badnights wrote:very good list. very good. One or more of those things makes the difference. The full-body coverage, maybe; the jets and movement, I would guess probably. Fresh air --- that''s a possibility. Noise - interesting thought, I wonder if that would make a difference. I use a white-noise machine at night.
1. The water is swirling constantly
The body feels this, sees this, and hears it.
2. The water jets are usually spraying water against back
The body feels this, sees this, and hears it.
3. The water is usually a constant temperature. We had it set at between 98F and 101F depending on season, cooler during summer
The body sense of warmth, in fact usually one has to get out of a hot tub at some point because of becoming too warm.
4. It was very noisy
The body sense of hearing.
5. It had cleaning chemicals in it, ours were based on chlorine
The body sense of smell and the chemicals can be an irritant (discomfort to the body).
6. Usually covered with water to neck
The body sense of warmth, touch.
7. Sitting back like in a recliner
Body is touching the surface of tub, but often I would sit up, or have my head hang forward
Not sure about this one but it is the body in different poses.
8. The hot tub was outside
The body feels coolness of wind, hears sounds, sees different surroundings
I have a feeling that maybe it is a combination of all of these things that keeps the body occupied.
Walking itself can stop RLS symptoms for most sufferers. It is not the brain that needs to be occupied for the symptoms to disappear, if that were true then reading a book would stop the symptoms, at least it is not the part of the brain that has to do with reason. It must be a part of the brain that has to do with physical activity, but also a part of the brain that has to do with the senses like touch, sight, sound, temperature changes, smell, maybe even taste.
I have noticed before that when my RLS symptoms are really bad that eating, while I eat, tends to make me feel better and for the symptoms to lesson.
Anyway, maybe because many of our senses are involved while in a hot tub that it somehow is the equivalent of walking for some people with RLS, like me. I don't think everyone with RLS is helped by a hot tub, although I don't know that for sure, but it sure helps me. I suppose movement is the one of the great senses. Not only do we have all the regular senses while walking but we also have the sense of our bodies movement which is hard to define. It is not like we usually think about what it feels like to have our muscles moving, our joints, our bones, even our skin and organs moving. Everytime we breathe we are moving our lungs, our ribs, our skin, our muscles.
It is gross, but after my surgery they had to take a drainage tube out of me, used for capturing blood and body fluids. It was probably a foot and a half long to two feet long and they pulled it out of me and I felt it (painfully) throughout my lower body weaving its way out of me. For some reason we can even feel within our bodies, I mean if I was going to create a being I doubt I would worry about putting in sensors inside the beings body, you know, like a robot, I would just have them on the outside. We on the other hand can feel pain (believe me!) on the inside too. So maybe my pacing back and forth endlessly when I'm not taking medications for RLS/WED is a very good way to relieve RLS/WED because many of the senses are being occupied, similar to being in a hot tub, but much better because of the movement of the body itself is a jumble of senses too.
I'm just guessing
