Does anyone out there deal with an 88-year-old woman that never sleeps and complains of cramping feet, legs, and thighs all night?

KayKay is right .. try to get some banannas into her diet ,, and make sure shes hydrated.

Poor circulation, calcium and magnesium deficiency, low ferritin (iron may normal but ferritin is still low). She needs bloodwork to evaluate what's going on. Make sure to tell the doctor to add on the ferritin test as this test isn't on the standard lab order. I suffered pain/severe cramping/Restless Leg Syndrome at bedtime. My ferritin was 7. Normal starts at 40. After a few weeks of taking a ferritin supplement, all leg symptoms stopped.

I would haul her butt to the doctor to check for nutritional defancies, dehydration or maybe an electrolyte imbalance. If she protests, ask her if she wants to be in pain. If she doesn't want to be in pain, she must go to the doctor.

Cramps in legs and feet are often cause by a deficiency in Magnesium. I too have these problems and it causes Restless leg syndrome at night. Since I have been taking 500mg of magnesium each night before bed it has alleviated the symptoms for me and I do not have to take Aleve or Ibuprofen at night any longer.

My husband suffers from leg cramps. His doctor told him to chew two Tums when the cramp hits. My hubby swears by it and has a huge bottle on his nightstand. I've also read eating two Tums an hour before bed works as a preventive measure. Supposedly Tums works when the issue is related to a calcium magnesium deficiency.

I've also read that eating a couple spoonfuls of yellow mustard or drinking 1-2 ozs. of pickle juice both work to stop cramping in about 85 seconds. Again - a magnesium issue. Personally, I'd rather do the Tums.

I'm 62, in good shape, exercise, drink lots of water but a year ago was plagued with leg and toe cramps every single night. My husband suggested putting a pillow under my legs at night or between my legs which is what he does for his bad back. My leg cramps went away first night and have been sleeping this way ever since.

Oh my, feet/toe cramps are awful. Sometimes I get them when I drive...big owie! I can watch my toes move too and get stuck in a weird position.
Gonna take everyone's advice

The cure for a sudden cramping of the toes, feet, calf, is to jump up and walk it out if at all possible. The idea is to stretch the cramping muscle the opposite way.

Just last night, my big toe did a major turn down, it surprised me-and it hurt so bad-but it also stayed that way! I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
I couldn't get up to walk, so I reached down to pull it back, then massage.

Owie, owie, owie...then water, banana, apply heat, lie back flat and stretch....avoid turning foot down or pointed.  Turns out I skipped a dose of magnesium and vit. D.

I'd check with her doctor of course, to see if any of the things listed above. Sometimes, seniors are not drinking as many fluids as they think they are.

I know that my mom gets cramps in her feet and legs a lot at night and it seems to be worse when she is not wrapped up warmly or there is cold air or a fan running. She improves with turning off the fan and covering her legs and feet with a blanket as JesseBell suggested.

Jessebelle is right: It could be an electrolyte imbalance.
Sometimes caused by a build up of lactic acid in the over-exerted muscle of atheletes. Or depletion of minerals due to medications, especially pain meds. Loss of muscle mass, or so many things only a doctor could diagnose.
KayKay is also right about the foods to replace potassium.
Try magnesium and Vit. D in therapeutic doses, but see a doctor.

Is she sleeping too much during the day?

How are they eating? A common problem with elderly is malnutrition. Give her foods high in potassium. Such as bananas, avocado, and nuts. Peanuts and almonds especially.

There are many reasons for cramping of the legs. The most serious is peripheral vascular disease. The least serious is cold muscles. Other things could be dehydration or electrolyte imbalance. If you think it could be vascular disease, check with her doctor. Sometimes a simple operation can make things better. Also have the doctor check her electrolyte level. If you think her legs are getting chilly at night, try an extra blanket folded over her legs when she sleeps. I have to do this myself because I get calf cramps in the morning if my legs are cold. Hurts!

I got cramp in my feet a lot at night when I was pregnant - and I complained very loudly indeed. And quite swearily, too.

But feet, legs and thighs, all of them... How's your mother's back, I wonder? Is there anything else going on?

Jjkokua, does the cramping happen at night when your Mom lies down? Just wondering.

I have a similar issues with my legs and hips hurting at night, but when I stand up it goes away. Thus, for me, it is probably a back issue. I am able to take an over-the-counter pain pill and that does help [Aleve]. Otherwise, I would wake up in the middle of the night and can't go back to sleep. I have found watching TV helps me keep my mind off of it.

Why are her feet, legs, and thighs cramping every night? Has she seen her Dr.? The elderly are prone to dehydration and dehydration can cause muscle cramps. Is she drinking enough water?

Have you tried massaging her legs?

This sounds like a frustrating problem.