Peace at Last

[ajt0]

I have had RLS for over 2 years now and have suffered many sleepless nights because of it. For me it only affects me just at the moment that I start to drift into sleep. At that point just before sleep one or both of my lower legs(sometimes my thighs) begin to tingle, ache or cramp and it instantly brings me awake. I cannot get to sleep no matter how hard I try. I discovered right away that by taking Ibuprofen that I could get to sleep most of the time in about a half hour after taking it. Sometimes it would take me a couple hours before the Ibuprofen worked. After about a year I discovered quite by accident that taking a multivitamin worked most of the time but I still had to take Ibuprofen on occasion. I worked on the components of the multivitamin trying to find out what is was that helped and finally traced it to the Iron. Also discovered along the way that different foods make the RLS worse and I still have to take the Ibuprofen a couple nights a week even when taking multivitamins or iron supplements. About two weeks ago I was thinking again about why the Iron supplements works which would obviously be because it helps the red blood cells carry more oxygen to my legs when it occurred to me that maybe exercising my lower legs before bed might increase the blood flow to that area enough that it could get me to sleep. I then stood on my tip toes and alternated them up and down without my heels touching the floor like I was climbing stairs in place for a count of 200. This of course alternately flexed my calf muscles and gave them a quick workout which only took a couple minutes. So far for the last two weeks I have been able to go to sleep without taking any medications, vitamins or supplements. For me it's like a dream come true. I know this will not work for everyone but it might work for you. It's certainly worth a try.

[badnights]

That's a great trick, and I've used it myself! Sometimes I forget how such seemingly simple things might help people. Most people who suffer from this condition would be helped by those kinds of things. Another one is wall squats, which works the thigh muscles more, but it's easier to do when you're exhausted (less balance required): stand with your back to the wall and walk your feet forward a couple of feet, then go down into a squat with your thighs parallel to the wall (adjust your feet so they're right under your knees, to protect your knees). Hold til you're shaking.

Sometimes stretching helps as much as working the muscles. eg sometimes I fall asleep with my foot bent back behind my butt, stretching the thigh (but then I wake up with sore knee joints).

Another trick that works for some people is sitting in a very hot bath. For others, a very cold bath.

Iron is necessary but not because the muscles need oxygen (in fact, working the muscles like that makes them use up oxygen). Iron is low in our brains and spinal fluid. No one really understands why that causes these abnormal sensations, nor why they come on at rest, but clearly the sensations are caused by a malfunction of the central nervous system (brain and nerves), and taking iron helps a lot of people. I take it, but I need other medication too. If I stop taking iron, I have to increase my dose of the other medication.

I have no idea why the Ibuprofen would help, since this is not an inflammatory disease, but maybe you have inflammation somewhere that is somehow aggravating the WED/RLS, or maybe you are the beneficiary of the placebo effect (and if it works, enjoy it!).

[ViewsAskew]

My symptoms - in my legs - are almost always in my quadriceps. As Beth does, bending the knee and putting foot behind butt works well, but I've knee condition and that is out for my right leg, as are squats.

I've found a GREAT leg exercise for those with quad symptoms.

Lay in bed and raise your leg - holding it straight - maybe 2 to 3 inches above the bed and hold it for 20 seconds. Now, slowly raise it another few inches. Gravity, going slowly, and a bit of muscle fatigue make it feel as if it's much harder than if you raised it quickly. Now, hold that for 20 seconds and then slowly raise it another few inches and hold it. Depending on how tired I am or how bad the symptoms are, I have to raise my leg between 2 and 5 times before it's fatigued and the symptoms stop. If I can get the quad to shake a bit from fatigue, I can usually get back to sleep for another hour or so, sometimes for the rest of the night. Best of all is that it's not stressful to my knees and I don't have to get out of bed or sleep in a weird position!

[badnights]

That's a good one. I usually have to bounce out of bed, needing to walk it off, before I can lie down and do something like that, but I'm going to try to remember for next time, to lie back down and do it, because it definitely would be easier on the knees. Also, you're in bed and can fall asleep right there.

[ViewsAskew]

That's a good one. I usually have to bounce out of bed, needing to walk it off, before I can lie down and do something like that, but I'm going to try to remember for next time, to lie back down and do it, because it definitely would be easier on the knees. Also, you're in bed and can fall asleep right there.

This works best for when symptoms are mild and intermittent. When symptoms are constant, it sometimes works, but often not - because it's happening when I'm trying to do it. Sometimes I have to get up and walk a few minutes and "wake up" a bit. As soon as I'm a bit more awake and it's calmer I can get back in bed and try this.

[jul2873]

Ajto, thank you very much for your suggestion about " climbing." I tried it on a cross-country flight yesterday, and it made the last 3 hours of the flight comfortable. Then I tried it last night during my first wake-up and, magic!, I could go right back to bed and I slept the rest of the night. I don't know how long it will last, but it's working fine now and I do so appreciate your taking the time to post and describe this technique.