do u find some releaf from rls when eating ?

Please share your experiences, successes, and failures in using non-drug therapies for RLS/WED (methods of relief that don't involve swallowing or injecting anything), including compression, heat, light, stretches, acupuncture, etc. Also under this heading, medical interventions that don't involve the administration of a medicine to the body (eg. varicose-vein operations, deep-brain stimulation). [This forum contains Topics started prior to 2009 that deal with Non-prescription Medicines, Supplements, & Diet.]
carol
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do u find some releaf from rls when eating ?

Post by carol »

i have found that when i eat, rls does not bother me as much..so i find myself eating because i am restless... any one else?

Coco

Post by Coco »

It may happen simply because you take your mind off your restless legs, and occupy it with something else. It is weird, but it helps me too sometimes.

Guest

Post by Guest »

When RLS bothers me I find I can eat everything that not nailed down. I think is because I cannot concentrated on anything else. I can't seem to be able to even relax enough to read a book. Just watch TV and eat very late at night. I am taking Mirapex but if I get off schedule in my doses my RLS drives me crazy.

Sara
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Post by Sara »

Carol--

I like to eat :D and I find that only things that really engross me are enough to "take my mind off" my RLS... when anything can at all.

So, yes, sometimes eating takes my mind off it. Not sure if it really changes the symptoms, just my perception of them. And certainly the general feeling of unease and restlessness (no pun intended) that this condition causes can also give you an unsatisfied feeling of boredom/hunger/etc. :roll:

But the physical action of eating and/or the physiological effects of the food don't SEEM to really make any difference in my actual symptoms. And (maybe because of my RLS symptoms and the lifestyle patterns they've gotten me into) overall, I'm not in the habit of eating after dinnertime. I can't stand to sit long on the couch if my RLS is going on, so I'd have to eat standing. Not too appetizing...

And (fortunately for ME... I know others aren't the same :( ) at a certain point in my afternoon/evening/day of RLS, the ONLY thing that will make me feel ANY better is just going to bed and laying down. I used to eat IN bed sometimes (crackers and such), but I found that that increased my insomnia problems, so now I generally just don't eat after dinner time.

Take care, everybody.
Sara

IanFraughton
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Post by IanFraughton »

Carol,

I notice I get bored quit easily unless its something I'm totally into like webdesign or a good video game. I don't find eating to be all that enjoyable and do so only because I have to, but give me a bucket of icecream and I could probably eat the whole thing in one sitting. I've been a sugar addict all my life and as long as there is sugar in it I will most likely eat or drink it. I think its the sensations of the cold and sweetness that takes my mind off the RLS, but once I stop eating it I notice my symptoms come back quit quickly because I'm no longer concentrating on the icecream. So eating may just be a way for your mind to cope with your RLS, as I'm sure we have come up with many ways of coping but usually subconsciencely so we don't notice them. If eating relieves your RLS then please do so, but please don't let it become a problem too, you have enough to contend with just having RLS.

Peace 8)

Ian
I call my pacing the "Waltz of the Damned". Anyone care to dance...?

bjslovely
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Post by bjslovely »

I can relate to the eating. Last night was one of those nights where I was in such turmoil from the rls that I found myself snacking. I also take mirapex and it seems to be wearing off. I really hate this disease and cry a lot. Thanks for being there.
Bettie

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

I eat to relieve the anxiety. I usually eat while standing, which in itself helps, and I'm absorbed by the taste, which helps. And I'm sure I release some "happy" brain chemicals by eating that calms the anxiety, making me feel generally better. But the RLS doesn't really go away for me.

Bettie, Mirapex and I didn't get along well, and crying was part of it. Please consider reading some of the posts to the newcomers and try some of the links to information about other drugs you can try, etc. It isn't the only drug to try and I think it's better to get off of it if it is causing problems.

Ann

searching_gurl
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SRED & RLS

Post by searching_gurl »

Before SWIM's RLS got really bad, and before it was diagnosed, She suffered from SRED (Sleep related eating disorder) where she would eat during the night, sometimes she did it in her sleep and had no memory of it in the morning other than the empty packets of biscuits around her bed. Other times she had a vague recollection of eating, but couldn't remember actually making a conscious decision to do so.

And other times she would wake up and felt an absolute compulsion to eat, in her head it felt like she had to eat if she wanted to get back to sleep. She didn't enjoy it (even though she is fond of food) and sometimes she would have her eyes closed while she ate cause really she just wanted to be asleep. She thinks this was her first symptom of RLS even.

Her SRED got worse as her RLS did and at the time it was nearing it's peak (still undiagnosed) her dr put her on amitriptyline and both her RLS & her sleep eating went off the charts, she thought she was going crazy, one morning after very little sleep she woke up with an empty can of baked beans in her bed, sauce all through her bed, but no beans and a vague memory of not being able to find any easy food. She was woken by the meter reader ringing her doorbell, her front door was wide open and she had a faint memory of standing outside naked in the night to cool down and she must have had at least 10 baths and a lot of sleeping pills.

