ORIGINAL POST on March 4, 2023:
I’ve been getting leg cramps lately. They have not occurred during a run or a race. They usually hit while watching TV or in the early morning when I’m asleep.
We’re still trying to determine the source of my arrhythmia and fall’s A-Fib. We’ve eliminated thyroid issues, alpha-1, and sleep apnea as causes. My cardiologist tells me endurance athletes are prone to these arrhythmia issues from insufficient hydration and electrolytes.
I’ve always thought I had a handle on hydration and electrolytes. The symptoms of thirst and dark urine did not exist, and I always carried replenishment drinks on my runs for longer than an hour.
Since my digestive issues in 2020, I have started carrying UCAN Energy on those runs. That product has no sugars but still has needed calories and electrolytes. Today, I have my digestive issues under control.
One habit I started to resolve my digestive issues was tracking food and water consumption. I also recorded daily my morning pulse and blood pressure and weekly my weight. After my A-Fib, I started using a Kardiamobile for a daily EKG.
Premature Ventricular Contractions (PVCs) are a type of non-critical heart arrhythmia. Early in 2022, I detected a strange pulse. I didn’t know what they were. I now know they were PVCs. Unfortunately, arrhythmia can change to A-fib.
On blood thinners through the middle of December, 20% of my EKG readings indicated PVCs. After coming back from Hawaii, I stopped taking Eliquis. Over the next month, my percentage of EKG readings with PVCs jumped from 60 to 90% of the time. A normal sinus rhythm was the exception.
At the end of January, I resumed blood thinners, and my cardiologist recommended concentrating on hydration and electrolytes. Looking at my matrix, cramps are a sign of low hydration or low electrolytes.
Other signs of low hydration are dizziness on standing up and lower than normal weight. I’ve had dizziness occurrences for many years. But, my weight has been stable for the past year, fluctuating between 155 and 157 pounds.
Since I’m getting up 2 or 3 times per night, I didn’t want to increase my water intake. Still, I went from 60 to 72 ounces per day and added a second daily Succeed S!Cap.
By February 5, the dizziness issues were eliminated, the cramps were improving, and the PVC percentage was back to 20%.
Since I was still getting cramps, I looked for something to increase my electrolyte consumption. I didn’t want to drink more water. I thought my sleep disturbances were a sign of overhydration.
A recommendation to eliminate cramps is to consume a sports drink. In addition to not adding extra fluid, I don’t want extra calories or sugars.
I had a couple of boxes of UCAN Hydrate powders. I had bought those to help during fall marathons, allowing me to carry some in my water belt and to mix when refilling a bottle. A Hydrate serving is mixed with 16 to 20 ounces of water. It has no calories and contains 20mg of calcium, 120mg of potassium, 60mg of magnesium, and 300mg of sodium.
Now, I’m mixing one serving daily into 24 ounces of water. Since starting, I have not had any PVC readings, and cramps have been reduced.
The berry flavor reminds me of my last colonoscopy prep. Once that is gone, I’m changing to the lemon-lime flavor.
After adding Hydrate, my daily potassium consumption is 1800mg. The daily recommendation for potassium is 3400mg. Every blood test I’ve taken has my potassium and sodium in the normal ranges. I wonder how that is happening.
I’ll continue with a daily Hydrate for the next month and review the results. Hopefully, the cramps and PVCs are in my rearview mirror.
UCAN has other products, including gels, bars, and snacks. Their gels do not contain sugar, aspartame, or an artificial sweetener. Since the bars contain ingredients, including sugars, I need to avoid, I do. Since I gakked on Gu, I stick with real food for calories during ultras.
UPDATE on August 28, 2023:
I’ve been drinking Hydrate daily for almost six months. I have two bottles and use one scoop in each bottle. I drink half of the 24-ounce bottle after my morning run and the 20-ounce bottle with an afternoon snack. A small canister of Hydrate lasts 20 days. I’m using the lemon-lime flavor, which has a pleasant taste. I’ve increased my daily water consumption to 88 ounces.
In addition to the UCAN Hydrate, I started using night splints for 1 to 2 hours each night to stretch my calves and Achilles.
I have not had night calf cramps for the past two months. I may be overhydrated as I get up 3 or 4 times per night. Nights after a long run, I’m only getting up once.
My PVCs have declined. Wearing a heart monitor, I recorded 2 per hour, and my daily Kardiamobile reading has less than 10% PVCs.
On August 24, I stopped taking blood thinners. When traveling to higher elevations, you have difficulty breathing until you acclimate. This condition is caused by blood thickening. I hope my thickening issues are resolved in the next couple of days.
After runs, I’ve noticed a higher number of PVCs when I take a manual pulse. These are reduced after drinking the UCAN Hydrate and water.