Cramps at 4 am

[Donkeyderby]

Can anyone suggest any remedies for very painful cramps which wake me at around 4 am ? I am very sleep deprived as a result. I already keep a food diary & try to eat little & early in the evening. Yesterday eve , I only had half a banana for supper & am still experiencing the most appalling cramping pain. I know that charcoal can help relieve trapped gas. However, it's not s.thing to take long term as it depletes minerals / bone strength. Please help ! Thank you 🌷

[Jackie1612]

Sorry to hear that you are going through this. My cramps are not at 4 am, but I use a wheat bag which I heat up in the microwave. I find the heat can help.

[Donkeyderby in reply to Jackie1612]

Thank you for the kind suggestion. I guess a hot water bottle would also do the same. Will try. Thanks very much !

[buggins55]

this might sound counter intuitive but an empty tummy can also cause trapped wind perhaps a good early evening meal might help (this sometimes helps me) otherwise I use a heat pad and a tummy massage (you tube has some good videos on how to do this) when this happens to me in the night

[Gone_with_the_wind]

I suffered nightly with severe cramps therefore poor sleep. My local health shop advised taking MAG365 magnesium. Its soluble, so absorbed quickly and not unpleasant to drink. I take it just before going to bed. It is a bit expensive but I think its worth every penny. If you can take magnesium I would definitely recommend.

[xjrs]

Rennie Deflatine can help with trapped gas.

You may find some information in these links useful:

ibsresearcher.com/gas-bloat...

In regards to the pain you may be suffering from visceral hypersensitivity, which can be part of IBS:

ibsresearcher.com/pain/

I used to experience my IBS pain more likely overnight and from around that time. Alflorex probiotic has helped me greatly with this pain. It has been studied for IBS. The pain can be due to a dominance of one or more bad bugs in the gut. These oversensitise gut nerves sending pain signals to the brain. This can be worse when the gut it at its most active, such as overnight when the colon is preparing for a BM the next morning. A good probiotic like Alflorex can help kick these bad bugs into touch helping them to keep under control.

[trace55]

I dont like salt on food but my doctor said to put a pinch of salt and half teaspoon of sugar together swallow and take some still water to replace electrolytes and my cramps have gone i do this once a week or so. hope this helps Tracy.

[Zantecat]

All of these comments are good to try, Valerian seems to help me ( although I understand some people get the opposite),. Not sure banana at night seems wise lad fruit can cause gas.

[E3178]

I find bananas cause tummy cramps so I don't eat them anymore.I am also trialling valerian.

I have been using dulcoease but they are giving me tummy pain.

[Luisa22]

Have you tried something like "Rennie deflatine"? It contains simethicone which can relieve trapped wind. It might be worth trying at least.

Does a hot water bottle or heating pad (just warm and not too hot) on your tummy help during the middle of the night, so you might be able to fall back to sleep again? I'm sorry you're getting disturbed sleep. and wishing you more peaceful nights.

[Spaceboy_60]

Have a bath or/and take some dicycloverine or similar