Have you ever had this happen… you’re drifting blissfully off to sleep, your body is totally relaxed and bam! Your calf is clutched with an excruciating spasm? It feels as if your leg was just jabbed with a butcher’s knife.

Because nighttime cramps are short-lived and relatively harmless, not much research has been done on them, therefore, doctors only have a collection of educated guesses as to why “charley horses” happen.

The most common cause is believed to be exercising more rigorously without working up to it, or trying totally new exercises. Other suspected cramp culprits could be sitting in certain positions too long, dehydration and/or imbalances with your electrolytes.

We usually think of metals, such as copper wiring or steel lightening rods, as being conductors of electricity, but in the human body, certain liquids also are conductors. We call these solutions of dissolved salts, electrolytes. The most common salt is table salt or sodium chloride, which breaks down into sodium and chlorine ions in water. The body uses these to conduct electrical impulses between tissues of the body, especially nerve and muscle cells. The body also uses other salts in their ionic forms, the most important being potassium and calcium.

Unfortunately, no fail-safe cure for “charley horses” exists, but doctors have a slew of tips to keep spasms at bay, i.e. drinking plenty of water, eating enough potassium and stretching before and after exercise.

Gatorade is recommended in addition to water to keep your electrolyte levels where they should be. More potassium can be gained by eating bananas, avocados, sweet potatoes, spinach and oranges.

Last, but certainly not least, is stretching. It only takes a few minutes but can prevent a world of hurt. To stretch your calf muscles, hang your heels off a step, using a doorway for balance. Your hamstrings can be stretched by putting one leg up on a footstool or low coffee table, keeping the knee straight. Make sure both hip bones are pointing forward.

For your quads, bend one knee and bring your foot up in back of you, holding on to your ankle. The bent knee should be pointing down to the ground, the hips slightly tucked forward.

One last thing to help the whole leg and foot relax: roll your bare foot over a tennis ball, massaging the bottom of the foot. Your feet will thank you for this.

These stretches take about ten minutes total to perform and will go a long way toward allowing your blissful night’s sleep not to be interrupted. Sweet dreams.

Mary Ann Carlson owns the Pilates Studio of Jacksonville and can be reached at 541-890-7703. Starting March 2, she is offering a New Beginning Pilates Class on Friday mornings. She also has an additional Beginnning/Intermediate Class on Fridays and Intermediate Class on Tuesdays.