Soap in bed stops cramps?! This is just nuts, but it worked for me.

FishWisher

FishWisher

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Location
Central Valley California
I searched this site for "cramps soap" and nothing came up so I guess this topic hasn't come up here. If so, excuse the duplication.

I read some time ago that putting a bar of soap in bed with you, at your feet or legs, will stop cramping muscles. I chuckled at the idea, and forgot about it. 'Til last night.

I'm in my motorhome at a marina for a few days fishing. Last night my ankle and calf were driving me nuts with cramping. This happens often for me and usually just getting out of bed and standing a minute or so will stop it. I also take calcium and magnesium for it. But last night it would not stop.

I grabbed a bar of Ivory soap, left the wrapper on, and put it between the sheets with me, down by my feet. At once I felt the ankle and calf relax. I slept the rest of the night with no more cramping. How can this be?

I've been searching the Internet about this phenomenon and find that many people have found that cramps go away with soap in bed with them. Nobody seems to be able to explain it, but for lots of people it works.

Anyone else tried this? Did it work?
 

No, but I've heard about it, and should try it as I get occasional leg cramps that wake me up. Wonder if it's any soap??
 
I never tried it, but I swear by Magnesium Oil for immediate relief of cramps and charleyhorses. The best one I've used is from http://www.globallight.net/ProductInfo.aspx?productid=245, pricey but a bottle lasts forever. We always have some on hand, and even take a small bottle when camping. On our last trip, my hubby got an intense toe cramp, rubbed some mag oil on it, and it was gone. Calcium restricts the muscles, and will actually cause cramping.
 
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I'm skeptical.

I'm glad it works for some people but I just don't see any possible mechanism for it to work, outside of a placebo effect. If you were to rub it on your legs I might find it a bit easier to figure something out, but in a wrapper?

Don't get me wrong - I'd love to find out that for some arcane reason it really does work every time. I just can't for the life of me figure out how. I might add that I also don't subscribe to concepts such as homeopathy or coffee enemas ...
 
2 things that ever worked for me.
Half a teaspoon of bicarb soda in a small amount of water. Tastes 'orrible but toss it back fast and cramps are gone in minutes.
(a tip from a netballer.)

A swig of Hydralyte. Cramps are often caused by a lack of eloctrolytes, due to heavy sweating or being on diuretics.

Soap? in the bed? Really?...mmmm they're still trying to find out why people think copper bangles work for arthritis too. Strangely it never works for those with a full on dose of it, but whatever. I guess if they think it works, then it works after a fashion.

Why did this thread make me think of that gadget that blew smoke up the clacker of drowning victims?????
 
FishWisher said:
Here is a page of comments from some who have tried soap to stop cramps. Many say it works. One thing for sure: If you're suffering from leg cramps, what's a night between the sheets with a strange hunk of soap gonna hurt?!

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2013/01/24/how-soap-in-the-bed-eases-leg-cramps--a-hypothesis/
Click to expand...

I went along with the possibility until the last line -

If you have a cramp in the night you can conclude that vapour phase transfer of the scent molecule is not sufficient to protect the leg from cramps. If you have no cramp the vapor phase transfer mechanism is confirmed.
Click to expand...

It confirms no such thing. That's just poor experimental design. Since leg cramps are not predictable you would need a fairly large population of test subjects that are often prone to cramping, along with an equal-sized control group. Double-blind and all that.

In other words, maybe you just weren't going to have cramps that night.

And I'm sorry, but even as a former "alternative therapy" provider I would say that the JoACM is hardly a widely-accepted or trusted publication for scientific results.

I DO agree that there's no harm in trying.
 
I do have horrible leg cramps at times so have increased intake of electrolytes. This seems to help as much as anything. I was losing a lot of moisture from sweating and I would get repeated cramps all night. Much better now.

I ran out of bar soap, so I poured Dawn dishwasher soap in the bed but I kept sliding out on the floor..... :lame:
 
Pappy said:
I do have horrible leg cramps at times so have increased intake of electrolytes. This seems to help as much as anything. I was losing a lot of moisture from sweating and I would get repeated cramps all night. Much better now.

I ran out of bar soap, so I poured Dawn dishwasher soap in the bed but I kept sliding out on the floor..... :lame:
Click to expand...

Bet you don't have oily skin, tho!! ;)
 
Just ran across this...it occurs to me that maybe the cramps go away because you stretched out the muscle walking to the bathroom to get the bar of soap. Now if that bar of soap is already in your bed, you shouldn't have the cramps in the first place.

I know the only thing that stops the cramp for me is to not let the muscle contract by pointing my toes toward my knee cap as hard as possible, gritting my teeth (this is mandatory) until the muscle lets loose.
 
Anne said:
No, but I've heard about it, and should try it as I get occasional leg cramps that wake me up. Wonder if it's any soap??
Click to expand...

Same here, Anne, the occasional ones are so bad it's certainly worth trying...and I'm going with Ivory since it's inexpensive and we know it worked for Fishwater.
 
Maybe it isn't the soap, maybe it's just having an object of that size and shape that elevates or shits the position of the feet? In other words, a small box the size and shape of a bar of soap would work just as well?
 
I've heard about it and I've tried it. It don't work for me. An old wives tale. But if it works for you, I'm glad, but that's a psychology thing and over my head and above my pay grade.
 
As soon as the cramps strikes, take one Magnesium capsule. The cramp will go like magic after a minute or two.

Maybe it's the greatest placebo around, but what the heck... if it works, it works !
 

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