“Midnight Muscle Cramps? Here’s What Your Body is Telling You”
You’re asleep when suddenly your calf tightens into a painful knot. You swing your legs over the side of the bed and stand up, trying to stretch the muscle and waiting for the cramp to release. It passes after a minute or two, but the soreness often lingers. These types of nighttime leg cramps are common and often harmless, but disruptive.
Studies suggest that up to 60% of adults experience leg cramps at night at some point in their lives. They become more common with age and can occur more frequently in people with certain medical conditions or those taking specific medications.
The cause isn’t always clear, but several theories exist. One involves the gradual loss of motor neurons that occurs with aging. As nerve cells die off, the ones that remain may attempt to compensate by branching out to control more muscle fibers. This reorganization may make the system more prone to overexcitation, triggering cramps.
There is also a strong association between inactivity and muscle cramping. Many people spend long hours sitting or standing in place without moving through the full range of motion needed to keep leg muscles and tendons flexible. Over time, this can lead to muscle shortening, weakness, and poor circulation, all of which may increase the risk of cramping.
Daily activities that used to keep our muscles stretched and strong, such as squatting, kneeling, or walking on uneven terrain, are also less common in modern life. Without these movements, muscles like the hamstrings and those in our calves become less adaptable. The typical sleeping posture, with feet pointed down and ankles in plantarflexion, keeps the calf muscles in a shortened position for hours at a time. This posture may increase the likelihood of spontaneous nerve firing, especially during lighter stages of sleep.
Dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, and certain medications (such as diuretics) may also contribute to cramping. In some cases, leg cramps can be linked to medical conditions such as peripheral artery disease, diabetes or kidney disease.
Although painful, most nighttime leg cramps are not dangerous, and they can often be managed with simple changes. Stretching the calf muscles and hamstrings daily, especially before bed, may reduce the frequency and intensity of cramps. Staying physically active, including activities that strengthen the legs and promote circulation, can help maintain muscle function and flexibility. Walking, bicycling, heel raises and chair squats are practical options for many adults.
People who experience frequent cramps may benefit from adjusting their sleep posture. Using a pillow to keep the feet in a more neutral position, or avoiding heavy bedding that pushes the feet downward, can be helpful.
If cramps are severe, occur often or are associated with other symptoms, it’s worth talking with a health care provider to rule out underlying causes. In many cases, however, consistent movement, hydration and attention to daily habits can make a meaningful difference.
Patti Berg-Poppe is a physical therapist and professor at the University of South Dakota. Her work centers on helping people understand the connection between movement, health and maintaining independence and engagement throughout life. Follow The Prairie Doc® at www.prairiedoc.org, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, TikTok. Prairie Doc Programming includes On Call with the Prairie Doc®, a medical Q&A show (most Thursdays at 7pm on YouTube and streaming on Facebook), 2 podcasts, and a Radio program (on SDPB, Sundays at 6am and 1pm).
Wheat Scoop: K-State researchers aim to reduce gluten allergenicity in wheat
Contact: Marsha Boswell, [email protected]
For the audio version, visit kswheat.com.
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State University researchers and the state’s farmers are putting their collective support behind a project to reduce the allergenicity of gluten in wheat, while maintaining the grain’s ability for bread and other products.
Eduard Akhunov, a University Distinguished Professor in K-State’s Department of Plant Pathology, said his team is identifying proteins in the wheat genome that trigger allergic reactions in people with celiac disease. The autoimmune disorder causes the immune system to react abnormally to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley.
Once they find the problematic proteins, the researchers will use a gene-editing technique known as CRISPR-Cas9 to target changes in the genome, which they hope will reduce or eliminate the allergic response in future varieties grown by U.S. wheat producers.
According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, the disorder affects 1 in 100 people worldwide, including about 2 million Americans. The Foundation notes that when people with the disease eat gluten, their immune system attacks the small intestine, damaging the small, fingerlike villi that help absorb nutrients.
“Our dilemma in doing this work,” Akhunov said, “is that in the past we have successfully reduced immunotoxicity in wheat by suppressing the expression of gluten-encoding genes. But, in most cases, this inevitably leads to the reduction of bread-making quality of that wheat.”
“We are working to develop wheat varieties that have a lower abundance of gluten proteins that cause allergic reactions, while at the same time maintaining bread-making quality.”
The three-year project began earlier this year and is funded by a $990,000 grant from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. Project partners include K-State, University of California-Davis, the California Wheat Commission, the Celiac Disease Foundation and Kansas Wheat.
