How much water are you drinking during the day? How much Potassium and magnesium are you getting in your diet? I ask only because an imbalance or absence of these substances can lead to muscle spasms, which I’m guessing based on your description is the primary cause of your symptoms. Quinine (found in tonic water, and capsule form) taken at bedtime can, for some people, eliminate spasms such as the ones that you’re describing. I wouldn’t however advise you to take any herb, supplement or drug without discussing it with a doctor familiar with your history, current health status, your medications (OTC & Prescribed) and the potential risk and benefits of any proposed substances.
Beds… For many people living with back pain, sometime between 2:00-3:00am seems to be the bewitching hour so to speak. Why that is so I don’t honestly know, I just know that it is. Since my first suspicion (despite your input regarding your certainty that it isn’t your bed) is that your bed might be the culprit, I thought that I’d share (copy and paste) some of the input from a couple of other threads on this forum:
Back Pain After Surgery - Started by Bloodthief 11-12-07
“What is the quality of your sleeping surface? How old is your bed and does it have any dips or sags? Does it give away under the weight and pressure of your body? What’s the condition of your box springs, any broken boards or wide spots between the boards?”
Back Pain !! Please Help - Started by Ram2007 on 11-15-07
“We don’t necessarily notice the small subtle changes that take place with our mattresses, nor do we tend to replace them as often as we should. It’s not usually until we’re no longer comfortable or it begins to affect our sleep and/or the quality of our sleep that we actually stop to think about how old our mattresses are. But given your current complaints, I’m guessing that it might be time to go shopping for a new mattress set.”
Because of your certainty regarding the fact, that in your opinion, your bed isn’t the cause of your complaints. I would encourage you to see your doctor and get a full evaluation including an MRI. It’s possible that you have something going on that could respond and resolve with treatment/physical therapy. How much and what kind of exercises, if any, do you do? How would you rate (on a scale of 1-10) your current core strength?
While I would never ever tell anybody to begin an exercise program without first obtaining a full physical evaluation from a doctor, etc… I am a true advocate of the benefits of exercise and am optimistic that the right exercise program could alleviate your symptoms, but not without seeing your doctor first.
Good luck & best wishes,
Tyton
