RLS / Age / Excersize / Cannabis

[lord1e]

Hi,

I'm a 22 year old male and suffer pretty damn badly with RLS. I don't suffer from RLS in the day at all, only when i'm trying to get to sleep.

I find the syptoms are accelerated when i'm very tired, and are certainaly worse when i have stayed up later then i should.

I've recently stopped smoking cannabis, and only since then has the RLS returned. I've smoked cannabis everyday for around 6 years, and during that time have only suffered RLS during very short periods of abstinence.

I'm now really struggling with it, i'm sleeping badly and waking up tired!

I have found excersize helps with my RLS, but even after vigorous excersize i can still suffer symptons although never as severe.

I'm interested to see how many of the RLS sufferers do actually complete a couple of hours of physical activity each day. I'm a computer programer, so my job generally inbvloves sitting down and i'm sure this has a severe effect on my RLS.

I'm going to go and see my doctor about this as soon as i can, as i can't count the number of times i've been kept awake since giving up the weed!

Anyway, i've already recieved loads and loads of advice from this wounderful message board so i don't have too many questions to ask. Regardless, i thought i'd leave a post with my random thoughts on in case anyone wanted to comment

Take it easy,

Chris

[lord1e]

By the way... great forum! It's not just me

Chris

[ViewsAskew]

Here is my much longer answer to your question.

I exercise between 20 and 40 minutes. I try to do this daily, but sometimes it goes to the wayside.

When I do not exercise at all, my RLS gets worse over time, sorta slowly.

When I exercise too hard - vigourous, long, etc. - like going hiking or for a long bike ride when I haven't been for months - my RLS is worse.

When I exercise in that middle ground after I've slacked off for awhile - just regular exercise, not too hard or vigorous - my RLS is worse for a week or so until I adjust.

So, I'm happiest when I do the middle ground. For me, this weights - both arms and legs, but only two sets to exhaustion. If I add the third set, it's too much. I also walk, bike, swim, and do one of the machines - it's a leg thingee. And sometimes I row. I also sometimes do yoga and tai chi. All of these are fine.

When I try to make my workouts longer and harder, like playing racketball - I'm totally screwed. I think, for me, I need the activity, but I can't make my quads too tired - and if they get sore? Yikes, lots worse RLS until they aren't sore anymore.

Glad the site is helping you. We aim to please

[becat]

I voted and am about the same as Ann on this one.
I'm a walker, that is my joy and my pain, lol.
When the hubby is in town we will walk 3.5 everyday, since I've had success with the pain part of my RLS, with acupunture. One 5.5 miles on the weekend. Sounds great huh? Well Hubby is traveling a ton, so my 3.5 miles happen maybe 2-3 a week now.
My legs feel better when I walk on a daily basis. And I like walking at night, which is not what most people do, but I prefer to wear those thigh muscles out just before bed.
With all that said, I cannot over do it at all and if I overdo it with my arms, I'm shot. It makes the RLS worse everytime. I bowled today, as I do every WED., and typing what little I have tonight has been a chore.....tons of backspacing. It's tough and things can change quickly, but everyone finds their limits as we learn more and listen to our bodies better.
As for smoking, it's not legal, so I can't say it's a good thing.......However, I know that many people get relief. It's a shame we don't see it for the medical properties it has.
Hope this helps to answer your question.

[tazzer]

i don't excercise anymore because basically i have no time. there is no where in the day to add it in. the weekends are my rest time and i will not do something to make me more exhausted than i already am after working all week and dealing with a 15, 12 and 2 yr old.


dee

[Neco]

I remain adamant that my day job gives me enough exercise despite what my doctor tries to say, almost every time I go in there. When I started this job I was able to drop from a 38 waist, back down to a 34.. A size I had not been able to fit into for a couple of years now.

I too am worried about overexercise, as I know for a fact it will inflict hell on me. At around this time last year, I was in Maryland for 2 weeks, visiting family and my best friend and near the end of the trip we wanted to do something special, that we could do together, so a trip into D.C was in order since it had been years since we'd gone downtown together and we wanted to see the new WW2 memorial as well. So we walked around all day, The Smithsonian, Air and Space Museum, etc. When evening came I went nuts.

I couldn't sit/stand/lay still at all. I was just physically wracked with pain for a change, and all I could do was rock and shift around constantly. I actually had a little help in addition to my dose of tramadol at the time, something in the neighborhood of 40mg of Oxycodone and I was still tossing and turning from pure restlessness until it finally started to kick in.