“Globally, the world is now consuming more than 800 million metric tons of wheat, and the United States mills almost 1 billion bushels of wheat annually into flour that produces wheat products,” said Justin Gilpin, chief executive officer of Kansas Wheat, which is funded by Kansas farmers through a checkoff program.
“I think it’s pretty exciting to see this work being done, especially with so much focus right now on wheat and health and consumers wanting to know more about their food.”
Aaron Harries, Kansas Wheat’s vice president of research and operations, said the organization has been working for many years to identify proteins most reactive for those with celiac disease.
“I give tours of our Wheat Innovation Center (in Manhattan) to farmers who have kids with celiac disease,” Harries said. “So, they’re growing wheat for a living, but at the same time they can’t have it on their dinner table. I just feel like there’s an obligation to try to do something about this.”
In 2023, K-State reported a breakthrough in developing wheat-based foods that contain lower amounts of gluten, while maintaining the quality of flour for baking. The current study will build on that work, further investigating the precise proteins that trigger gluten allergies.
Akhunov said gluten likely will never be completely removed from wheat since it is important for bread-making. Gluten provides the texture, flavor and moisture in such products as bread, bagels, pastries, noodles and more.
“We all know the benefits that whole grains play in a balanced diet, and yet there is a segment of the population that is trying to avoid those due to risk of an allergic reaction,” Gilpin said. “This is research that addresses a specific consumer need.
“It’s particularly positive for the wheat industry and, more specifically, wheat farmers. It’s exciting to have Kansas State as a partner on this project.”
Written by Pat Melgares for K-State Extension news service.
Long football season
The long-suffering wife of an elderly retired farmer wuz complaining to her neighbor about how her hubby got so wrapped up in how his favorite professional and college football teams were doing that he tended to ignore her for most of the football season.
She said hubby never missed watching on TV a single minute of every game, all the pre-game hoopla, and all the follow-up program after the games were over, too.
She went on to say that even though her husband’s health wuz rapidly declining, he still wuz addicted to watching football.
Then, she told her neighbor, “I know my husband is on his final downhill slide in life, so I’ve already got a plan in place for when he’s departed. I’ve decided not to bury him at all.”
“What are you going to do? Have him cremated?” her neighbor asked.
“Nope,” the wife replied. “I’m gonna hire a taxidermist and have him stuffed and mounted in his favorite reclining chair in the living room in front of the TV. Then, I’ll turn the TV on his team’s football games, talk to him, and he won’t answer. It’ll be just like he never left.”
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I can’t verify that the following story is true, but I saw it and thought it wuz fitting to include it in this column — especially in light of the tight conditions in the beef supply these days, and the price of beef in the supermarket or at restaurants.
What’s in a steak name? The story depends upon the kind of steak — all steaks, or specific ones like sirloin or chateaubriand. There’s more to these names than “meats” the eye.
The story goes that, in fact, the word “steak” comes from an old Saxon word, steik (pronounced ‘stick’) which means “meat on a stick.”
The Saxons and Jutes lived in what is now Denmark, where they raised cattle, which they cooked on a pointed stick over a campfire. When they conquered Great Britain, they brought their cattle — and their steik — with them. The name has continued down through the centuries.
On the other hand, the English get credit for naming the sirloin. The story goes that a British monarch became so enthused when savoring this meat that he pulled out his sword and dubbed it “Sir Loin.”
A cut of filet mignon, called the chateaubriand, is supposedly named for the French viscount, writer and statesman of the same name, who lived during the Napoleonic era. It was his chef, Montmireil, who created the dish.
Knowing this story won’t make your steaks taste better, but at least you know the story.
***
A family living in town labeled all their outdoor toys — bikes, tricycles, wagons and so on — with their family name to avoid confusion with the neighbors’ stuff.
The family decided to move into a nearby rural area for the more relaxed lifestyle and a better environment for raising their kids.
After moving to the country, the kids went exploring. The family’s young daughter came home all excited from riding her bicycle past the farm up the gravel road from her new home.
“I know what the farmer’s name is.” she exclaimed to her parents. “It’s John Deere.”
***
An elderly rancher got summoned to serve jury duty. The case to be tried wuz for murder.
The rancher showed up for jury duty and was questioned closely by both the lawyers for defense and prosecution.
He was about to be accepted for jury duty when the prosecutor asked: “Do you believe in capital punishment?”
The rancher answered, ”Well, yes, provided it ain’t too severe.”
***
I get amused by attending auctions that have to sell a lot of what I call “junk.”
