Today's true sports drinks are still the classic Gatorade -- packed with the electrolytes potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sodium to provide energy during intense workouts -- as well as competitors such as Cytomax, Allsport, and Accelerade.
1 In most of the cases, Charlie horses are the late responses of overstraining a muscle during exercise, or otherwise. 2  Charley horse might be the result of an electrolyte or mineral imbalance in the body.  In some of the cases, Charlie horses have been found to be a signal of the onset of a vascular disease.
Nighttime charley horses could also stem from peripheral artery disease, which causes the narrowing and hardening of arteries that supply blood to the legs and feet. But, as Kirschner points out, that condition should also produce cramps while walking.