I have muscle and joint pain all of the time, but I tend not to take OTC pain medications before the fact, althogh my doctor has suggested taking some at bedtime. I prefer Naproxin over Ibuprofen even though I don't feel like Naproxin works as well. I have night time cramps often, mostly when I stretch. This is a problem when sleeping on the ground, because I have to get up and walk around to relieve the cramp. I find it very difficult to put my pants on while sitting on the ground because this often triggers cramps. A hammock is much better from that perspective, but I'm a side sleeper and don't do well in hammocks. I've avoided Ibuprofen for some years because of the adverse GI effects. I might try just one before bedtime to see if it improves sleep and relieves the cramps. The tricky part about the GI effects is that you don't know that you've got it until you've got it. I do know someone that had GI bleeding due to Ibuprofen.