Is one able to live a normal life with rls

ever since reading up symptoms on rls i started feeling them whether due to anxiety or what not. Rls never bothered me during sleep i just worried id experience rls at bed when i drink in the day my arms legs bother me or when im anxious my body feels weird i just wanna live my life marry have kids sleep well i read people with rls’s horror stories and wanna cry

[Hidden]

Hi Popcornlove, I'm a little confused from your post, are you diagnosed with RLS or are you feeling restless as part of an anxiety problem?

It is important to accurately diagnose what the problem is as there are very differing treatment approaches.

BUT to answer your question - I have severe RLS, its all over my body and at the moment controlled (not great but certainly not as bad as its been) with drugs, diet and lifestyle approaches. If there is a normal life I am/would be able to live it.

I've always found there is a solution to the vast majority of issues - as long as you know what the issue is exactly and are willing to put in the effort needed.

Good luck.

[Madlegs1]

All that wizeman Raffs says.

Plenty of people have found ways of either controlling rls or living with it.

First you need to find what's causing it-- ferritin, diet ( alcohol- as you've discovered) stress- but avoiding certain antidepressants. And so on.

It really is a question of trial and error to find what works for you.

Finally medication will do the job- but try all other approaches first.

Good luck.

[Hidden]

You sound - young!

I studied psychology and philosophy when I was young.

Psychologically I decided I was a neurasthenic, neurotic, alienated schizoid personality. Philosophically, I spent many miserable hours sat in the student bar wondering if I existed or not!

With hindsight, I think I was just overanxious.

If you look for symptoms in yourself, you will likely find them.

So I'd say unless you have exactly and ALL of the following 5 criteria, then you do NOT have RLS

first 4 -

An uncomfortable feeling in your legs with a strong urge to move them.

This happens when you relax or stay still for some time.

It disappears or reduces when you move.

It happens in the evening, especially as you're falling asleep.

The fifth -

You have seen a doctor and all other possible causes of the above symptoms have been eliminated.

The last one being the most significant in your case.

In the worst case scenario, i.e. someone qualified objectively diagnoses you with RLS then -

You will have a "normal" life, it might not be the same normal as someone who doesn't have RLS, but then everyones normal is different anyway.

I have had RLS over half my life, it didn't stop me marrying, three times in fact.

It didn't stop me having children, in fact I voluntarily underwent sterilisation so I wouldn't accidentally have more!

I had a good career.

All this with RLS and despite as I only recently confirmed, suffering from autistic spectrum disorder. RLS pales into insignificance as regards its impact on my life.

I am taking your fears seriously. Consider the 4 criteria and if you still suspect it, then consider the fifth criteria.

I wish you well

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Ive only felt these feelings after reading it or when im anxious. When my anxiety ceased so did the sensations. Also when i stand i get a sciatic nerve pain of some sort. Prior to reading stuff online ive never had problems with rls. People say they get the ocasional itch all the time. I bounce my leg up and down when im impatient or anxious or concentrating. Ive drank alchol before and its once in a while hurts my neck and back. My concern is that when i read rls can be anywhere i start to feel what i interpret as symtoms. Prior to this legs never really felt itchy or throbby. Only when i was anxious and this has happend once before when i was a kid and worried i had bone cancer and felt similar symptoms. Reading other peoples stories make me less hopeful and i honestly dont want to not sleep properly again ive always been a good sleeper. I dont think anyone in my family has it although my mom and sister shake their leg. The itchy pain feeling perists even if i stand and indont feel the urge to move my legs most of the time but the itchy muscle feeling is bothering me.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

From what you write, I'd say you definitely don't have RLS.

You may find this link useful

nhs.uk/conditions/health-an...

