NO DOCTOR has been able to figure this out - can you? How do I stop this?

I've had this issue for 4 or 5 years. I've been to several different departments at the hospital, including neurology, sleep disorders, and rheumatology. I have asked many health professionals. The problem is after I have been sleeping anywhere from about 6 to 8 hours and I am nearing waking consciousness, my feet decide to stretch out way over extending themselves with A LOT of force behind them. I pull ligaments and tendons in my feet and ankles. It is very difficult or impossible to stop. I have to wake up quickly and try to stop the forceful motion. It seems to happen randomly. I don't have any other muscle movements in the legs at night. It happens on both sides. I have had to wear plastic boots made by an orthopedic dr. at times. I never know when it will strike, I can go months with no problem. Two clues: It seems better when I swim regularly, and it seems worse when I have lost sleep, even an hour or 2, over the course of a few days, from slight stress. How can I STOP this?

Before bed I stretch and take hot showers. I also drink enough fluids and have an excellent diet.

What fluids? Caffeine? That can make you have these strange symptoms....What are you doing as you sleep? Had any sleep studies done? If you are Fighting, running in your sleep, your legs would move...alot...the spasm type symptoms could be coming from the fact that you only THOUGHT you were resting.....WHAT ARE YOUR LEGS DOING WHEN YOU SLEEP? Do you have someone living with you? Ask them. if they do not know because they were sleeping also...Ask them to stay awake and watch you...Let us know!!! BY THE WAY, what do you call slight stress...Some of us see "A LONG TIME AS 36 hours...Some see it as 6 months, others see it as years......SLIGHT STRESS... That could also be the cause, because of the way you deal with slight stress causing less sleep, your brain did not get to release the chemicals needed...Do you have any under lying health problems, sometimes conditions raise their heads in strange ways....I'll PRAY for you! GOD BLESS!!

Vitamin B6 deficiency will produce night time muscle spasms, leg cramps, excessive urination, nausea and vomiting, terrible dry mouth which cannot be resolved no matter how much water you drink, numbness and tingling and prickling sensations in the outer extremities ................. vitamin B6 is needed for the effective assimilation of Vitamin B12 so if you are deficient in B6 (pyridoxine) then you will also be displaying symptoms of vitamin B12 (cycoanobalamin) deficiency ie: headaches and migraines, irritability and moodiness, inability to think clearly,excessive sweating, chest pains and heart palpitations, depression, constipation and insomnia........... vitamin B12 is needed for effective iron assimilation, so if you are deficient in B12 then you would also be displaying symptoms of iron deficiency anaemia ie: fatigue and exhaustion, dizzy spells and fainting and loss of balance. A quick way to check if you are iron deficient is to pull down the bottom lid of your eyelids and check the color. If it is red or dark pink then you are healthy but if it is pale and pasty white looking then you are more than likely iron deficient.

Eat more foods rich in Vitamin B12 ie: organ meats such as lambs fry and kidneys, skimmed milks and cheeses, fish and eggs.

Eat more foods rich in vitamin B6 ie; wheat bran, wheat germ, liver, fish, cantaloupe, cabbage, blackstrap molasses, unmilled rice, oats and eggs.

Eat more foods rich in iron ie: Pork, beef, liver, red meat, clams, dried peaches, farina, egg yolks, oysters, nuts, beans, asparagus, molasses and oatmeal.

Iron assimilates more effectively when consumed with foods rich in vitamin C ie; citrus fruits such as lemons, limes and oranges, tomatoes and potatoes, leafy green vegies and red and green peppers.

If you are lactose intolerant or vegetarian then it is really important that you supplement your diet with a multi B complex tablet on a daily basis and focus on the meat free iron rich sources i mentioned above or supplement.

Things that could be robbing you of your precious B complex of vitamins are :- eating too much protein, alcohol, eating too much tinned food, antiobiotics, antidepressants, diuretics & laxatives, penicillin, prednisone and aspirin, also the oral contraceptive and eostroegen supplementation will rob you of your B complex of vitamins and vitamin C.

Also, try to cut back on drinks such as caffeine, tea, sodas and soft drinks as they are all B complex thieves........ as well as being great at dehydrating you.

Take a multi B complex tablet including all the B's ie: B1, B2 B3, B5, B6 and B12 as they work best synergistically (together).

The B complex of vitamins is essential for healthy neural, digestive and immune system functioning.

The B complex of vitamins is a water soluble complex and as such our bodies can neither store or produce them. Therefore we need to ingest them on a daily basis or suffer the consequences as you unfortunately are.........

When you take your daily supplement ensure that you take it with some type of calcium rich food ie: low fat cheese or milk or a calcium supplement as B12 needs calcium to be properly assimilated by the body........... ensure you also get enough sunshine (vitamin D) or eat cold water fishes such as tuna, salmon, sardines and whiting as calcium needs enough vitamin D to be effectively absorbed!! These cold water fishes are also a rich source of magnesium (known as the antistress mineral) which is probably another thing you may need to focus on as well ~ your stress levels. Quite a handfull of information here ........ sorry it's a bit long winded but you need to know all this.

When our bodies are placed under added stress such as sickness, relationship dramas, new job, school studies or just daily life really, the B complex of vitamins are usually the first group to get used up and we therefore need to adjust our intake accordingly.

When you are getting any stress related symptoms or any of the above mentioned symptoms simply take another B tablet. As they are water soluble our bodies will simply excrete any excess in our urine.

Drink loads of fresh filtered water too as the happiest and healthiest body will always be the most hydrated one.

I sincerely wish you the best of health & vitality buddy鈾?br>

CHEERS
鈾?/div>

Source(s):

naturopath in training

I am by no means a doctor. However, I started having a lot of feet muscle cramping, constricting, and spasming problems about a year ago. They were very random, but did appear to only be happening at night/early morning. I had to hold my foot/feet with my hands to try to control them. Nobody could help me out with my problem, so I made a few changes in my diet after doing some research online. I started adding bananas, milk, calcium and magnesium supplements to my diet. I'm doing great now. One time, I ran out of magnesium for about 2 weeks and it started happening again. Worth a shot, I don't think it could hurt. Check with your primary care physician to see if it's ok for you to start taking some over the counter magnesium supplements. Good luck.

Not sure but try this it may help
at bedtime soak in a warm to hot tub with some bath oil.

take magnesium and potassium right before you go to sleep.

Also take Hylaronic acid, vitamin E, vitamin B6 and 12,

If it helps you should see an improvement within a few days.

My take is that whatever is on your mind during the day (when that occurs at night with the feet) you are acting it out at night. I would suggest that you stop exercising right before bed, do it in the morning instead and see if that changes anything. If you are over-extending the feet it could be that the feet are uncomfortable at night and you are trying to maybe kick off the covers, or even that your bed slants downward and the blood rushes to your feet and makes them uncomfortable. But you could have some kind of fear and are using your feet to protect you, like pushing someone away from you. I would just think it has something to do with a too short bed or to do with the blankets or too heavy a comforter you're trying to kick off. Seems to me that when a person goes into REM they are the most relaxed and are in dreamland, and dreams are what we think about all day, so I'm thinking the kicking has to do with that you're thinking during the day.

Why not see if you can be hypnotized and that way you can ask yourself what's going on. Try also to rest with your feet up on a hammock or something for a couple hours before bedtime.

I know people who punch in their sleep, and I know of people who are resting one second and respond subconsciously during the night, and, my sister used to sleep walk ....so I think your problem has to do with your input during the day.