[Walking After Midnight]

I use this method...
Put on 20 or 30 lbs., start exercising and watching what I eat and take it off. Then, gradually put on 15 or 20, kick myself for letting myself go, start exercising and watching what I eat and take it off, gradually put on 25 or 30, kick myself for letting myself go...etc....

I have to admit that it's starting to take longer and it's more painful to take it off now that I'm old, but I've always done it that way...oh and also the time I'm kicking myself for letting myself go before I take it off, is lasting longer and longer too.

I feel better all around and in everyway while I'm taking it off. I never worry about over-exercising. I usually don't do weights, although I have, but usually start out walking, then running and riding my bicycle. I move around quite a bit at work and do lots of weird things that require lifting and being on my feet so I get some at work too...although I bet not enough all the time.

I think basically, you're supposed to get your heart-rate up and keep it up for at least 20 minutes or so everyday...and variations of that.

[nephriticus]

Walking After.....I like to tell people that I lost 480 pounds. It was the same twelve pounds forty times.

lord1e......I haven't visited this board for a long time. However, in the past I have proposed my Rapid Respiration Elevation (RRE--my term), that was quite successful for me. Immediately prior to bedtime I would bang out 80-100 push-ups which would significantly elevate my respiration within 90 seconds (as in pant, pant, pant). Following that, my legs would go absolutely nuts. After my respiration returned to normal (4-5 minutes) my legs would quiet down and usually I would go right to sleep and sleep well. Infrequently I would have to perform another set of push-ups some twenty minutes later. Very rarely a third set. I did that for some two years and completely abandoned the sinemet. I use the past tense as I currently have no RLS symptoms. See post "Lucky one---"

While I have exercised regularly for decades, I never recognized a correlation between exercise and RLS symptoms outside of the RRE method.

[ViewsAskew]

Neph! So good to see your name.

Dearest and I may be headed to San Diego sometime in Feb. We'll wave to you It's either San Diego or Tampa - he wants Tampa because it's warmer, I want San Diego for the variety.

Hope all is well with you. Glad to see the RLS is still at bay. Keep up the good work.

[Walking After Midnight]

Walking After.....I like to tell people that I lost 480 pounds. It was the same twelve pounds forty times.

Ha Ha...good one Nephriticus.

You know, one thing I noticed. Everyone but Lynne avoided the "Cannibas" part of the question.

[mikeyvon]

Hi Neph!


Mike here from PA.
Good to hear from you and I'm glad you're doing well. Long Beach seems like 10 years ago. I'll be in LA Thursday so I'll be thinking about ya. I run 15 miles a week at an eight minute mile pace or less and it doesn't seem to affect my rls at all. Hope to see ya again sometime.

mike

[nephriticus]

Mike,

I am not into running, but an eight-minute mile for fifteen a week sounds commendable to me. If it isn't helping the RLS, it certainly is benefitting the cardio-vascular system. Keep up the good work.

Don't be bringing any crappy weather to southern California when you come. We've already had our one day of permitted inclement weather for this season.

[sardsy75]

Hey Neph

Long Time No See! Good to see you back on the boards and its great to see that you're continuing to get great relief!

************************************

Lordle ...

As for my exercise ... well, i try to get out 2- 3 times a week for an hour's walk. I have a 5km circuit in my neighbourhood that includes 4 hills, which can be rather challenging when ones RLS has been playing up. I found that the walking does help my RLS. Swimming is another good way of keeping my RLS at bay.

I have to admit that in the past month or so that the walks have become non-existant due to the ongoing after-affects of a particularly severe RLS attack back in November. I've been having trouble walking normally ever since and cant seem to kick the constant pain (no pun intented) that is troubling all of my leg muscles.

So ... normally ... walking 2 - 3 times a week; right now ... zilch (unless i'm doin laps of a shopping mall in search of groceries and/or school supplies).

[lord1e]

Thanks for all the replies!

I was asking because i have found my restless legs to be almost non existant when i excersize regually.

I think some of you have said that you don't excersize but have generally undertake physical activity in the day, this counts, it doesn't have to be purposeful structered excersize.

3 Weeks without cannabis now, and i think i feel like i'm sleeping better. I'm dreaming lot's more which is interesting to say the least!

Trying to make sure i go for a run about an hour before bedtime if i've had a day without much activity.

Cheers!

Lord1e