I wonder is there is a study concerning the relaionship between Rls and fasting. It seems that Rls hits harder during fasting which does not make since. But true.
Fasting and Rls: I wonder is there is... - Restless Legs Syn...
Fasting and Rls
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Sabeda1955
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Its not something i have heard of before, fasting making RLS worse. But then i have never tried to fast. No studies that i know of for fasting and RLS.
I know if I'm hungry , I feel the restlessness far worse. Often if I wake in the night and feel the fidgets coming on , I'll get up to have a snack (banana seems to work best, or toast and honey or even hot milk with cinnamon/ turmeric and honey and dash of cayenne) .
Why do you need to fast , if I may ask?
Stress may be a factor at play here. Or/and a lack of distraction.??
Cheers .
If I am awake and walking I have a rice cake with Camembert or just plain rice with Tuna and sweet chilli with a cup of decaf tea. I dont know if eating helps or if it's just giving me something to do until my legs relax. These days it usually only takes a half hour for my legs to stop and I can go to bed but I haven't tried to be systematic and experiment with eating or not eating.
Not eating from dinner time to 2 am can hardly be called a fast but I dont want to do anything that antagonises my RLS so thats as long as I will try.
My fasting is 18 hours, without ant intake at all. except for breathing.
It's interesting the topic of fasting. I have found Rls to be very finicky. If I am hungry, I'll get restless and get the munchies. And then if I wait too long to eat and then eat a lot, it makes the Rls go crazy. I wonder if it is because I am a diet controlled diabetic and when I go too long without food and then eat heavy, there is a rise in insulin levels. But I notice each time I do eat too much, it happens. And then, of course, it changes all the time. What works one week will not work another. This is truly a monster in its own form.
The rate of RLS is three times higher in diabetics than normal folks, no doubt in part to poor sugar control and just eating too much sugar(s).
I've never tried fasting so can't comment but sugar is a definite trigger for my RLS so I don't touch it. It's a fickle little bugger though so what triggers it for one person could be fine for someone else.
Jools
Are you sure that it's not dehydration. Too little water during the day will make your RLS worse. It's no good 'filling up' either or you'll just pee it out because we can't absorb it quickly. Little and often is what's required.
Dehydration is the only possible thing I could figure, I don't think food intake has any thing to with it, as I already have had a real good meal at sun down the day earlier. I still wonder though.
I've also felt like I've had more trouble with RLS while fasting. But I wonder if it's just because going to bed hungry makes it harder to fall asleep, which makes me notice my RLS more. Because if it is a nerve issue, I don't understand why food would affect it. I'm at the beginning stages of really trying to learn more about RLS though, so what do I know.
All want immediate relieve during fasting or right after it. The fact is that majority of illnesses are cured after several prolonged (5 - 10) days fasting. RLS is very complicated condition related to food and digestive system, which requires attack from all sides. Magnesium, iron, B vitamins and repeating urinefasting.
I think food definitely affects RLS but I am only a victim not a neurologist
I do not know why but while fasting my RLS has returned. I eat 1 meal a day and water the rest of the day. I do not feel hongry but at night my RLS is very bad. Both legs not only restless but also tingleing all over much more severe than in the past. Still the benefits outweigh the RLS. Fasting has improved my health in ways i had not thought possible. Has your RLS improved with time?
• in reply toAyeshaG
That happened to me while traveling. I noticed that my RLS would act up during the day which usually never happens. I too believed it had to do with the fact that I barely ate during the day. When I returned home I looked on here and someone else was discussing fasting as a way to improve dopamine receptors. Called "intermittent fasting." That's what I was doing while on vacation. Supposed to help in the long run with RLS. No pain no gain I imagine. I would give it a shot if the iron wasn't working so well.
After seeing research on the health benefits of fasting I have decided to start a intermittent fasting routine. Among other things I am hoping that after a while it may help reduce my RLS symptoms. But I too have been experiencing my RLS symptoms getting much worse during fasting. I usually don't have too much trouble with RLS symptoms during the day. but on the days that I am fasting (since dinner the night before) my legs go crazy all day long!
I don't know why, but I know that eating does affect my RLS. Usually I will have an episode within an hour of eating. And If I eat a bunch of junk food and Sugar It definitely gets worse.
