leg cramps

[navy veteran 1968]

I've been on CPAP for 2-1/2 months now. It has done wonders for my leg cramps! I don't seem to have any while on the machine. Has anyone else
noticed this side effect. I mentioned it to my sleep Doctor and he couldn't explain it.

Regards,

[DeepBreathing]

G'day navy veteran

Now that you mention it, I used to get cramps in my feet and haven't had any since I started PAPing.
Just another remarkable benefit of these machines.

[retired_guy]

I agree completely with your Doc on this...... Don't have a clue.

But since leg cramps can be caused by many different conditions, such as dehydration, or kidney issues, or how you lay with your legs when you sleep, perhaps something has changed that has caused this manifestation for you.

Whatever, it's nice not to be thrown out of bed in the middle of the night with a leg cramp!

[Tez62]

navy veteran 1968, it's all to do with better blood flow and oxygen to our body which you were lacking prior to being diagnosed. Your doctor should know what sleep apnea does to our bodies and in return how the treatment (CPAP) helps us. I used to get a lot of cramps in the feet and hardly get them anymore. All sorts of other things have improved in my body, no more aches and pain, the hair on my head and body has grown back, my eye sight has got better and my teeth and gums have improved. I have been tested for the last two so know it's no just my imagination.

[trish6hundred]

Hi navy veteran 1968,
It's GREAT to hear that CPAP therapy has helped you, and that you don't have leg cramps any more since you have been using your machine.

[Airstream]

I am intrigued of this observation as I used to get leg cramps too. Since being on CPAP. I think I have may had one incident and I used to get them frequently
I think that is an excellent observation navy 1968. I am going to watch and see of I ever get them again.

[me50]

Teeth and gum improvement is great as cpap therapy can cause issues with teeth. Hoping some day, insurances will cover at least teeth cleaning more than 2 times per year for those on cpap therapy and some day other issues. I have been told that the dry mouth that happens from cpap can cause a lot of teeth issues. In my world, small price to pay to stay alive.

[jgjones1972]

I'm really surprised your doc couldn't figure that one out. I'm no doctor, but I do know that one of the biggest risks of untreated apnea is hypoxia and my very limited understanding of muscle cramps is enough for me to surmise that hypoxia can cause cramps...likely in the extremities.

I had really bad muscle cramps before CPAP that are gone now...I always just assumed that fixing the O2 levels in the blood is what got rid of the cramps. It seemed pretty self explanatory to me, but if a doc was perplexed by it then there might be more to it than I thought. Maybe it also has something to do with potassium levels. My potassium deficiency seems to have also corrected with CPAP use and I know potassium deficiency can cause cramps...that is what they always blamed my cramps on before I was diagnosed with OSA.

[zonk]

Occasionally I get some muscle spasm in the calf of leg while sleeping, last few seconds and goes by itself
Probably had them before CPAP but just don,t remember that far