However, an auctioneer never sees a piece of junk. Here’s an example of how his chant goes: “All it needs is just a little work, boys, and she’ll be good as new. What am I bid? $250, $200, $150? Okay, I’ll let you all in. I heard $20! Boys, boys, you’re missing the boat here. We’re givin’ this thing away.”
The “thing” finally sells for $37.50. Guess the auctioneer saw something in it that nobody else saw. But then, as the new owner, he’ll just sell it at his next auction of “junk.”
***
Bird hunting season is just around the corner. My fishing buddy, ‘ol Castin Crankitt, swears this bird dog story is true. The German shorthair hunted long and hard all afternoon, to no avail, because birds were scarce.
When Castin and the dog’s owner got close to the pickup to end the hunt, the pointer went on a strong point in a clump of grass in the road ditch.
The owner urged his dog to “get it, boy,” and the dog jumped in, stuck its nose deep in the grass and pulled out a full, unopened can of Coors light beer, and retrieved it to its owner.
***
Words of wisdom for the week: “The best learning retention rate comes from the School of Hard Knocks.” Have a good ‘un.
KU News: Author, columnist Margaret Renkl to give talk; new book explores history of sake
From the Office of Public Affairs | https://www.news.ku.edu
Headlines
Author, columnist Margaret Renkl to give Fall 2025 Spencer Lecture
LAWRENCE — Bestselling author and New York Times contributing columnist Margaret Renkl will present the fall 2025 Kenneth A. Spencer Lecture for the University of Kansas in conversation with Megan Kaminski, poet and KU professor of environmental studies, at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at Liberty Hall. Free tickets are now available for the event. A second event earlier Nov. 3 will offer attendees an opportunity to visit a Douglas County native prairie with Renkl and area land stewards.
History of Japan’s signature beverage sake shared in new book
LAWRENCE — A new book from a University of Kansas professor of history explores sake’s evolution from homebrew to flavored varieties while tracing its cultural significance and global rise in Japan. “Kanpai: The History of Sake,” which is the first such history in English, is published by Reaktion Books.
Full stories below.
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Contact: Emily Ryan, The Commons, 785-864-6293, [email protected]
Author, columnist Margaret Renkl to give fall 2025 Spencer Lecture
LAWRENCE — Bestselling author and New York Times contributing columnist Margaret Renkl will present the fall 2025 Kenneth A. Spencer Lecture for the University of Kansas in conversation with Megan Kaminski, poet and KU professor of environmental studies.
The event, sponsored by The Commons, will take place at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at Liberty Hall. Free tickets are now available for the event, which will be followed by a book-signing, with books for sale from Raven Book Store.
A second event earlier Nov. 3 will offer attendees an opportunity to visit a native prairie with Renkl and area land stewards.
Based in Nashville, Renkl centers themes of grief, love, loss and the American South in her work within the context of the natural world. In her biweekly New York Times column, she keeps readers connected to the shifts of seasons.
She is the author of “Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss” (2019), “Graceland, at Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache From the American South” (2021) and “The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year” (2023), which won the 2024 Southern Book Prize and is a New York Times bestseller. Her latest book, “Leaf, Cloud, Crow: A Weekly Backyard Journal” (October 2024), is a companion to “The Comfort of Crows” that offers 52 writing prompts and advice for studying the natural world.
“Margaret Renkl’s work demonstrates how intimate observation of the natural world becomes a practice of fierce love — love that doesn’t shy away from grief or difficulty but instead transforms witnessing into action,” Kaminski said. “Her ability to hold both wonder and heartbreak, to find hope within loss, speaks to the kind of reciprocal relationship with place that I believe is essential for our time. I’m thrilled to explore with her how paying attention to our backyards can grow into a form of environmental advocacy.”
Event at Akin Prairie
A related event to Renkl’s talk will take place from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Nov. 3 at Akin Prairie, a 16-acre native prairie in southeastern Douglas County. Joining Renkl and Kaminski are Patti Beedles, Kansas Land Trust conservation coordinator, and Andie Perdue, board member of the Outdoors Unscripted Festival. The event is an opportunity to learn about the tract of land and its role in prairie ecosystems, and, inspired by Renkl’s work, attendees can participate in their own writing/response practice to the prairie. The event will close with a poetry reading by Kaminski, who is completing work around the site through a SOSAA (Showcasing Open Space through Accessible Adventure) grant from the Outdoors Unscripted Festival.
Those interested in riding a bus from the Lawrence campus to the event can meet at 2 p.m. Nov. 3 at the bus stop in front of Haworth Hall. Register to attend.