For SWIM food definitely gave some relief from her RLS when the symptoms were mild, but when they were severe food didn't help really, but obviously her subconscious thought it would if she was desperate enough to eat cold beans in her sleep!

mackjergens
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Post by mackjergens »

I wonder if its the food, are if by getting up and moving helps your rls? If my rls is going strong there would be no way I could sit and eat, now I could and have stood up to eat something late at night. Just like I have to stand up and watch TV at times.

To the person who eats lots of Ice Cream, you need to know that for many RLSer's Ice Cream can make your rls worse. You will find that info on one of the RLS websites under food that worsens RLS.

mesolo
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Post by mesolo »

Carol, I think there might be something to eating food and easing RLS. As you may or may not know, being deficient in Iron is one of the causes, so if you're eating a food rich in Iron (my case it was Cream of Wheat) you'll notice a difference right away.

Sometimes I think it's a simple matter of taking a look at what we're eating first and then if the problem still persists we should be seeking medical help. It seems to me a lot of people are relying too heavily on meds first instead of trying to cure their problem with a healthy diet.

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

mesolo, there is no question that every doctor should start with checking both anemia and ferritin. In the sticky posts about Managing RLS, we have advocated that everyone look at their diet initially. And their exercise, as it can also affect it. Another thing that can be an easy "fix" is look at it other medications.

Anemia is helped by iron from food rather quickly - my SIL does the same thing and her RLS is history. From most of our experiences here, it's not so simple with ferritin. If your ferritin is low, taking huge amounts of iron can help, but not for weeks or months. And, then it doesn't always help.

Problem is that few of us know any of this, including our doctors! It's only by coming here and reading all of this that anyone learns this (or any other good RLS site, like We Move, etc.). And, our doctors learn from us :? . One other way everyone learns is through the RLS Foundation.

Every person here benefits because the Foundation supports this message board and pays for it to be hosted. I don't know how many of us here are members (moderators are required to be), but I'd ask everyone to reach into their hearts....if you've ever gotten anything from this board, how about a holiday gift to the organization who supports you and helps fund research for a true cure for us?

Wow, must be soapbox day in Ann's house, lol. I didn't know that was in there! I hope everyone takes it in the spirit in which it was meant. Mesolo, sorry about the tangent I took your post and the tangent in which I took the entire thread.....
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

mackjergens
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Post by mackjergens »

To the person who eats alot of ice cream, you need to research ice cream and rls, many of us RLSer's have learned that eating ice cream can set off our RLS or make it more intense.

mesolo
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Post by mesolo »

I guess I'm a little puzzled as to why a lot of people on this messageboard are heavily relying on meds instead of proper nutrition to cure their RLS?? As far looking at their diet initially.... sorry but that isn't emphasized (on this board) nearly enough, the same way that running to the doctor and getting a prescription is!!

Initially, I thought my leg problem was a lot worse than what it turned out to be. Honestly, who really thinks about how much Iron they should be taking on a daily basis? I didn't. Sure I've heard about eating a healthy diet all my life (who hasn't?) but it never ocurred to me an Iron deficiency was the reason. By posting my 2 cents I thought I could help someone by giving some 'fresh' information you usually don't hear.

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

mesolo, where do you see people relying on meds and doctors instead of nutrition to contain their RLS? I probably have a difference perception because I've been here so long, so I may not see it the same; I could be missing something.

As I read replies to newcomers I hear many of us giving advice to start at the beginning, to get ferritin tests, etc before starting meds, or with starting them if the RLS is too strong to be born while waiting to see if diet helps. When someone new comes, it's great to have as many welcoming voices as possible - and with as many perspectives so that each person can make their own choice.

Over time, I've come to see that for many who come here their RLS is not controlled (or even touched) by diet, exercise, nutrients, or non-pharm methods. It just isn't that easy for so many. I wish it were. Some of our members have iron infusions - take Susan - and it doesn't touch their RLS.

It it so great that you found that to work. And Kbear has to a great extent, and others. And, honestly, some people don't want to try other methods after years of RLS - they just want instant relief and I can't say that's right or wrong - it's where they are at that moment. We all hear what we want to hear and we all get what we need, one way or the other.

Of course, just my perspective and obviously probably different than others here.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

mesolo
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Post by mesolo »

Ann,

"Bettie, Mirapex and I didn't get along well, and crying was part of it. Please consider reading some of the posts to the newcomers and try some of the links to information about other drugs you can try, etc. It isn't the only drug to try and I think it's better to get off of it if it is causing problems"

This is what I mean....encouraging people to depend on drugs. These are your own words. You're just continuing the cycle!

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