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Q. I am a physician schooled in the scientific method. I trained at the most prestigious medical settings and have adhered strictly to conservative scientific inquiry.
Now comes the huge divergence between fact and fantasy. I have suffered from leg cramps occurring three or four times a night. The pain was intermittent but severe. I could relieve it only by walking around the bedroom—a disruption to a night’s sleep.
Now, though, I am pain free at last! Since putting a soap bar under the sheet, my cramps have disappeared. I have no rational scientific explanation for this relief but it does work. Someday this phenomenon will be explained. Until then, however, I am content to be leg-cramp free with a bar of soap under my bed sheet.
A. We are delighted to learn that a skeptic such as yourself has found the soap trick helpful. We cannot explain how this might work, but dozens of readers swear that it has relieved cramps in legs, hands and back. To be fair, though, some people report the soap approach is worthless. We are sending you our Guide to Leg Pain with a variety of other non-drug approaches just in case the soap stops working.
Yes it works! I worked at a soap factory for 37 years and when I left and retired after 5 years I started getting leg cramps at nite. So I tried the soap under the sheet thing. That was 7 years ago. I will never sleep without my soap again. I take a bar with me every where I go. thanks Ed.
I just read the "soap" article, and have been using it also, for quite some time. I do believe it is "all in our head", but so is a lot of other things. I think, for myself, I trained myself, when I "felt" the bar of soap, I didn't just stretch my legs any old way. Instead, I took a second, learned to stretch my legs with my toes pointed up and pulled toward my body.
I no longer have leg cramps, I learned my lesson well, and the soap is sometimes in the bed, and sometimes pushed over the end. I think a block of wood, toy, or whatever would be just as effective...just need a reminder to do it right.
For several years the soap worked for me. Recently we moved to a retirement community and both my wife and myself, even though we have a bar of soap under the sheet, now have severe leg cramping several times a week, which causes us to get out of bed to seek relief. We walk and exercise as much as ever but our diet has changed slightly. Iy's a puzzlement.
I am trying the bar of soak but either end up moving it over the side of the bed or chase it around. Also does it have to be a special brand of soap or will any bar of soap do?
I have suffered from rls since after my laminectomy in 2006. I was given requip and now I am at 4mg a night. The doc who prescribed me the requip, I do not see him anymore and really cannot afford to see him every month to be able to get a prescription of my requip. I had restless nights for a week not sleeping really getting aggravated because of the pain and sleeplessness.
I looked for answers on the internet for help and found this site and since 8 days ago when I slipped two of my soaps I got from my vacation hotels I have not had any episodes of cramping in my legs. I don't think it is in our heads because the first night I slipped that soap under my sheets I waited for my pain and it never came. I thank you for this site and hope everyone gets the relief I did.
I have been seeing this doctor for my neck problems and really he didn't do anything I needed to heal. Well besides that he gave me requip for my legs and I had to go see him every month in order to get my refill.
I went to my ortho to check my neck and found out that I have to have surgery, anyway I didn't want to go back to the other doc so I was not able to get the requip anymore. I suffered from my legs wanting to jump all night and prayed to find out a solution to make them stop. I could not sleep at all.
Well I found this website and I have quite a bit of soap from our vacations we took so I took two of them an unwrapped them and put them under my sheets. Well the 1st night I lay there waiting for them to kick. They didn't! I cannot believe this soap does work!
I have suffered from rls for 3 years and to come to find out regular soap works! It's amazing. All I can say is thanks for this website, and now I don't have to worry about a refill anymore. It has been about 3 weeks since I have put the soap under my sheets and so far so very good! Thanks.
OMG!! It does work!! My mom has been having bad cramps for 3 months and Dr.'s couldn't explain why. She has had numerous tests done and given many different things to take. Nothing has helped. So, when we heard of putting a bar of soap under her sheets we laughed at it because it was sooo bizarre. But, we tried it anyway. And she slept like a baby!! Wow!!!
Hi - I just heard about this and tried it for 1 night and I do believe it works - the couple I heard it from has not had any trouble or considerably less since they tried it - I believe the soap absorbs the negative energy that is stored in the body (feet) in particular during the day - Is there a way to do an infra red imagery of with and without the presence of the bar of soap - why doesn't someone do a study to find the reason this works - it is apparent that it does work in many cases.
Skeptic here but when you are in pain you are in pain and if it works it works. Even Dr's do recognize Placebo's as having merit. So again if it works for you it works. If it doesn't it doesn't or you tried the wrong kind of soap.... sounds like you need a castle type but no one makes that clear at least not the reviews I read.
Try a cheap or Dial soap bar or one that is clearly labeled as Castle (castile?).... Some place they say Dove for example does not work as it's more a cold creme or was that just advertisement? And another thing that comes to mind... could you pour a bit of liquid soap onto the bottom sheet where your feet rest and have the same results, letting it dry instead of chasing that bar around all night in your sleep as some report doing??
Just curious and love to think outside the box...make sure it's soap or soap product not detergent such as for washing clothes or dishes, soap is the active word here. Also how about placing a pair of socks that have dried after pouring some liquid soap onto them or rubbing a bar of soap all over the inside of the socks before donning for the night? And maybe rubbing a bar of soap over the spot on your bed your feet rest too would do as much or more good???? It's a thought!!!!
Try a tsp of pickle juice. Works for me almost immediately.
A potassium tablet about once a week has worked for me. I wouldn't take more than that because too much potassium supposedly has nasty side effects. I just started doing the soap-in-bed thing too-- if nothing else, it makes the bed fragrant.
PEOPLE'S PHARMACY RESPONSE: IF YOU TAKE SUPPLEMENTARY POTASSIUM, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR DOCTOR IS MONITORING YOUR BLOOD LEVELS OF THIS MINERAL. TOO MUCH IS JUST AS DANGEROUS AS TOO LITTLE!