Restless Legs anyone?

faceman

My other half suffers terrible with Restless legs most nights. Anyone else suffer and have any worthy remedies etc? She says eating rich food before bed makes it worse than normal.

Thanks!

deise_boi

aye, I get that a lot. Normally a sign of.. go to bed :P

I've found that maybe sprawling out on the couch is better rather then sitting upright in a chair. But usually it kicks in late at night so I just go to bed.

Chinafoot

Taken from here:

What is restless leg syndrome?

Restless leg syndrome is a common cause of painful legs. The leg pain of restless leg syndrome typically eases with motion of the legs and becomes more noticeable at rest. Restless leg syndrome also features worsening of symptoms during the early evening or later at night. The characteristic nighttime worsening of symptoms in persons with restless legs syndrome frequency leads to insomnia.

Restless leg syndrome usually begins slowly. Over time, the legs become more affected. Less frequently, restless leg syndrome can affect the arms.

What causes restless leg syndrome?

The cause of restless leg syndrome is unknown in most patients. However, restless leg syndrome has been associated with pregnancy, obesity, smoking, iron deficiency and anemia, nerve disease, polyneuropathy (which can be associated with hypothyroidism, heavy metal toxicity, toxins, and many other conditions), other hormone disease, such as diabetes, and kidney failure (which can be associated with vitamin and mineral deficiency). Some drugs and medications have been associated with restless leg syndrome including caffeine, alcohol, H2-histamine blockers (such as Zantac and Tagamet) and certain antidepressants (such as Elavil).

Occasionally, restless legs run in families. Recent studies have shown that restless leg syndrome appears to become more common with age.

Can other conditions mimic restless leg syndrome?

There are many conditions which can mimic restless leg syndrome including muscle diseases, joint conditions, nerve problems, and circulation difficulties.

What is treatment for restless leg syndrome?

Treatment of restless leg syndrome is first directed toward any underlying illness, if known. For example, a search for iron deficiency by blood testing to reveal underlying iron deficiency anemia. Reduction or elimination of caffeine and alcohol can be very helpful. Stopping smoking can also diminish symptoms. Getting better sleep and exercise can help some persons affected by restless legs.

Black Swan

peachypants I do not have this syndrome, but found the information interesting, as with many of the things that are appearing on this new forum.

littlebug

Some things I do...
Get up and walk around for a few minutes, prefarably on a cold tile floor.
Stand with legs against a cold radiator for a few minutes. (or maybe a cold hot water bottle in the bed, if that makes sense).
If all else fails I take myself off to the spare room and find that getting in a nice cold bed helps! This doesn't go down very well with hubby but I think might be slightly prefarable to putting up with me tossing and turning and kicking etc.
Avoid the "rich foods" late at night that make it worse. Red wine is a killer for me. I'm guaranteed to end up in the spare bed if I have a few glasses!

I'm not recommending this as a cure but I did find that mine got much better after having my babies. I think it was more a case of suddenly getting the ability to sleep on a bed of nails.... if I ever got half a chance to sleep. Once they both started sleeping well the old wibbly legs syndrome returned.

P

Pink Bunny

Try putting a bar of soap in your bed under the sheets. Or if you are watching tv etc... and get the restless legs put a hotel size soap in your socks.
Everyone I know that has tried it swears by it.

If anybody tries this would you please report back in this thread if it worked for you? I'd be curious to know.

londubh

restless leg syndrome is possibly a neurological disorder, its also classed a sleep disorder and may be genetic. it can also be a sign of mineral deficincy.
truth is noone really knows.
gp's dont diagnose properly as the only treatment is an anti-parkinsons medication or medical grade narcotics. neither is good.
get your partner to try tonic water half an hour before bed, yes tonic water. its the quinine, some people find it helps. it depends on the severity. as the quinine levels are below theraputic levels. some gp's will give malaria tablets, but they have a reputation as being an abortive.
others swear by antistax a herbal product you can buy over the counter in the chemist,
magnesium or potassium or iron vitamins. but get blood test first as you dont want to end up with iron overload which is very serious and can lead to liver damage.
truth is there is no cure and it gets worse as you get older and eventually causes sleep deprivation. so see a gp and go from there. its a very common problem. when i seen my gp i didnt even have to go through all the symptoms. he was very familiar with the condition.
hope this helps
sweet dreams!

christinadublin

It could be caused by too much caffeine in the diet.

londubh

good yeah. im alot worse when i drink coffee, coke or black tea past 6pm. ice packs are great. put them on your ankles for about 20mins before you go to bed.