About the Spencer Lecture
The Kenneth A. Spencer Lecture, hosted by The Commons, is an endowed lecture dedicated to bringing leading thinkers to address the KU and regional communities. Featured speakers have included Rebecca Solnit, Eve Ewing, Jose Antonio Vargas, Jonny Sun and Robin Wall Kimmerer.
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A study by global analytics firm Lightcast quantifies
KU’s annual statewide impact at $7.8 billion.
https://economicdevelopment.ku.edu/impact
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Contact: Jon Niccum, KU News Service, 785-864-7633, [email protected]
History of Japan’s signature beverage sake shared in new book
LAWRENCE — In 2024, the Japanese government successfully petitioned UNESCO to declare the venerable process of sake brewing an “intangible cultural heritage.”
But the history of sake itself is largely unknown to most people outside of Japan.
“Like sushi, it’s one of the touchstones of Japanese cuisine,” said Eric Rath, professor of history at the University of Kansas.
“You can’t not run into sake if you look at Japanese food culture, if you look at ritual, if you look at daily life. It’s there in many different forms.”
Rath’s new book, titled “Kanpai: The History of Sake,” which is the first such history in English, explores sake’s evolution from homebrew to flavored varieties while tracing its cultural significance and global rise. The work is published by Reaktion Books.
“Sake is made with water, rice and a mold called koji. There’s this notion that because these are very simple ingredients, this process is something timeless that’s been unchanged for millennia. But when you look at the history, you see how the recipe has changed, and it continues to evolve,” Rath said.
The beverage’s place in Japanese society has also changed. Rath notes sake only occupies 5% of the country’s alcohol market today. That’s somewhat unexpected, given that the word “sake” can mean alcoholic beverage, synonymous with booze. Statistically, however, four times more beer is consumed in Japan.
Having researched Japanese food culture for the last 25 years, Rath was surprised to learn no one had written an academic history of sake in English.
“That’s a huge gap,” he said.
“You get a lot of individuals who write about sake appreciation, what brand to buy and how sake is made. There are some great sake educators out there, but there’s no sake history, and so that results in misconceptions. A lot of people get left out of the story. There’s a whole side of home brewing I talk about in my book. Also, women played a great role in sake brewing in the medieval period, and sometimes they get omitted or their contributions get downplayed.”
A misconception also lingers regarding what sake fundamentally is.
“It’s not a rice wine. It’s made completely differently and brewed more like a beer,” Rath said.
“I want people to know its place in Japanese culture. I want them to know that the recipe for it has changed, and my book includes recipes for sake. I did a little home brewing, too, along the way, and that was fun. I want to show what the government’s done in the last century to change sake, both for the good and for the bad.”
For instance, the Japanese government banned sake home brewing in 1899. It later reinforced the ban to increase tax revenue from commercial sales. But in the 1970s, home brewing became a touchstone for peace activists who were opposed to the building of an airport at Narita (in the Greater Tokyo area).
“Home brewing turned into a rallying point for them, arguing it was protected by the Japanese constitution. They had the ‘freedom to brew.’ But ultimately the government said, ‘No, you can’t brew at home.’ Yet people still do,” Rath said.
The book’s title, “Kanpai,” refers to the traditional toast uttered when drinking in a group setting. This literally translates to “dry cup.”
“It’s an adaptation of the British word ‘cheers.’ The story is that Japanese naval officers wanted some kind of phrase to toast the emperor, counterpart to what the British were doing. So they came up with kanpai,” he said.
He said Americans have increasingly embraced sake.
“It’s really growing in the United States,” he said. “We have around 20 craft breweries in North America. A lot of these places have opened in the last five years, and they’re doing some incredible things. There are breweries in Tennessee, Arkansas, California. Brooklyn alone has three sake breweries.”
A 26-year veteran of KU, Rath teaches a course on the history of sushi. His previous book, “Oishii: The History of Sushi,” (Reaktion Books/University of Chicago Press, 2021) offers the first comprehensive chronicle of sushi written in English. He is also a member of the editorial team for Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies.
Personally, Rath enjoys many variations of sake flavors and types. But when in Japan, “I like to drink something local,” he said.
“The amazing thing about sake is you can try it at different temperatures. With the same bottle, you can have it chilled or room temperature or heated up a little bit. The flavor profile will change so much. It’s the only alcoholic beverage I know of that you can do that with.”
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Erinn Barcomb-Peterson, director of news and media relations, [email protected]
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