Severe leg cramps while sleeping?

[passaro]

I live with my brother and for the past month he has been having severe leg cramps while sleeping. Every night for the past month, he wakes up every hour or so in severe pain that he has described as a full body charlie horse. After about 30 seconds of him thriving in pain, it stops and he goes back to sleep. This causes him to loose much sleep. This really scares me being in the room with him as he starts breathing extremely heavily because of the pain. Over the past 2 weeks it seems to have gotten worse. He wakes up more frequently and there seems to be more severe pain. He recently started going back to the gym to work out. He is an avid athlete as is and goes to the gym to train for cycling. He is 24 years old. He also had been taking pain medications to help him sleep a little better in the past, but stopped recently.
Thank you

[Tom Plamondon PA-C]

It is important that he check his hydration status. Many athletes cramp up due to inadequate hydration.

Stretching the calf muscles before bed should help.

Beyond these measures, he should see a physician to evaluate the vascular status of the limbs and perhaps check electrolyte levels.

Keep us posted.