2 years ago my RLS was out of control. I was exhausted, my adrenal were really stressed and my cortisol levels were always high. I have been working on diet and herbs to help get my adrenal glands in better shape and get my cortisol levels down. It took a while but I was able to get my RLS symptoms to a much more manageable state. I mention this because I remember learning that fasting can cause stress to the body and raise cortisol levels. I wonder if this could be the culprit for why my RLS gets worse during fasting.
For now I plan on continuing to fast. I want to try it for a few months to see if the long terms effects of fasting will outweigh the immediate inconvenience.
How is it going with the fasting and RLS? Wanting to experiment myself and tough out the rough episodes for long term gain.
hi FiveaLife ,
Its going pretty well. I’ve been doing one 24hour water fast per week on a consistent basis. I took a break for a month over Christmas/New Years holidays. The RLS acting up during the fasting has mostly subsided. I noticed that every week during the fast the time that the RLS would start up got a little later. So when I started back in July, the RLS started about 9am and went all day, then by the next month it was 10-11 am….now its closer to sometime between 3-4pm. I really do wonder what’s going on there. But I have no clue!
I have definitely noticed other health benefits.
1.Weight loss. ( I was on ropinirole for 3 years. during which time I gained more than 50 lbs and was not able to take any weight off no matter how hard I tried.) now, off the drug and on fasting, I am losing about 2lbs/wk! I’m down more than 30lbs already. I’m not sure if I would be losing the weight if I was still on the drug.
2.Appetite and food: fasting has changed my relationship with food. The goal with intermittent fasting is to eat keto during the rest of the week to put your body into fat burning mode. I honestly did not follow that strictly, I allowed myself the freedom to eat what I wanted. But what I found was that the fast day would reset my appetite so that I was not craving or desiring the “bad food” as much. And over the past 8 months, I find myself not even liking the taste of really sugary foods etc. anymore. I believe this is also due to changes in my gut biome.
3.I still have RLS every night, all night and still need to medicate to sleep. But I do notice that the severity of the symptoms has decreased. I was having RLS episodes that were so bad that even the usual walking moving standing wouldn't help. I would end up stomping around the house as hard as I can just to try and stop the madness! And my anxiety would go through the roof! But not it’s a much more relaxed experience.
4.I think now that I’ve cleaned my gut a bit, I can notice more foods that immediately have an effect on me. I am keeping a food/symptom diary now. hopefully, I can see some patterns.
One of the other reasons I wanted to try fasting was that I am having some digestive problems. I ‘ve been having diarrhea or loss stool almost every day for more than a year. I was hoping that fasting would heal whatever is going on there. Plus, I see that as a sign that there are problems in my gut, that may also be negatively contributing to the rest of my health including RLS. But that has not gotten better. So I may need to keep looking into that.
I am also, considering doing a longer fast. I've been reading about all the health benefits.
I am very happy with the way I feel. my overall health has improved, I feel better, and my RLS symptoms are more manageable, and I hope to see continued improvement.
Hi there, interesting talk about fasting. I have not fasted for my Restless Legs but I have changed my diet due to a discovery of Helicobacter Pylori stomach infection. Since going on antibiotics per my Dr. AND changing my diet my RL are almost nonexistent. I had RL every single night prior. In reading about the bacteria that was/still is in my stomach, I learned that this bacteria can cause nerve signaling triggers. In my mind this had something to do with the cause of RL. Additionally, I had very low Ferritin and Iron and did have a transfusion. However, the FODMAP diet and antibiotics to wipe out the stomach infection has made the biggest difference in my RL. I can only pray this continues to improve and I personally may have found most of the cause of my RL. The H. Pylori was discovered by a breath test after I complained of bloating, gas, belching and sometimes a little pain (although not bad) in the center of my chest by the stomach.
YES YES YES AND YES!!! #sad
I can't quote a study, but I can share my own current experience. I am doing an extended fast. I'm on my 5th day of a water fast. The last 2 nights, I have had RLS that has interfered with my sleep. I have never had RLS except for now and when I last did an extended fast. I have been posting to my fasting forums and getting answers. People are suggesting it could be magnesium deficiency. So I am taking magnesium supplements. This has not been a quick cure. A hot shower, followed by cold helped for 1/2 hour. Deep heat cream helps a lot. Someone suggested an Epsom salt bath, which I will try. I'm still researching and testing. I'll make sure that I am well-hydrated today.
I have wondered the same but because the more I have to pee or poop the worse the symptoms are....
I have the same issue. When fasting rls hits harder and disrupts my sleep. I have been using icepacks on my feet for relief
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