Just joined.
Last night was awful so after years I thought I'd have a look online to see what was said about it.
Came across this page.
So after reading thru the pages I'm struggling to find any help with how to deal with it at night in general or what seems to stop it. I've tried most things including so much exercise before bedtime and changing habits
If you've read through pages here you will know we need a lot of information.
What have you done specifically?. What medications are you on? What may be triggering your episodes.
I answered a post recently on this type of question- so please check that out.
There are answers here for you- just give us a chance to reply coherently.
All the best.
Hi gsettle24 and welcome to the forum. I am sure we can give you the support you need and help you cope with his curse of a condition. You are probably aware that there is no actual cure, just ways of coping and finding relief from the symptoms.
As madlegs1 has said, we need as much info as you can give us because of the complexities - what helps one may not help another and so on. You will have read about many of these in our posts.
If there's a way, our group here will find one for you I am sure.
Best Wishes
Neil
Hi and welcome!
So sorry you had a bad night!
RLS is a very strange condition in so many ways and what works for one person might not work for another.
Here is what I do if I’m either 1. woken up at night by an attack or 2. can’t start my night until I do one or more of these things:
-I have an electric heated massager that feels good
-I have knee-high support stockings that do a good job at calming the movements (the tightness they provide does this)
-I rub magnesium oil on my legs that not only helps with pain but the movements
-I have a showerhead with a jet massager that I put right up against every inch of my legs. The pounding feels so good!
-I have «Restless Legs Cream» from Magnilife that does a good job at calming my legs. This can be bought at Walgreens (if in USA) or on Amazon. I am not sure if it’s available in the UK.
-I also do three exercises that help. Here is the website:
healthline.com/health/restl.... (Found halfway down the page are the calf, frontal thigh, and hip reflexor stretches).
(One point about exercise: strenous exercise close to bedtime is usually not recommended for those with RLS (as it can worsen the attacks), so if you’re going to exercise, keep it light.)
Hope this helps you to have good nights ahead of you!
Take care,
Jessica
Hi Jessica!!I read about the cream you mentioned.Did it help you enough?I just ordered the cream and knee high support stockings!Hope so much they will help!!Thanks for your help!!
Yay! You are so welcome!
The cream: yes, it did its job! I personally like to couple this with the stockings
The stockings: you’ll want to hand wash them in order to preserve the tightness. Mine accidentally made it into the wash a few times, but fortunately they held their purpose. I’m extra careful now, though — too many times and I think they will lose what they’re designed to do.
Good luck and I would love to hear your experience!
Hey Katerina!
I’m glad you were able to find that cream despite my having given the wrong name! I apologize for that. As you now know, it’s called «Relaxing Leg Cream». I’ve mentioned it many times on this site, but with the name «Restless Legs Cream». I must be more tired than I thought to have gotten the name wrong for so long (either that or I was REALLY hoping that it would be the miracle my legs needed😀).
Ηi Jess!!Dont worry ! I found the cream from ebay.It was mentioned (from ebay) that the name has changed.It hasnt arrived yet because its not available in my country and it has been sent from the USA by courrier.Hope it will arrive soon and will provide relief! The stockings helped me!!☺Thanks again!!!
That’s awesome news about the stockings helping!!
I've not found a way to stop it once it's started, but have found a way to stop it starting in the first place. I've cut back my intake of sweet foods after lunchtime. It's hard changing the habits of a lifetime and it's so easy to grab a biscuit of slice of cake as a snack, but it's worth is for the relief of being able to go to bed relax and fall asleep within ten minutes.
No sugar
No wheat flour
Just try a few days to see if it works or improves
Chocolate really makes mine worse
Hi
There seems to be a standard routine of treatments that all new victims should follow.
This list is an attempt to collect the knowledge of the many contributors to this forum. The points are not necessarily in order but many can be tried at the same time.
1. Do you have Restless Legs Syndrome or some other medical problem? Check the guide to diagnosis on the RLS-UK website at rls-uk.org/diagnosis/
2. List all the drugs you are taking and check with rls-uk.org/treatment/ and a couple of smart doctors to see if any of them are likely to be causing the RLS.
