text: i wake up with really bad cramps in my legs...? is it normal to wake up in the middle of the night with excruciating cramps in my calves? they last maybe a minute or two and it feels like i am involuntarily tensing up my muscles so hard that they feel like they are exploding. i remember being your age...sometime during the roman empire...  had those same leg cramps.  mom the r.n. told me they were "growing pains" and to eat bananas and drink plenty of water during the day.  it worked.  also, to relieve a cramp, try tensing those muscles up as if you were trying to make a cramp.  seems counter-intuitive, but give it a try, it works for many.  light stretching before bed might relieve stiffness that exacerbates cramping.  and if worse comes to worst, a benedryl will help you sleep through just about anything your legs can dish out.  best wishes.