Written by Brian Clista, MD | Reviewed by Farzon A. Nahvi, MD

Updated on February 14, 2025print_outlinedemail_outlined

Key takeaways:

• It’s not clear why people develop leg cramps. Theories include dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and muscle fatigue.
• Some drinks can stop leg cramps when they start. These drinks include electrolyte drinks and coconut water. 
• There’s evidence that electrolyte drinks can prevent leg cramps, too, but there isn’t a best electrolyte drink for leg cramps.

Table of contents

Gatorade

Powerade

Pedialyte

Coconut water

Bottom line

References

playb/E+ via Getty Images

If you’ve ever experienced painful leg cramps during or after a workout, you might be wondering why your legs are having spasms and what you can do to stop it. 

Muscle cramps are sudden, painful muscle contractions or spasms. Normally, your muscles contract in unison when you need to move. A cramp or spasm occurs when your muscles contract when they shouldn’t. 

Sometimes, one muscle has a spasm. But often, it’s a muscle group, like the muscles in your lower leg. Cramps can last for a few seconds or a few minutes. 

It’s not clear what causes leg cramps. But researchers believe some things can trigger cramps, such as:

• Dehydration
• Electrolyte imbalances
• Muscle fatigue

It’s possible that drinks that contain electrolytes can help stop or even prevent leg cramps. Afterall, both dehydration and electrolyte imbalances trigger leg cramps. So, drinks with electrolytes might address two major triggers of leg cramps.

Advertisement

Advertisement

If you’re prone to leg cramps, here are four drinks to keep on hand the next time you’re working out. 

1. Gatorade

Gatorade is a sports drink that contains electrolytes your muscles need to function. These electrolytes include:

• Sodium
• Potassium chloride
• Magnesium
• Calcium

EXPERT PICKS: WHAT TO READ NEXT

• Certain medications can worsen leg cramps. See if your medication made the list.
• Can Epsom salt baths help with leg cramps? Sometimes. Here’s what the research shows about the benefits of Epsom salt baths.
• Can you make your own electrolyte drinks at home? Yes! Here’s how to make your own post-workout drinks, which can save you money and lower your sugar intake.

You can lose all of these electrolytes when you sweat, especially sodium. In theory, Gatorade can be good for leg cramps. That’s because when you drink Gatorade, you replace the electrolytes you lost from sweating. This might help ease your leg cramps, since you’re giving your muscles the electrolytes they need to work properly. 

One small study of college-aged men found people who drank sports drinks with electrolytes before working out could exercise longer before developing leg cramps. But most participants developed leg cramps, even if they drank drinks with electrolytes. 

Gatorade probably won’t prevent you from getting leg cramps. But it may help you work out longer before you start feeling pain. This might give you enough time to reach your fitness goals for the day before you have to stop to recover from cramps.

2. Powerade

Powerade is another sports drink with electrolytes that’s similar to Gatorade. Like Gatorade, it can help replace electrolytes you’ve lost from sweat during exercise. It’s important to keep in mind that there’s no research on whether Powerade or Gatorade is better for preventing or getting rid of leg cramps. 

Often, the decision between Powerade or Gatorade comes down to personal preferences around the taste of these drinks and whether one is more easily available to you. <p class=”sc-1pf85vx-0 dvvqNU re-text” color=”$text-primary” style=”box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid rgb(229, 231, 235); –tw-border-spacing-x: 0; –tw-border-spacing-y: 0; –tw-translate-x: 0; –tw-translate-y: 0; –tw-rotate: 0; –tw-skew-x: 0; –tw-skew-y: 0; –tw-scale-x: 1; –tw-scale-y: 1; –tw-pan-x: ; –tw-pan-y: ; –tw-pinch-zoom: ; –tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; –tw-gradient-from-position: ; –tw-gradient-via-position: ; –tw-gradient-to-position: ; –tw-ordinal: ; –tw-slashed-zero: ; –tw-numeric-figure: ; –tw-numeric-spacing: ; –tw-numeric-fraction: ; –tw-ring-inset: ; –tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; –tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; –tw-ring-color: rgba(59,130,246,0.5); –tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 transparent; –tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 transparent

…

[Message clipped]  View entire message