Keeping me awake

[Swimm1]

Every night before I sleep I always feel sensations through my body, it like an ache in the joints and I have started to get sharp pins and needles all over but mainly in my hands. I also get this urge to squeeze my legs, especially my upper thigh where the sensation is at its worst. I am only young and in my first job as a washer upper. This includes me lifting very heavy trays and piles of plates. I am searching up my symptoms and I get things like Multiple Sclerosis and Lymes disease, anxiety, heart attacks etc, but nothing on damaged muscles or joints... this is keeping me up late every night for over a week because I get paranoid I’m dying.. I have been diagnosed with generalised anxiety this year by my doctor for other reasons and was wondering if anyone knows whether the feelings I’m having are from overworking myself or something more serious like RLS?

[Joolsg]

I’m sorry to hear that.

Do you have an irresistible urge to move about to stop the sensations in your hands and legs? Do the sensations stop when you move?

If so, it might be RLS but it is more likely to be caused by anxiety and the heavy lifting you do.

My daughter used to get pins and needles in her hands and legs and it turned out she had anaemia.

Don’t worry too much.

See your GP and get a blood test to make sure it’s not anaemia. I suspect it’s just your body adjusting to being on your feet all day and the lifting.

Try yoga stretching and deep breathing before bed and take magnesium citrate supplements at night. An epsom salts bath will help enormously as well.

[Eryl]

Ar you sure that you're getting enough Vitamin D3? It's a n enzyme produced by the body in strong sunlight so most of us produce enough in summer, but may suffer a shortage in winter, or people who don't spend much time outdoors may suffer all the time. Vitamin D3 regulate calcium and phosphate in the body so it's essential to keep bones, teeth and muscles healthy, and recently it has been found to affect mood. Severe shortage will cause rickets in children, but slight shortage might only cause muscle problems and anxiety. It's found in small quantities in a small number of foods, I take 25 ug daily. I found that it helped with listlessness.