anxiety and WED

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peanut1
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 8:06 am

anxiety and WED

Post by peanut1 »

I wasn't sure exactly where to put this topic so if it's inappropriate let me know where this might work next time. I have struggled with anxiety for years and it's definitely gotten better, but I still struggle with expecting the worst out of a situation. Since I've lived this way since I was a child, it's hard to detect when I am anxious because the anxiety has significantly improved over the years AND I've lived with it all my life. Recently I went to an excellent counselor and learned just how anxious I still am.

After getting more aware of it, I started seeing a direct correlation with the anxiety and the WED like a significant one. For example, like last night the WED felt unbearable after a conversation with a friend, I noticed my thoughts of impending disaster some of it like "this disaster or that one (perceived) will happen and I've got to prevent it blah blah blah and then...I can't function with out X hours of sleep, blah blah blah...." I tried changing that thought pattern along with deep breathing and I saw almost an automatic decrease in the WED!!!! I woke up an hour later and did it again and the same thing happened. No, it still wasn't a great night for sleep,but to notice the link is pretty amazing.

That doesn't mean the WED hasn't gotten worse through the years, because at one time I lived in a panic state and could still get my 8 hours of sleep. But whether the WED has gotten worse or my body just can't take the anxiety anymore (I believe both are true) I'm hopeful that if I find a way to reduce the anxiety and it can help manage other. Anti-anxiety meds are not the answer here because I'm already taking meds for the WED one of which is an anti-anxiety but I use it primarily for sleep and managing WED. Also the anti-anxiety does not change my thinking which creates the stress and consequently ramps up the WED. Changing a lifetime habit pattern will take time, but seeing there is SOMETHING else I can do to manage the WED even I'm not sure how yet feels so hopeful! I feel like I've tried everything there is to try out there to manage this, but seeing this correlation gives me a lot of hope.

ViewsAskew
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Re: anxiety and WED

Post by ViewsAskew »

It's great when we can make inroads with this, isn't it?

Dealing with the anxiety using breathing, yoga, or similar meditative methods works very well for me. It just doesn't work as well when my I have WED sensations or PLMS. Calming my mind ends up calming my body, which makes the sensations worse. But, I guess I then can get up and move and do it with less anxiety.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

Sojourner
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Location: USA

Re: anxiety and WED

Post by Sojourner »

"But whether the WED has gotten worse or my body just can't take the anxiety anymore (I believe both are true) I'm hopeful that if I find a way to reduce the anxiety and it can help manage other."

WED, anxiety, and other stuff just does wear a person down. Just does, just does, and just does. I think finding that "something" is important. Even if it's as simple as a warm bath or a distractingly good movie. Just something to perhaps change the thought process, feel a little hope, or just feel a little better. So, glad "something" is happening for you.

Our local wellness center offers a Tai-Chi class which I am hoping to drop in on one day soon to see if that is something that might be useful to me like yoga etc. Don't know if something like that is offered in your area or not. I'm hoping that the social aspects of attending the class will be beneficial as well as learning the theory/technique itself.

Wishing all here some peace this night.
This post simply reflects opinion. Quantities are limited while supplies last. Some assembly required.

Polar Bear
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Re: anxiety and WED

Post by Polar Bear »

WED, anxiety, and other stuff just does wear a person down. Just does, just does, and just does.

It is so horrible when that wave of anxiety drifts across, my head feels almost 'woozy', butterflies in the tummy, the feeling of worry.
And I sometimes find myself thinking.... how can I be doing these distraction methods ..... I'm worried and nervous, the distraction won't change what it is that I am worried about.

It's as though I must sort out what is worrying me before I can possibly do or think of anything else - if only I knew what it was that was worrying me. !!!
Usually it is something to do with those I care for... and generally any worry on my part is unfounded.

Sometimes I try to settle myself with.....
yesterday's gone - can't change it
tomorrow isn't here yet and no one is sure of tomorrow
This very absolute present moment is the only moment that we can do anything about.