Splendour

Quinine as suggested by londubh is good but the best thing as also suggested by londubh is magnesium. The Solgar range is probably the strongest. Tell her to take one in the mornings and one at night.

dmaxontour

I get this a lot. Especially recently. I think Moy park Chicken kievs kick it off with me. Seriously. As well as other stuff. I find it very hard to lock something down as a cause or contributing factor. All good suggestions here and I know the theories and the difficulty medecine has with identifying a cause.
I'm going to try the soap in socks in the evening and see if it helps.
:-)

dmaxontour

Oh yeah, I meant to say this.

I was up at Glendalough at teh weekend and got eaten alive by flies. When this happens to me I come up in lumps (where the bites are) and now I have that restless legs feeling during the day too, so was wondering if the two could be in any way related.
Does anyone else suffer simlarly? Also, flies, mosquitos etc, always go for me. I know people say vitamin B repels them, But I am also wondering if slow "sticky" blood could make me more of a target. And "sticky" blood is related to restless legs....
Anyway. Thinking out loud here :-)

GeeNorm

Just another angle on this. Suggested to take it with a pinch of salt.

I've often heard of this referred to as 'Kicking cats.' I think meaning that the leg jolt looks like you are kicking a cat off the end of the bed.

Anyway, lots of people suffer from it when hungover and it is related to 'Vodka leg.' Vodka leg is the belief that if you're body can't cope with various toxins in the blood, that the untreated 'bad blood' lingers in the legs (acting as a sump). This makes the legs sore (vodka leg) and twitchy (kicking cats).

Drinking lots of water helps and i am guessing that for people who suffer from this chronically (i.e. when not hungover), the unprocessed toxins are from caffeine etc (as already pointed out) so avoid these later in the day.

kmick

My wife has a bar of soap under the sheet where her legs and feet are. It has eliminated the problem. How it could possibly work is beyond me but it has.

keiran110

That soap method is extremly strange! It boggles my mind to how it possible would work! But sure, if it does work then thats all that matters.

Anyway, first of all, ive read in so many places and have always been taught that eating before sleep or a few hours before you sleep is a bad idea. It will lead to a bad nights sleep and restlessness when trying to sleep.

I do not have restless legs but i do have pains in my ankles when i sleep. This is most likely due to the fact that ive injured my ankles more times than i can count at this stage. What helps for me is to stretch out your feet and point your toes out when your lying down, and hold this position. Also i find it helps if you get somebody to actually sit or put weight on your ankles when your feet are stretched out in this position.

This may just work for me though because i probably have ankle problems rather then restless leg!

dmaxontour

"if you're body can't cope with various toxins in the blood, that the untreated 'bad blood' lingers in the legs (acting as a sump)."

I'm not sure what a sump is but this rings true to me. I can't help feeling that there is something circulatory involved. I'd like to drain my feel and lower legs and then have a refil (like an oil change).

Another thing, possilbey related, possibley not, is that my feet virtually never sweat. That seems strange to me and they often feel hot, when I have restless legs, which is why I think walking on cold tiles etc helps.

woollysocks

my sister suffers really badly with RLS and her doctor prescribed her Mirapexin which she has found really helpful. she just takes one before bed every night and it stops the restlessness within minutes

keiran110

really? Did she ask her doctor why he/she prescribed this drug?????

woollysocks

it is used in the treatment of RLS if severe enough. my Dad also takes it for his Parkinson's and I know it works on the dopamine system so therefore taking it long term is not to be sniffed as... but, if the RLS is bad enough i would urge people to go to their GP and query it with them. I think too often RLS is brushed off as being just a niggle and almost viewed as psychosomatic, but it has a real negative impact on people's lives if it leads to constant sleep loss.

keiran110

ah very good. i didnt know about it being suitable for short term use

helimachoptor

I get it normally after playing a match, I used to cycle about 40k a day and suffered with it then a bit too.

Pain in the a$$!!

cathal212

i've started to get this, really bad infact in the last few months, has been making life unbearable with the lack of sleep im getting!! anyone go to the doctor about this? is there any thing they can prescribe?

Dr robotnic

chop the legs of and bury them in lime , then dig them up and bobs your uncle .... seriously though try going for a walk or have a really hot shower before bed this always help me sleep if i ever have sore limbs at night , and if that doesn't work try the lime thing

dmaxontour

cathal212 wrote: »

i've started to get this, really bad infact in the last few months

Have a think about anything that may have changed in the last few months, especially diet related.

Doctors have not been able to helop me at all as very little is known about it.

I've had some luck with magnesium supplements. Also, I find it gets worse after a prolonged period of eating badly (lack of veges or eating a lot of processed food) or drinking a lot. But these are all vague guesses.

For an immediate help, try walking on cold tiles, or lying down and putting your feet up against cold tiles or a cold radiator.