3. Some people have tried wearing compression stockings to bed and some say it helps. For $10 it's worth trying. I have read that dancing tights are just as effective but cost around $10 whereas compression stockings cost around $80 (in Australia) I haven’t tried either dance tights or compression socks but I don’t know why not. I am going to buy some tomorrow.
4. Drink water or decaffeinated tea and coffee. I have been told by a dietician who specialises in these diets that coffee has a simpler structure than tea so if you like coffee it might be best to just stick with it. A dietician who is familiar with IBS and has some knowledge of RLS recommended 2 litres of water per day. She did not include water in tea or coffee or soft drinks in the 2 litres. . It sounds like water would be best until you prove whether tea or coffee are triggers.
5. Get your ferritin levels and saturation measured. If your ferritin is less than 200 then ask your doctor for advice on raising it to 200. Many people say 100 is enough but it seems agreed that 200 is safe so I think the highest safe level is a useful target. But check with your doctor in case you have a specific medical condition that makes iron bad for you. If your ferriten level is below 100 work extra hard to increase it. I have been told that I should eat 1000 to 1500mg of vitamin C WITH the iron tablets. Crunch up the Vitamin C and take the tablets as a mass.
6. Take Vitamin B12 and Folate. This works for some people. I take them in the morning.
7. Try magnesium spray or oil rubbed on your legs. This helps some people I know. I have tried taking Mg supplements Mg Diclycinide I think is recommended. Taking Mg orally used to give me bad RLS but it works for some. I am still experimenting with it for myself.
8. Try the FODMAP diet and/or the low chemical diet for 12 weeks to see if you have one or more food intolerances. I found that I was lactose intolerant and just cutting out lactose produced an improvement. You can use almond milk and in Australia you can buy several brands of lactose-free cow's milk. If you decide to try the diet then do it seriously. Keep an accurate food diary. Dont be one of many people I speak to who say my RLS is killing me but I will not give up garlic or onion to eliminate it. For the period of the diets it is probably worth giving up alcohol as well or restricting it to spirits. I can drink a rum and coke of all things. A caffeine and alcohol mix! I have had two in one night and still slept. I advise you to lay off all alcohol until you prove it doesnt affect you. Otherwise you will never really know what causes your problem if it is really a food intolerance problem.
9. Go to bed early. Didn't help me but I have read that it helps others. I have found that being really warm in bed seemed to help. I have a problem with cold feet so I wear slippers in bed and I think I was best when I was just a bit warmer than I was comfortable with. Some nights I dont even kick my slippers off!
10. If you still have RLS symptoms then try the drugs They work for many people for at least a few years. Some for 20 years apparently. I tried these as soon as I found a doctor who believed in RLS and had read about the recommended treatment. (after having RLS for fifty years) After a while the side effects were terrible even though I had a few glorious months of no symptoms. After that it meant trading the enjoyment of my waking life to enjoy being unconscious. Not a worthwhile bargain.
I am sure there are a few other non-drug things that some people have found to help.
I will be interested to see if this helps
Cheers
Graham
We discussed exercise at the AGM when we had a presentation. Most of us had bad experiences as it made RLS worse. We were advised to exercise between 5pm and 7pm (RLS clock is important), to do anerobic not aerobic exercise and to use stretching exercises in arms and legs as increasing muscle mass increases Dopamine production (as we age muscle mass tends to reduce).
Many thanks for all your replies guys and girls.
They have given me alot to think about. It's something that has been keeping me awake for a long time now. I used to go for a walk if it started happening but it didn't make a difference.
I haven't tried compression socks but since I was old enough to sleep by myself I never wear anything in bed and if I HAVE to I struggle sleeping so that wouldn't be for me.
I bought a elevation pillow for my feet which doesn't seem to have made a difference but that's more for my ankles where I can't lay face down and have my feet flat as well need something to support my feet so they can dangle naturally. Weird eh!
Thanks again for your replies and time people!
Hi! New here and pregnant. 
Hi from Australia 🦘 
Hi newbie with a question
Hello everyone. 
Hi, I'm new but my RLS isn't.
