Tickle yourself!

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.]
Post Reply

Did this work for you?

Every time!
2
50%
Most of the time.
0
No votes
Sometimes.
1
25%
Once... but never again
0
No votes
Never worked
1
25%
 
Total votes: 4

Flashing
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon May 05, 2008 6:43 pm
Contact:

Tickle yourself!

Post by Flashing »

Lately my RLS has been TERRIBLE. EVERY time I try to fall asleep I'm always nudged awake at that crucial moment just before dozing off. It's almost always in my left calf muscle. I have tried iron supplements, vitamin B supplements, excercise of all kinds, cutting out caffeine, dietary changes, you name it. None of which worked consistently.

But last night... EUREKA! I had an epiphany.

We've all been 'tickled' by someone before and most of us have noticed that, eventually, there's no 'tickle' sensation left in an area if someone continues to tickle in that same area for more than a minute or two.

Or perhaps you've tickled someone, and it's very effective at first, but it starts to fade and you can't get them to laugh as much or at all and you stop because there's no longer any use in trying. You just can't tickle someone without the sensation fading away after a time.

So my big discovery happened last night. I couldn't sleep, so I sat up on the side of the bed. I then let my left foot drop to the floor with my toes curled up, which caused my toe-nails to drag across the wood laminate surface of our bedroom floor. The tickling sensation was so intense that my leg jerked back up off of the floor. Surprised by this I tried the same thing with my right leg... Hmmm... almost no tickling sensation at all. Tried the left leg again... UNBARABLE!

So, using the info mentioned earlier, I proceeded to tickle the hell out of my left foot (which was excrutiating at first) until there was absolutely NO tickling sensation left. I used my fingernails to do the tickling as that is the most intense and effective way to tickle. When I was done, there was nothing anyone in this world could do to tickle my foot. I was "tickle-dead."

I put my head back on my pillow, tried to go back to sleep, felt the heart-rate go up slightly due to my own anxiety, thinking that it was just going to come back like it did with every other method I tried..... BUT!
The next thing I knew I was waking up to my alarm clock and wondering, "what? how did that happen? I don't remember getting sleepy or anything after my head hit the pillow!"

That's the cure for me! Tickle the foot ( or any area of your body that you find is extra sensitive to tickling at the time ) and I can almost assure you that you'll have no trouble getting to sleep. But you MUST tickle the area until there is ABSOLUTELY no tickle left. Get rough with it if you have to. Use your fingernails!

As most people have trouble in the calves like I do I believe this will help MANY MANY people!

PLEASE let me know if this works for you too!

ctravel12
Posts: 2125
Joined: Mon Jul 03, 2006 2:02 am
Location: Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Contact:

Post by ctravel12 »

Hi Flashing and welcome to this group. I am glad that you have found relief for your rls and that it continues to work. Please keep us posted on how you are doing.
Charlene
Taking one day at a time

becat
Posts: 2842
Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2004 11:41 pm

Post by becat »

HI Flashing and welcome to the board.

I voted never worked, as I had three older brothers and RLS all my life. Combined I guess I've tried it without knowing it, but it just makes me mad.

Glad to have you here, enjoy the board.

Lynne

Post Reply