Help with getting started. Leg Cramps?

I was diagnosed w SA about 4 yrs ago. I have tried on about 6
occasions to acclimate to life as a "hosehead" . I ain't doing too well. I usually find an excuse(pick one) after a week a two, and go back to a free flowing proboscis. Quite frankly I'm much better looking with a mask on, so I really wud like to stick with it this time. I recently went out and purchased a complete mask that covers nose and mouth, as I do have a tendency to mouth breath. Not only that but it reminded me of my favorite Bong from years gone by. Well, I've worn it twice. Have woken up both nights with leg cramps. Of course this gives me the excuse to remove my mask. Can there be any reason the CPAP is causing this? Please dont ask me for any numbers, as I don't remember them. Thanks!

I too get leg cramps but did so before CPAP & nearly always after drinking red wine. They used to be severe but I discovered a way to strain my leg (straighten it and keep it rigid) and the cramp would pass.

Can happen in bothlegs.

I had thought it might be related to OSA (lack of oxygen circulating) & maybe would go with CPAP but while it has decreased a lot I had two cramps last night (and a bad nights sleep & lots of mask leaks).

However, last night I also had 2 glasses of red wine.

Maybe there is a message for me here.

Good luck with your symptoms.

DSM

I have had leg cramps before, might just be a coincidence. I have read that number 1 cause of leg cramps is a lack of potassium. Bannanas are an excellent source. Oddly enuff I'd eaten one the last two days. Thanks 4 reply.

Leg cramps can also be caused by a calcium / magnesium deficency. I used to get them horrible bad, they would wake me up at night and I would want to scream. 2 days after the start of supplementation, they went away...

Zierro
Do you take blood pressure meds? They can cause potassium loss. Keep eating your bananas and by the way the mention of the Bong, brought back many memories of days gone by. Keep using your mask HOSEHEAD!!!!

Nitro Dan wrote:Leg cramps can also be caused by a calcium / magnesium deficency.

Does this mean that my red wine lacks calcium/magnesium
I am sure it would spoil the taste

Truly in my case it would be 95% associated with drinking red wine the night before - my pref is Merlot (least affect on my sinuses). It seems to happen more so with Cabernet Sauvingon but equally with Shiraz or blends thereof. These are the main varietys I usually imbibe.

Cheers Doug

Hi dsm,

Noticed that when you had 2 glasses of red wine you ended up with 2 leg cramps. This is important information but you need more facts. Strongly recommend additional research.

First - did the cramps occur in separate legs ( I assume you have the standard two) or just in one leg. If occurring in just one leg this could be a significant factor especially dependant on whether you are left or right legged.

Second - what happens if you only have one glass? No cramps? This becomes a very easy solution in this case. Simply get a larger glass that will hold double the contents of the original glass. One glass- no cramps, easy way out!

So what happens if you have more than 2 glasses, for example 3 glasses. Do you then get 3 cramps. This again can have an easy solution but you need to get the facts and try to keep a record of all this.

You also may just have become preoccupied with the whole leg cramp thing and have become conditioned to the idea that whenever you drink red wine you get leg cramps.

If this is the case you may have already stumbled (pardon the pun) on the solution but just don't recognize it. You mentioned that you have discovered a way to eliminate the cramp by straining your leg and keeping it rigid. Seems to me that if you do this before and during drinking red wine there will be no cramps at all!

I really don't want to steal your thunder or anything, but I must tell you that my wife, the lush, discovered this secret long ago. The only problem that I noticed was that when I had to pick her up off the floor and roll her into bed her whole body was limp except for that one stiff leg. Can't begin to count the lamps I broke just swinging her around to flop into bed.

Don't want to dwell on this but you did bring it up. The kind of wine you drink does make a difference. No doubt you're used to American or a least wines produced from a warm climate. You have to understand that the warmer the climate where the wine is produced the more likelihood it will cause leg cramps. To avoid this you should only drink wines from the great white north, yes - Canada! We have perfected what we call "Icewine" which has never been known to cause leg cramps.

Enjoy your research!

Bob F

Icewine????

Cool!!!!!

Mr Tired

unclebob, you did it again! Another classic!!

unclebob wrote:Hi dsm,
... lots of wisdom ...

Enjoy your research!

Bob F

After all you have had to say on this, I have decided to do a lot more research.

Among the things I will look for are ...

1) The size of the glass & the actual qty in ccs
2) The year the grapes were harvested (might affect the magnesium level)
3) How many ccs imbibed vs how many cramps occur (bound to be a formula here)
4) The distance the wine traveled to market (sounds like a good bit of data to include)
5) The exact blend of CabSav/Shiraz/Merlot

In fact I am so keen to carryout this research that this weekend I plan to purchase 5 cases of Merlot as a starter.

Cheers & many many thanks for your fine encouragement

DSM

(PS: RG said it all )

zierro wrote: Have woken up both nights with leg cramps.

Just wanted to tell you to ignore the bit of banter here re red wine & cramps. My 1st post on this was dead serious but the topic managed to turn into a bit of fun & I readily joined in.

To be honest my biggest fear was that the cramps were related to gout but gout caused by uric acid crystals in the big toe joints causes sever foot pain rather than cramps. The weight of a sheet on a gouty foot can be excruciating.

To this day I don't really have an answer for the correlation between red wine & my own cramps. Just that I won't give up the wine so I must suffer them

DSM

unclebob wrote:Hi dsm,

<snipped>

Bob F

He UncleBob, you have really got me thinking about this red wine cramps thing.

Tonight I will try something radically new. Rather than fill my humidifier with distilled water I will try (you guessed it) a glass of merlot. To help the experiment I will switch to a full face mask as well.

Maybe if the merlot is vaporised I will get the best of all worlds ? (but then maybe not )

Will let you know what happens - wish me luck.

Cheers

DSM

Take a calcium supplement (like Tums), and a Magnesium
supplement (over the counter from any pharmacy), about
two hours before you want to go to bed. In addition, do
5 minutes of calve stretches, by standing on a step and
going up and down. You will have no more cramps or
restless legs. Now where do I send my bill to? Dr. Meister

Better yet, take a calcium citrate together with a magnesium citrate, they come mixed together in the proper balance. The problem with Tums is the calcium is calcium carbonate, which is chalk. Not trying to one up you Dr. Meister....

For gout, I highly recommend a product from company called Brownwood Acres. The product is called Cherry Flex. It is 100% natural. It cleared up the gout I had in my shoulder and elbow in a weeks time

Not sure if u all have a great sense of humor, or are suffering from major
league oxygen loss. Either way I luv the attitude. It really is too bad about the red wine being a problem. You cant beat that "Two Buck Chuck". Last night we made it through the night without the leg cramps. Managed to keep connected almost 4 hours. Thats a new worlds record for me. Better go practice that "hosehead salute". P.S. Using your Bong with chilled Red Wine can be fun too..... Skoal !