Auscast

I have a strange version of this (I can't think of anything else it could be) where around the time I start to think about going to bed (10pm) my legs start to ache. Then, by the time I'm in bed and trying to fall asleep my legs, arms and sometimes across my chest has this uncomfortable sensation that happens in waves. It's a hard sensation to explain... Kind of like a tired muscle feeling, cold skin and shivers (without shivering).
To relieve the sensation I have to get up and watch tv until I fall asleep (or am about to). It seems while in bed the more I think about it the stronger the sensations.

The doctor said I should try drinking tonic water for the Quinine which I'm doing now (for the first time), but I think it might be worth visiting a hypnotist.

Anyone know of someone with anything like this?

lazarus mind

I used to have RLS really bad. After I became vegetarian it just went away. I suppose some change in my nutrition...

dmaxontour

lazarus mind wrote: »

I used to have RLS really bad. After I became vegetarian it just went away. I suppose some change in my nutrition...

Interesting. When i go through a period of neglecting teh green stuff my RLS seems to get worse. And I get a craving for brocolli and veges.
Diet seems to affect me strongly in terms of RLS. Heavily processed food seems to make my RLS worse.

Auscast

I have a pretty healthy diet. Admittably there's meat involved in 95% of my dinners, but there's loads of veg as well.
Taking a glass of tonic water an hour before bed seems to help at the moment.

Cherrycola

GeeNorm wrote: »

Just another angle on this. Suggested to take it with a pinch of salt.

I've often heard of this referred to as 'Kicking cats.' I think meaning that the leg jolt looks like you are kicking a cat off the end of the bed.

Anyway, lots of people suffer from it when hungover and it is related to 'Vodka leg.' Vodka leg is the belief that if you're body can't cope with various toxins in the blood, that the untreated 'bad blood' lingers in the legs (acting as a sump). This makes the legs sore (vodka leg) and twitchy (kicking cats).

Drinking lots of water helps and i am guessing that for people who suffer from this chronically (i.e. when not hungover), the unprocessed toxins are from caffeine etc (as already pointed out) so avoid these later in the day.

Totally agree with this, i suffer with awful restless legs after ive been out drinking, and i put it down to dehydration.
And i suffered a lot more when i lived in the ME, as i wouldnt always drink enough water.
Its so hard to describe the sensation of restless legs to anyone, but my whole family suffer with, as did my gran.
Her cure was to take a panadol, and believe me, it works.

Oh and the whole sump thing is true too, i find if i prop up my legs, and let the bad blood run out, or even massage my lower legs to get the blood moving, this helps too.

cathy01

I think Low Vitamin B12, is related to it.Check up at the Doctor.??Cathy

Kanoe

have suffered this on occasion, usually after taking medication that contains anti histamine, someone told me the weirdest solution to take a bar of soap to the bed, (i know it sounds mad) but it worked. (place it behind the knee)

edit:just copped the soap posts on page one..but it does work!

run_Forrest_run

I must admit some of the suggestions here seem like hocus-pocus methods but I guess since the experts don't know the true cause of RLS then it's fair game.

My GP prescribed a dopamine agonist (Ropinirole) but in the end I chickened out and didn't take it. I'm not too happy messing with dopamine levels in my body via pills.

I think I'll go to the GP for some blood tests to check mineral levels.

Rubberlegs

I used to get this alot as a young teenager, would be lying in bed tired, but my legs would be buzzing with energy, like they could take off and run for miles. Was told it was something to do with growing, similar to growing pains. Sometimes, nowadays , can be sitting watching tv at night, and get this feeling in my legs that only fidgeting and repeatedly stretching them out relieves a bit. This is the point when I just have to go to bed, maybe its overtiredness or something that sets it off...

mooeire

HI, i suffer a lot wit RLS and iv read thats its got to do with the blood not circulating back up the legs.. If i lie on my back with my legs straight up against the wall the blood flows back up my legs and feeling goes away.. Does anybody think a vibro machine would help to circulate the blood better in in my legs??? Any help would be great

I started taking calcium and magnesium tablets before and they worked great but when i stopped it came back and now the tablets arent having the same effect..

Auscast

mooeire wrote: »

HI, i suffer a lot wit RLS and iv read thats its got to do with the blood not circulating back up the legs.. If i lie on my back with my legs straight up against the wall the blood flows back up my legs and feeling goes away.. Does anybody think a vibro machine would help to circulate the blood better in in my legs??? Any help would be great

I started taking calcium and magnesium tablets before and they worked great but when i stopped it came back and now the tablets arent having the same effect..

Honestly, try Indian Tonic Water. Have a glass about an hour before you normally get RLS and see if it helps. Sometimes I start to get pain and then have a glass and it soon goes away. It works great for me. Let me know if you try it and it works.

LC2010HIS

I get this too. Its hurts so much i pass out and i wake up with aching pains like im after running miles and miles the day previous. Ive had it for 3 years its painful

chrissytina

hey!