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thank you Manerva. Im assuming symptons just dont appear right after reading stuff online but the anxiety makes it feel really real. I may have had reactions or am having a reaction to trazadone which is an snri and alchol at the same time. Body feels like its inflammed like how skin would be when rashed.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

That sounds like an allergic reaction to Trazadone, you need to see a doctor. Mixing alcohol with an SSRI is not advisable

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Thats true. My anxiety is convincing me i have rls based on the past experience of thinking i had cancer pains. I assume anxiety can mimic symptoms. Also i believe people with rls do not have much anxiety about it. Reading the most severe cases has lead me to panic and cry. Im in my early 20s and i want to live my life and im sure people with rls do too. I dont mean any disrespect anyone who suffers from it. My arms and legs just seem to hurt when i think about it and once i read the crawly stuff about rls i felt it whether it is psychosomatic or something. I didnt really have the need ever to shake my leg for uncomfortable feelings in the leg. I just do it without thinking and this is what lead me to googling my symptoms and coming across rls

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hello again, yes the more you write, the more obvious it becomes that anxiety is your problem, specifically "health anxiety". You don't have RLS.

Although it's not true that people who have RLS aren't anxious about it, RLS is their main problem.

It might help if you visited the other communities in Healthunlocked specifically for anxiety and depression.

In addition, your anxiety and it's nature appears to suggest some form of psychotherapy would help. Presumably you were prescribed Trazadone by a doctor for your mental health problem, they could perhaps refer you to a therapist. As you appear to want to share your experiences with someone, a talking therapist might also help. You could find one yourself.

I'm sorry, that you won't really get the support you need from the RLS community it's not really relevant to you.

In the meantime, for the times when you feel most anxious and have any kind of symptom you could use a breathing meditation technique. As Goldy700 identifies this is a very effective technique for immediate short term control of anxiety.

Good luck and take care.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

+1 on Manerva - lucky you!!! It appears like an anxiety disorder and can be reasonably easily treated with the right therapist and approach. Get yourself off to your GP for a referral to a Mental Health professional - just avoid antidepressants as a panacea.

Good luck.

[Jelbea]

I agree with the others. You need to find if you do indeed have RLS or is it down to anxiety which can make you feel you have all kinds of symptoms and the feelings are very real. If indeed you do have RLS do not despair. You say all you want is to marry, have children and sleep. I have had RLS since my teens and am now 77. I married, had two wonderful children and now have three wonderful grandchildren. My sleep is very limited, but lets face it having two out of three things you mention is great. So I don't sleep very much and sometimes it stinks but mostly I just keep calm and eventually I will drop off for a while again. There are things much worse to bear in this life other than RLS. So don't panic and concentrate on positive things. Hope you get sorted soon. Good Wishes

[Goldy700]

Hi Popcornlove - If anxiety is your problem - this might help:

thecut.com/2019/05/i-now-su...

"The vagus nerve is essentially the queen of the parasympathetic nervous system — a.k.a. the “rest and digest,” or the “chill out” one — so the more we do things that “stimulate” or activate it, like deep breathing, the more we banish the effects of the sympathetic nervous system — a.k.a. the “fight or flight,” or the “do something!” stress-releasing adrenaline/cortisol one.

Put another way, “Your body senses your breathing and adapts its heart rate in response,” Norcliffe-Kaufmann told me. When we breathe in, she explained, the sensory nodes on our lungs (“lung stretch receptors”) send information up through the vagus nerve and into the brain, and when we breathe out, the brain sends information back down through the vagus nerve to slow down or speed up the heart. So when we breathe slowly, the heart slows, and we relax. Conversely, when we breathe quickly, our heart speeds up, and we feel amped, or anxious.

I was surprised by the idea that it’s specifically the exhale that triggers the relaxation response, but Norcliffe-Kaufmann confirmed: “Vagal activity is highest, and heart rate lowest, when you’re exhaling.” She mentioned that the ideal, most calming way to breathe is six times a minute: five seconds in, five seconds out. She also noted that in the study that determined this rate, researchers found that this style of slow breathing is also what practitioners naturally lapse into during meditation with mantras, and during the Ave Maria prayer with rosaries. “Each time you do either the rosary prayer or a meditation mantra,” Norcliffe-Kaufmann said, “it naturally synchronizes your breathing at six times per minute.” (“That’s fascinating,” I said. “It is!” she said.)"

[Hidden in reply to Goldy700]

That's very interesting, thanks