I often get cramps in the muscles of my feet at night. It almost always happens when I am trying to sleep. They can be in either foot (or both) and can take a while to go away. It has been happening for quite a while but before it was only occasionally and now it's more frequent. Could this be related to D? Does anyone else have this problem? I asked my endo about it the last time I was there and he seemed to think it was a potassium deficiency and told me to take a multi-vitamin everyday. I have been doing that for a few months and it doesn't seem to be helping much.
It could be related. It also sounds a bit like plantar fascitis? I think they make these funky socks you can sleep in that sort of pull your toes back that are supposed to help that? I get twinges of that if I run in the wrong shoes.
Ouch! Really painful. I used to get horrible calf cramps when trying to sleep & sometimes they woke me when asleep. Since taking 500 mg daily of magnesium, I haven't had that problem. Learned from a Tu member that magnesium chloride is the best form & it's inexpensive.
Diabetics can be low on potassium & testing is usually part of a routine blood panel. Multi vitamin isn't a problem (assuming it also contains minerals), but don't supplement with just potassium without checking with your doctor. Too much isn't good at all.
The better the control the more insulin we use. Potentially more insulin than a healthy body will need. The problem is that insulin is also a driver of the potassium intake of the cells - in addition to the carbohydrate intake. If you take a look at the package insert of your insulin you will find that the possibility of a chronic potassium deficit is stated there. The best supplementation is a combination of magnesium and potassium because they have a mutual relationship in the body chemistry. As a downside the magnesium can cause diarrhea and this is something to watch for.
Before my type 1 diabetes was diagnosed, and I was really sick with really high blood sugar, I always got foot and leg cramps during the night. They started in my feet, but as the weeks went by, they progressed to my feet and calves (very painful) then to my feet, calves and quads simultaneously (very, very painful). After my diagnosis--when I started getting insulin--they mostly went away, but I do get foot cramps occasionally, especially when my feet are cold (day or night).
I don't know what caused them, but they did go away once my blood sugar normalized.
It could also be something not D related. I had the horrific cramps when I was first dx. Some years later they came back in spades, and turned out to be a pinched nerve in my spine.
Hmm. I'll have to look into that. I have never heard of plantar fascitis, but it does always happen when I'm sleeping. I don't run much but I walk a lot and at a fast pace (I live in a city and do not have ready access to a car at the moment).
I guess I never read the package insert of my insulin. I will talk to my endo about the magnesium/potassium, though diarrhea does not sound like a fun side effect.
For me, it's shoe dependent. Some of my dressier shoes seem to bug my feet more but, fortunately for me, we've gone casual, or business casual so I wear running shoes or Birkenstocks about 100% of the time? Albert Pujols has reportedly been bothered by it it so you may want to see if you can drill high heat into the bleachers?
I think it is best to be careful to take supplements that are single vitamins or minerals. Magnesium also competes with calcium. If you take too much of one , It will crowd out the other.
If you take a multivitamin esp one that is gender specific and a diabetic formula, It is best. I have a chronic Potassium deficiency but its only minor. corrected well with a multivitamin.
Speaking of which Magnesium deficiency can cause muscle cramps and if you are potassium deficient you are likely also Magnesium deficient they often go up and down together.
Hi there,
I have the same problem and mentioned it to my diabetic nurse. I was told that drinking shweppes tonic water would help - aparantly the quinine in it helps. You could give that a try?
I used to have problem with cramps alot. I found when my sugar was high, (Over 250) and was coming down within range was when I got the cramps. I was in the emergency room once with high sugar, (Over 500) and was getting bad cramps all over my body. Blood work was taken at that time, and they found a huge potassium drop during that time, as my sugar was coming down. Since that time, I take potassium daily and do not have the problem. It is in prescription form.
Laura
Every time someone in our house has that problem it's diuretics or low potassium. So, taking it from that, maybe drinking more fluids is needed? Has the glucose been going higher at night?
I get calf cramping at night but not very often, maybe 2-3 times per year. I've taken potassium supplements and they seem to help.
More importantly, I've notice a strong correlation to this night-time cramping with large increases in my total daily dose of insulin. It usually occurs when I eat holiday foods and portions and I compensate with large increases in insulin. It also happens when I'm chasing a stubborn high and I add more than one correction dose to bring it down.
I found when I temporarily increase my total daily insulin dose by more than about 25% then night-time calf cramping often ensues.
I used to have a big problem with this pre-diagnosis. I still get it when I'm running too high (tinkling out all my minerals, I assume.) I now use NuSalt which is 50% sodium and 50% potassium. I don't use a lot, just a sprinkle on my steamed veggies or what-not. It seems to help a lot, as does keeping my BG's down to a dull roar.
I do find that being cold makes it worse, as my muscles are more likely to go into spasm when I'm shivering or tensing up even a little bit. I used to sleep in the buff back home in the Louisiana heat, but now on cool Seattle nights I have to wear sweat-pants, a tee-shirt and DOUBLE socks or I can still get crampy -- feet and calves, especially, but also terrible cramps in my thighs and lower back.
That's interesting about increased circulating insulin causing increased potassium loss.
As an insulin resistent T2, my endogenous insulin was no doubt running very, very high long before I was diagnosed. I guess that plus the increased urination due to high blood glucose probably depleted my minerals long before I was diagnosed.
The cramps I had back then were horrific and none of the doctors I consulted were much help!
Add "unexplained muscle cramps" to the warning signs of undiagnosed T2.
I tried that and it did't really help, but I did enjoy my mock G & T's.
The sugar-free kind is surprisingly tasty but hard to find.
Have them..a lot and never. Buy anticramp pill from the VitaminStore and they really help.
It is less frequent now. I find that a "walk" really helps--cold floors are wonderful.
But is a powerful pain.
I had no idea there was a "chemical" component to this, I just figured it's shoe related?
Could be chemical or physical , or both. I have Plantar fasciitis which I got some supports for. I don't have any other imbalance. It's just shoes and arch supports for me. happens from walking or running in the wrong shoes mostly.
I do seem to get shin splints easily though. Calfs tighten up easily too. I think that is more age related. Ben Gay seems to take care of it all for me :)