Lsst night was my worst ever in a hammock

[burtonator]

Eat more Potassium products,,banannas,,water mellon,,and salt. I still get them and they suck! lol

This... you have low electrolytes, especially potassium. I pack some with me... you can get them in supplement form.

You can sweat these out so it's helpful to bring some with you.

[psyculman]

This cramping happens to me all the time, early in the cycling season, as well as hiking, and diminishes as the season's activities increase.

A good solution:
Potassium: 1/4 teaspoon per quart of water after exercise stops. BEST source? Morton, or any LITE salt substitute, just read the label. Morton's is pretty high.

Water: LOTS OF IT, the sooner the better. And drink a lot during exertion, a big help.

Calcium: either supplement tables, or antacid OTC medications: Rolaids, Tums, etc.

And salty foods, chips snacks etc. The more sodium, the better.

Flush out those lactic acids. It's exertion, your muscles are not accustomed to it.

And, your sleep will be less interrupted by needing to get up and go during the night.

I also add a 1/4 teaspoon of kitchen baking soda to a quart of water for long cycling rides in the summer to mitigate lactic acid build up in the blood stream, and it has seemed to help a lot.

[oldbiker]

A few years ago at wife's constant shall we say persuasion, I went to the heart doctor. They said my heart was in larger from years of high blood pressure. Medications and sodium free diet was prescribed. In time I would wake every morning with extreme leg cramps. After trying potassium and a few other things, I added salt back to my diet and the cramps stopped.

I think cramps are just our body's way of saying something is out of kilt. It's up to the individual to figure out what.

[sandykayak]

As much as I love how compact my Byers is (and love how the strings allow it to spread better than most gathered end hammocks), I found that the fabric stretches waaaay too much.

I'm short and my Switchback is long. On the INSIDE zipper pulls I have added neon orange guy line string with a large bead. This enables me to find and reach the zipper pulls easily.

For paddlers: I also tie a thicker cord and larger (wooden) bead on my dry bags so I can pull them out of the hatches easily. I have short arms! Insert bag, leaving the line and bead extended within easy reach.

[trewornan]

Apricots contain a lot of potassium too - dried ones make a tasty snack and are easily stored and transported.

Although as others have pointed out, a little salt and a lot of water are often sufficient to cure cramps on their own. We tend to think of salt as bad for us and forget how previous generations valued it or how soldiers in desert environments were (are?) issued salt pills.

[trewornan]

I also add a 1/4 teaspoon of kitchen baking soda to a quart of water for long cycling rides in the summer to mitigate lactic acid build up in the blood stream, and it has seemed to help a lot.

Well it's a good idea because the electrolytes are more balanced osmotically but I doubt it's mitigating lactic acid in the blood stream, blood pH is quite tightly controlled by the body - mainly through carbonic acid and respiration rates.

[mountain_man_mike]

Apricots contain a lot of potassium too - dried ones make a tasty snack and are easily stored and transported.

Just make sure you limit the amount of dried apricots you eat or you'll be darting out of your hammock at a very inconvenient time and nothing on the planet will stop you.

The pain comparison to giving birth made me think of the pain of passing a kidney stone, which I am told is on par with childbirth except for the sharp edges and size of the orifice.

My sympathies to you and thanks for having "the stones" to bring some humor to an agonizing situation.

[krshome]

I'm 41 and that happen to me this pass spring for the first time ever on a backpacking trip, It sucked! Has happened now three more times at home doing the same thing just stretching my legs out in bed. Man i'm getting old quick.

[Roots Guy]

I feel ya. I get leg cramps occasionally and they're extremely painful and I'm sore for a few days. So far never in the hammock. I do get a mild foot/toe cramp almost every time though. I figured since my legs were slightly elevated the muscles in my feet might be somewhat dehydrated causing the cramps. But this is purely speculation.

[gunner76]

Thought it as strange when I first heard about it but try pinching your lip (see link). Squeeze just as hard as you can

http://healing.about.com/od/homereme...leg-cramps.htm

It works for me.