helps maintain normal cell function in the body, particularly in the nerves and muscles. It is relatively common for people to have a potassium deficiency. However, if a person has a severe deficiency , they may experience symptoms such as leg cramps.
Too little potassium, calcium or magnesium in your diet can contribute to leg cramps. Diuretics — medications often prescribed for high blood pressure — also can deplete these minerals.
Magnesium citrate
This form of magnesium is known to help support bone health by maintaining state mineral absorption in bones and bone mineralisation (23). It also provides other benefits that include reducing muscle cramps, twitches and stiffness (24) as well as maintaining nervous system health (25).
A 2015 study of the medical uses of magnesium recommends taking magnesium citrate because it's more easily absorbed by the body.
Meaning This trial suggests that magnesium oxide is not significantly better than placebo for alleviating nocturnal leg cramps. Importance Magnesium supplements are widely marketed for prophylaxis of nocturnal leg cramps (NLC) despite no evidence of significant benefit.
Vitamin B complex.
There is some evidence that taking a daily capsule containing eight B vitamins—B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6, B7 (biotin), B9 (folate), and B12—may prevent cramps.
Apply heat or cold. Use a warm towel or heating pad on tense or tight muscles. Taking a warm bath or directing the stream of a hot shower onto the cramped muscle also can help. Alternatively, massaging the cramped muscle with ice may relieve pain.
Too much magnesium from foods isn't a concern for healthy adults. However, the same can't be said for supplements. High doses of magnesium from supplements or medications can cause nausea, abdominal cramping and diarrhea.
Without question, magnesium glycinate is the best form of magnesium for sleep. Magnesium glycinate is a combination of magnesium and the non-essential sleep-inducing amino acid, glycine.
KAL Magnesium Glycinate
Coming in fully chelated form—enabling easy absorption and minimal digestive stress—this magnesium supplement containing glycinate not only promotes bone and muscle health, but also supports the body's stress response and healthy relaxation.
Magnesium citrate is a more common choice if you want to maintain magnesium levels for general whole-body health. On the other hand, magnesium glycinate has less bioavailability but can have a calming effect.
Some also find that taking 200-400 mg of magnesium glycinate for menstrual cramps helpful in reducing or eliminating their frequency.
Taking large or frequent doses of dietary magnesium supplements, including magnesium glycinate, can cause adverse effects, including diarrhea, nausea, and stomach cramps. Extremely high intakes of magnesium can lead to an irregular heartbeat and potentially a cardiac arrest, which can be dangerous.
Magnesium citrate is most helpful for people suffering from constipation, while the glycinate form is more useful for conditions like anxiety, insomnia, chronic stress, and inflammatory conditions.
Magnesium Malate
This is one of the better absorbed forms of magnesium, which increases both serum and muscle levels of magnesium. Preliminary research shows that it may be effective in treating symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue, as malate is involved with energy production.
One way to stop cramps is to stretch or massage your muscles and to eat enough of these key nutrients: potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium.
Drink plenty of fluids. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, will often help leg cramps.
Magnesium. Magnesium is one of those electrolytes important for dictating muscle movement because it helps your muscles relax. Because of this, people with clinically low magnesium levels can develop muscle spasms/cramps from an imbalance of electrolytes.
In general, night leg cramps are likely to be related to muscle fatigue and nerve problems. The risk of having night leg cramps increases with age. Pregnant women also have a higher likelihood of having night leg cramps.