Can this crazy idea stop leg cramps?

I know you’re going to say this sounds like one of those urban legends. But…as crazy as it may seem, it appears to work.

A bar of soap, placed between your sheets at the bottom of the bed, can stop leg cramps.

Crazy or not…people who use the soap-between-the-sheets trick swear by it.

Here are two possible theories on why the soap “cure” may work.

The first is that a scent molecule from the soap bar (either an added fragrance or not) evaporates from the surface of the bar and lands on the leg. Similar to a medical patch, it goes through the skin, relaxes the leg muscles and increases the blood supply in the legs.

The second theory is that while you sleep your legs touch the soap, transferring some of the soap to your skin, and that’s what stops leg cramps.

So it’s anyone’s guess. Is it the actual soap or the scent?

One more thing the soap users say is that however it works, the soap wears out after a while. So you need to either scrape the bar to revitalize it or use a new one.

So give the soap trick a try next time you have nighttime leg cramps. Like they say about chicken soup, can it hurt?

Sources:
“How soap in the bed eases leg cramps — a hypothesis” The People’s Pharmacy, January 24, 2013, peoplespharmacy.com