That twitching, itching, creepy crawling leg twitching feeling can really make it hard to sit at work, and try putting in a 10 hour day behind the desk with a bad case of RLS, the only thing that is worse is flying to China on a packed airplane, and you have a window seat.
I am a self diagnosed RLS sufferer. Not planning on taking meds for it unless there is something out there that has zero side effects. The best way to deal with it is to figure out what makes it worse. Its ironic that it causes lack of sleep, but sleep is needed to alleviate the suffering.
What about work. I have to get sleep to work effectively, and allot of times wake up feeling tired due to the ... you bet ya ...RLS. Hats off to all of you out there that go thru the same suffering.
..And if you have desk jobs, better think about working while standing up, getting exercise at lunch (I found this helps the most), and walking around every 15 minutes or so as the end of the day gets near.
.. Hook it up to a generator to pay the bills...
Desk Jobs and RLS
re desk job
I had a desk job for about a year, invest in some ankle weights! They saved my life! strap them on a lift those legs while you're working. It was the only way I could stay at my desk! 
Hi Guest
If you are after ideas about non-drug treatments, I highly recommend Jill Gunzels RLS Rebel Site at www.rlsrebel.com
I recommend finding a good massage and/or cranio sacral therapist. Have a wander through the Non-Pharmaceutical Therapies topic on this site and you will come across all sorts of ideas that you can try.
As for having a desk job and RLS ... been there done that, learnt my lesson, and could write a book about it, BUT still have a desk job. I WAS the Financial Accountant for four university campuses for four and a half years pulling 10-12hr days, plus take home work, plus weekend work; and doing all of that on an average of 1-3hrs sleep per night. My bosses didn't give a toss, so I gave them the toss when my body literally said "enough" and I ended up in hospital at 2am one morning. Now I run my own bookkeeping business from home. I do my own hours, in my own "yoga-like" positions and if I'm having a really "off" day I don't have to bother calling in sick.
BTW, while I was pulling 10-12 hour days ... I would make sure I would have a break and walk around and/or stretch every hour. I replaced the handset on my phone with a headset so I could pace the floor when I was on lengthy calls with "the powers that be". Other than that, I would sit at my desk constantly shaking my legs from side to side.
To figure out what makes it worse for you so you can find a place to start, keep a diary - of EVERYTHING. What you eat and drink (including coffee and alcohol), your sleep patterns, your exercise, what herbal/mineral supplements you take, when you go out to parties, your hours at work AND the STRESS factor of your job. After a couple of months you should see a pattern start to emerge and you will know what to avoid and/or change in your life.
Best of luck to you! Keep us posted on your journey.
Take care!
If you are after ideas about non-drug treatments, I highly recommend Jill Gunzels RLS Rebel Site at www.rlsrebel.com
I recommend finding a good massage and/or cranio sacral therapist. Have a wander through the Non-Pharmaceutical Therapies topic on this site and you will come across all sorts of ideas that you can try.
As for having a desk job and RLS ... been there done that, learnt my lesson, and could write a book about it, BUT still have a desk job. I WAS the Financial Accountant for four university campuses for four and a half years pulling 10-12hr days, plus take home work, plus weekend work; and doing all of that on an average of 1-3hrs sleep per night. My bosses didn't give a toss, so I gave them the toss when my body literally said "enough" and I ended up in hospital at 2am one morning. Now I run my own bookkeeping business from home. I do my own hours, in my own "yoga-like" positions and if I'm having a really "off" day I don't have to bother calling in sick.
BTW, while I was pulling 10-12 hour days ... I would make sure I would have a break and walk around and/or stretch every hour. I replaced the handset on my phone with a headset so I could pace the floor when I was on lengthy calls with "the powers that be". Other than that, I would sit at my desk constantly shaking my legs from side to side.
To figure out what makes it worse for you so you can find a place to start, keep a diary - of EVERYTHING. What you eat and drink (including coffee and alcohol), your sleep patterns, your exercise, what herbal/mineral supplements you take, when you go out to parties, your hours at work AND the STRESS factor of your job. After a couple of months you should see a pattern start to emerge and you will know what to avoid and/or change in your life.
Best of luck to you! Keep us posted on your journey.
Take care!
Nadia
My philosophy is simply this: Life is too short to be diplomatic. Your friends should not care what you do, or say; and for those who are not your friends ... their loss!!!
My philosophy is simply this: Life is too short to be diplomatic. Your friends should not care what you do, or say; and for those who are not your friends ... their loss!!!
Desk Job and RLS
I also have a desk job and find it very helpful to just get up and walk around every 30 minutes or so. The mornings are not too bad, but by mid afternoon my legs are jumping all over the underneath side of my desk!!! I also like to walk at lunch time when the weather permits.
I'm going to go check that rlsrebel site and see what it has to say!!
Connie
I'm going to go check that rlsrebel site and see what it has to say!!
Connie
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Guest
This is a great idea, I am thinking of using an xcel spreadsheet, then I can perform analysis on the data which should be easy with my statistics experience.To figure out what makes it worse for you so you can find a place to start, keep a diary - of EVERYTHING. What you eat and drink (including coffee and alcohol), your sleep patterns, your exercise, what herbal/mineral supplements you take, when you go out to parties, your hours at work AND the STRESS factor of your job. After a couple of months you should see a pattern start to emerge and you will know what to avoid and/or change in your life.
Thanks for sharing your experiences working behind the desk.
-Dave