And of course, most of what we are anxious about is only our own perception, and how our mood is on any given day.
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation

Sojourner
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Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 5:56 am
Location: USA

Re: anxiety and WED

Post by Sojourner »

"... I'm worried and nervous, the distraction won't change what it is that I am worried about."

Never quite thought about it that way and I'm gonna try not to! :D

Hope you find some peace this night P.B.
This post simply reflects opinion. Quantities are limited while supplies last. Some assembly required.

cornelia

Re: anxiety and WED

Post by cornelia »

O gosh, my anxiety has become very high and I am sure it is because of RLS. It is very bad when I have had conversations with people which wear me out or when my sleep has been very bad. It is always there and sets in immediately when RLS is bad or I have done too much etc. Research has shown that anxiety (and depression) are 2 psychiatric disorders caused by RLS.

Corri

Polar Bear
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Re: anxiety and WED

Post by Polar Bear »

I wonder are they caused by it (easy to see how they could be !!)
or do they go hand-in-hand with it ??
Whatever the case .... chickens and eggs comes to mind.
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation

cornelia

Re: anxiety and WED

Post by cornelia »

Yes, according to the researchers RLS can cause depression and , anxiety. Definately easy to understand, I agree with you.

Corrie

peanut1
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Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 8:06 am

Re: anxiety and WED

Post by peanut1 »

I can see where WED would activate the anxiety for sure. But I know from my own experience that the anxiety can also activate the WED. Lack of sleep in general adds to depression and anxiety too. Either way, my anxiety is skyrocketing tonight so I'll end up taking an extra pill :) And we all know this is no answer to cure the WED, but I'm hoping that it will help manage it a wee bit. It already has helped some because I don't need as much dosage as before.

badnights
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Re: anxiety and WED

Post by badnights »

peanut wrote: Changing a lifetime habit pattern will take time, but seeing there is SOMETHING else I can do to manage the WED even I'm not sure how yet feels so hopeful! I feel like I've tried everything there is to try out there to manage this, but seeing this correlation gives me a lot of hope.
Isn't it amazing how hope comes from totally unexpected places? And I thoroughly agree with you. Anti-anxiety meds don't address the cause of the problem; changing your thought patterns will. What an undertaking! I'm glad to see you game to try it. Every little bit helps, and you're only going to do yourself good by this. You should be proud that you undestand the correlation; not everyone can see it, for instance I've been trying to get my mother to alter her thought patterns but I don't think she sees the light (os to speak) yet.

@sojourner tai chi should be good, if it's taught in a peaceful environment. I haven't done it much and only by DVDs, but I was surprised how good I felt afterward. Maybe because it requires focus.

polar bear wrote: And I sometimes find myself thinking.... how can I be doing these distraction methods ..... I'm worried and nervous, the distraction won't change what it is that I am worried about.
It's as though I must sort out what is worrying me before I can possibly do or think of anything else
I used to be really bad with that exact kind of worry, what a perfect description. It's a control thing; we need to accept that there are things going wrong that we can't stop, eg. that we can't control our loved ones' actions. Nowadays I always seem to be worrying that I am not doing enough, or not doing what I should be doing. I know exactly (I think) what I need to do in order to halt the worry, and it's always more work or something else that I'm not capable of. I am trying really hard to accept my limitations and stop expecting much of myself, on the logical assumption that it will be easy to succeed if I don't have very high expectations. But I notice myself clenching my teeth and tensing my muscles, and I have to ask myself what could possibly be so important that I'm doing that as I'm preparing supper, or getting dressed, or trying to decide which book to read (all the time feeling as though I ought to be doing something more important than reading).

