wiggly legs at night

[jason_sandiego]

Anyone have this problem?  I thought it was lactic acid, but read articles that say it might not be.  Keeps me from sleeping at night after longer rides, like over 70 miles.  It goes away by 4-5 a.m., but if riding the next day, well, you get the picture.  I can't stay in one position for more than a couple of minutes.  How can I prevent it?  What causes it?

[FredHiltz]

This sounds like the widespread Restless Legs Syndrome, nicely described at http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/restless_legs/detail_restless_legs.htm. Maybe not, though, as you get it only after strenuous exercise. Nevertheless, you might see whether any of the causes listed there apply.

Fred

[Tourista829]

Does it only happen after long rides? Does it happen every day or after a couple of days, does it go away? Do you get cramping with it. Are you prehydrating and replacing fluids with electrolytes? If you are only drinking a quart to a half a gallon of fluids, it may not be enough? What are you eating we you ride? How often do you take rest breaks? Does it happen when it is very hot outside? Does it happen when you ride difficult terrain? I believe if you had restless leg syndrome, you would have it when you weren't riding. I believe when your body depletes it's energy reserves this may be a by product. Luckily when the body recovers, it goes away. You may want to reduce your mileage the next day.

[Damian]

In my personal experience, this problem has always been electrolyte-related. If I've neglected to replenish Na/K properly during the day, my body reminds me not long after retiring with leg twitches and, in extreme cases, full-on cramps. A quick salt lick of some kind has always remedied things for me and allowed undisturbed sleep to follow. Of course, YMMV. Good luck!

[whittierider]

Yes, about the electrolytes:  You might need more.  Even Gatorade Thirst Quencher claims to have "all those electrolytes" but if you look at the numbers and compare them to what you need on a long ride, it's notoriously deficient.  For your water bottles, add a quarter teaspoon or a little more of sea salt and 1/8 teaspoon or slightly less of Morton's Lite salt per quart.  There's nothing light about Morton's Lite; it's all salt, with no fillers, but half of it is potassium chloride and half is sodium chloride.  For info on how much sodium and various minerals you lose in your sweat, see the following pages.  (Note that even calcium loss in sweat is a problem if you don't replace it!)
http://www.arniebakercycling.com/pubs/Free/NS%20Sweat.pdf
http://www.velonews.com/article/77891
http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/exercise-and-effective-salt-replacement
also: http://www.roadbikerider.com/cramps.htm