rls problems at work
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res2cue
rls problems at work
I am a professional firefighter and have problems sleeping at work. Are there any brothers/sisters that have experienced this and can give me some advice? The rls seems to be getting worse. Even on a quiet night with no calls, I can't sleep.
Hi, Res2cue--
I don't know of any other professional firefighters on this forum.
You must really be having a tough time. My husband is a professional firefighter, too, and I KNOW how important it is to be able to get to sleep (and back to sleep over and over, if you work somewhere busy!
) In fact, I've always told him, I could never have a job like his (well, mostly 'cause I'm not strong and brave enough 
but also) because about the time I got to sleep, I'd get another call. And for many of us, the more tired we get, the worse our RLS gets... it's a double-edged sword. Anyway, it's something I've thought about, so I think I know a little bit what you're going through.
My RLS is moderate but persistent (often 24/7 the last year or so), but I AM able to sleep (not always well, but I sleep a lot more than a lot of people here. But RLS does tend to progress over time, and mine has. That might be why yours seems to be getting worse.
I have done some of the non-pharmaceutical strategies mentioned in this forum. They don't seem to work as well for the folks with the most severe cases, and even for me, nothing takes my RLS all the way away. But there are a few things that have helped me some. If you read through this section in particular, you might get some ideas.
There are also medications that help some RLSers, but I'm sure some of them would not be appropriate for you to take on the job. And frankly, none of them seems to be a "magic bullet" cure. There seems to be a lot of augmentation, temporary relief, drugs that reduce sensations also impair sleep, etc. A neurologist, I think, is the doc you would see to discuss your medication options.
Res2cue... this has to be especially distressing to you, because it MUST make your difficult and tiring job that much more difficult and tiring. I wish you well in finding ways to cope with this. Take care... and be careful out there, too!
Sara
I don't know of any other professional firefighters on this forum.
You must really be having a tough time. My husband is a professional firefighter, too, and I KNOW how important it is to be able to get to sleep (and back to sleep over and over, if you work somewhere busy!
) In fact, I've always told him, I could never have a job like his (well, mostly 'cause I'm not strong and brave enough but also) because about the time I got to sleep, I'd get another call. And for many of us, the more tired we get, the worse our RLS gets... it's a double-edged sword. Anyway, it's something I've thought about, so I think I know a little bit what you're going through.
My RLS is moderate but persistent (often 24/7 the last year or so), but I AM able to sleep (not always well, but I sleep a lot more than a lot of people here. But RLS does tend to progress over time, and mine has. That might be why yours seems to be getting worse.
I have done some of the non-pharmaceutical strategies mentioned in this forum. They don't seem to work as well for the folks with the most severe cases, and even for me, nothing takes my RLS all the way away. But there are a few things that have helped me some. If you read through this section in particular, you might get some ideas.
There are also medications that help some RLSers, but I'm sure some of them would not be appropriate for you to take on the job. And frankly, none of them seems to be a "magic bullet" cure. There seems to be a lot of augmentation, temporary relief, drugs that reduce sensations also impair sleep, etc. A neurologist, I think, is the doc you would see to discuss your medication options.
Res2cue... this has to be especially distressing to you, because it MUST make your difficult and tiring job that much more difficult and tiring. I wish you well in finding ways to cope with this. Take care... and be careful out there, too!
Sara