I am not surprised that WED causes anxiety nor that anxiety causes WED, and I know the linkages, when they are found, when be fascinatingly complex.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

Polar Bear
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Re: anxiety and WED

Post by Polar Bear »

Ok... today I will start to re-read this book.
The Worry Cure - Stop Worrying and Start Living. by Dr Robert L Leahy,

I might have mentioned this book before - a long time ago.
I read it about 4 years ago and felt it was worth every moment.
It didn't tell me an awful lot that was new to me.... but it did make me focus on why I worry and what I expect to achieve.
I remember finishing the book and feeling that a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, I cannot change the world, I cannot change anyone or anyone's behaviour. All I can change is my reaction.
Now ... we all know this anyway.
But for whatever reason this book hit home and I felt so much better, I do my best, I can do no more. I have no need to always justify myself.
This feeling and attitude stayed with me for a long time.

Very soon, I am going to visit with my son, DIL and my gorgeous yummy 8 months old grandson, in the USA.
(Just in case there is anyone out there who hasn't heard me go on about this for the last 3 months :)
It is 3.5 years since they visited us.
This is our first visit to them.
Worry and nervousness is setting in. My DIL can be a wee bit sensitive, can we get through 2+ weeks ok.
Already I have in my mind crossed every bridge possible and sorted out all manner of situations !!
I need to read this book again and find once again 'an inner peace' :D

Now, my DIL is a really nice girl, she emails me this morning to ask if there is anything we want her to get in for our visit and says she is so excited and cannot wait for real hugs and kisses.
So why am I worried???
Perhaps because it's such a long trip, an expensive trip and doesn't happen very often. We will have 2 weeks and can't afford to waste any of it on over-sensitivity.
You can see the point I'm making, worrying about worrying, about what 'might' happen. About what probably will happen ....
Why can't I just let what will be... be. And deal with it at the time.

Is that the lot for all of us WED/RLS Sufferers. A case of anxiety rules ok !!

Now.... where is that book, let me at it.....
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation

badnights
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Re: anxiety and WED

Post by badnights »

Groan - - if only I had not succumbed to my amazon addiction last night! That sounds like a book I could use too. I still have difficulty accepting that not everyone likes me, that strangers can be rude to me, stuff like that, I churn it over in my mind a long time afterward. But I am getting better! Relationships are not always perfect, and sometimes there will be rough spots, but it is not essential for the other person to understand me completely, nor is it essential that she/he like me even. Hard though that is for me to accept haha.
Beth - Wishing you a restful sleep tonight
Click for info on WED/RLS AUGMENTATION & IRON
I am a volunteer moderator. My posts are not medical advice. My posts do not reflect RLS Foundation opinion.

Polar Bear
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Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2006 4:34 pm
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Re: anxiety and WED

Post by Polar Bear »

Beth, IIRC... that sort of thing is covered in this book. i.e. not everyone will like us, and... it doesn't matter if they do.. or if they don't.
One suggestion in the book..... allow yourself, for instance, 30 minutes to worry. If you find yourself going over and over something, then remind yourself that at ??? say.. 6pm, I will worry about that. No matter what arises during the day it is set aside to be worried about at 6pm (or whenever).
When 6pm comes then you give yourself the 30 minutes worry time.
I found that I didn't actually need this 'worry time', I really did take the attitude... I've done all I can. So be it.
I will re-read it, but I'm still much much better than I used to be. There was a time when any worry was a catastrophe, not so much now. :)
Betty
https://www.mayoclinicproceedings.org/a ... 0/fulltext
Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation

ViewsAskew
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Re: anxiety and WED

Post by ViewsAskew »

I really liked this book, too. As PB said, it wasn't earthshakingly new, but it was presented in a solid way with things you could immediately apply and that made sense.
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

peanut1
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Jun 04, 2011 8:06 am

Re: anxiety and WED

Post by peanut1 »

thank you everyone for your feedback--Great stuff!

Beth, I LOVED what you wrote about the control thing. A lot of my anxiety comes from needing to be in control so I'm not "weak and vulnerable"
I guess it's good to try and work this thing from any angle possible just to manage it a little better :mrgreen:

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