Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

I wonder how many of us have this problem. I’m starting to not want to travel anywhere because of the Rls coming on during the night. At home I have the freedom to go down to the kitchen to fix something warm to drink then watch tv it get on the computer. You know, distractions. We’re staying the night at ou son’shouse. I’m flying out to visit my brother in the morning on a 5:30am flight & this is an hour closer to the airport. I’m on the sofa & my husband is on a mattress on the floor. I don’t want to waken anyone so I’m suffering in the dark. At my brother’s there will be another houseguest & I’ll face the same dilemma. My husband & I travel to district board meetings for our church every 3 months & that is particularly hard. Just another way in which RLS impacts our lives.

What a pain it is, disrupting our lives. Can you go into the kitchen? Or how about, take a hot bath, or just walk to the bathroom and back? I would get into tub, hot bath always helps me. Maybe, start telling people ahead of time that you need to do these things. I guess, hotel isn't much better, because of spouse, but then, there is the bath there. Then there is always the cost.
Walk around living room. Too bad there isn't another room your husband could be in, so you could walk around living room. I feel your pain.

I travel on a fairly regular basis for a number of different reasons. Sometimes I go into the bathroom and take a hot shower or bath to shut down the sensations long enough to go back to bed. Other times I will get onto my laptop and distract myself by surfing the internet, playing games or reading a book with the Kindle app. My wife has learned to sleep through most of this. One two occasions I had other room mates. I warned them that I would probably be up during the night and in each case they told me the next morning that I had not disturbed them.

In a situation like this I walk, and walk, in the dark. Or possibly using the back light of my kindle as I try to walk and read.

Must admit that I work ahead and might take an extra bedtime tablet. Sometimes this means I am still awake but at least have no symptoms so can quietly read to pass the time and hope to drop off eventually.

I’m on the sofa & my husband is on a mattress on the floor. I don’t want to waken anyone so I’m suffering in the dark. At my brother’s there will be another houseguest & I’ll face the same dilemma.

I know how hard it is, but you have to try to manage situations like that, so they don't ever get that bad.

Start by talking to everyone who might be disturbed, explaining your medical condition and your need to move about at night. Then - once it's out in the open, so to speak - try to arrange a sleeping solution that will work better. Maybe you get the mattress on the floor, maybe you get the spot closest to the kitchen, or maybe the other houseguests will say to turn a radio on low and they won't hear a thing ... or go ahead and turn on the light because it won't awaken them...

The solution would depend on the situation, and might not be ideal , but you have a medical condition that causes distress, and there is no reason you should suffer that stress solely so that others can sleep in peace. Share the suffering a bit The main thing is that you have to consider your sleep, and yourself, important enough to stick your neck out like that.

I just returned from my visit to my brother. He had fixed up a sleeping arrangement that worked for both his other house guest and me. Plus the other house guest was a night owl that stayed up until 3 in the morning. We actually joked about raiding the refrigerator in the middle of the night. I explained RLS as best I could to my brother and my need to get in my best sleep between 6 and 9 am. One thing I found difficult is explaining RLS and not over talking it. This may have more to do with my relationship with my brother than RLS. He knows more now about what I endure. Also, we both a champion nap takers, something we inherited from our mother, so naps were not a problem. Thanks for all of your great suggestions.

Very happy for you that your trip and your sleeping arrangements worked so well.

Nice. The more people who start to understand what you're going thru, the better.