Has anybody ever found the symptoms spreading to the stomach?
Thanks!

Br4tPr1nc3

I used to get this quite a bit.
I have noticed a drop in it since I gave up smoking.

but what used to help me,
Id move my legs to a cold part in the bed. itd help a lot.

if my legs were in the middle, where it was warm, and they were there a while.
id move them to the edge of the bed where it would be chilled.

InTheTrees

Bumping an old thread to see if anyone has any updates.

I usually wake up twice a night with it.

There's still no cure and the only medication is the same as used for parkinson's with a long list of side effects which I wouldnt want to go near.

There's a pretty good website at:

http://www.rls.org/

cathy01

Magnesium seems to be the only thing that helps.

mooeire

I got some acupuncture last year for it and it pretty much has gone away!! Still get the odd twinge but nothing like before, I was also advised to eat a more alkaline diet as it is anti inflammatory. I found taking super greens in the morning a huge help

Milly33

I always found popping deep heat on my legs worked wonders or deep freeze. Have'nt suffered from it in a good while but did find these the job. Also with the vibro plate I think it defo works for circulation in the legs. I have terrible flow in mine and despite asking docs they keep saying ah tis grand im like they are huge. Invested in a vibro plate after trying a friends out and think they are great. Now it doesn't work miracles where I have super model legs after but it has defo helped with the circulation in them

InTheTrees

mooeire wrote: »

I got some acupuncture last year for it and it pretty much has gone away!! Still get the odd twinge but nothing like before, I was also advised to eat a more alkaline diet as it is anti inflammatory. I found taking super greens in the morning a huge help

I've read that going vegan helps so i'm trying to at least go that way by juicing a lot more vegatables and eating less meat and dairy. I thik it's helped a tiny bit. I still wake at least twice every night, but its less when I'm sitting watching tv in the evening I think.

I plan on doing a week of pure vegan to test it out.

How often did you get it? DId it wake you in the night? I'm tempted by acupuncture and veganism. Even if it doesnt work its good for general health.

InTheTrees

Milly33 wrote: »

I always found popping deep heat on my legs worked wonders or deep freeze. Have'nt suffered from it in a good while but did find these the job. Also with the vibro plate I think it defo works for circulation in the legs. I have terrible flow in mine and despite asking docs they keep saying ah tis grand im like they are huge. Invested in a vibro plate after trying a friends out and think they are great. Now it doesn't work miracles where I have super model legs after but it has defo helped with the circulation in them

Is it a circulatory thing though? I've never heard that it is.

I've gone from completely unfit to doing ten miles a day on the bike and thighs like a professional bike racer and it hasnt made any difference.

InTheTrees

cathy01 wrote: »

Magnesium seems to be the only thing that helps.

Does it? How often were you getting it? Is it still working?

Milly33

InTheTrees wrote: »

Is it a circulatory thing though? I've never heard that it is.

I've gone from completely unfit to doing ten miles a day on the bike and thighs like a professional bike racer and it hasnt made any difference.

To be honest I don't know but I would doubt it I was saying more for circulation that the vibro plate was great. It just so happened that the deep heat and that did work for mine, my dad used to use it too..

mooeire

InTheTrees wrote: »

I've read that going vegan helps so i'm trying to at least go that way by juicing a lot more vegatables and eating less meat and dairy. I thik it's helped a tiny bit. I still wake at least twice every night, but its less when I'm sitting watching tv in the evening I think.

I plan on doing a week of pure vegan to test it out.

How often did you get it? DId it wake you in the night? I'm tempted by acupuncture and veganism. Even if it doesnt work its good for general health.

I only got it a couple of times but it worked straight away, at the time I was trying to eat a mainly paleo diet which I found helped a great deal as well. I haven't been exercising that much or eating to well lately and have found the rls creeping back in.. Still nowhere near as bad as it used to be, it would take me hours to get asleep, I took mirapexin for a long time and wouldn't advise anybody to take it

dougm1970

i'm tortured with this at night....normally about an hour after going to bed.....wife, too, says the soap under sheets work (she works in a hospital and it worked for two patients seemingly)....havent tried it, but will be....maybe even like a previous poster said put it behind the knees, something like a hotel sized soap.

wandererz

dougm1970 wrote: »

i'm tortured with this at night....normally about an hour after going to bed.....wife, too, says the soap under sheets work (she works in a hospital and it worked for two patients seemingly)....havent tried it, but will be....maybe even like a previous poster said put it behind the knees, something like a hotel sized soap.

Have you looked into getting a weighted blanket?
Have a look at reviews on amazon.

Achtung! Bono

Could be worse, you could be Jake the Peg.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-OfE7NBviTc

markmoto

From nutritional point of view lack of thiamine B1 and/or electrolytes imbalance especially Potassium.