Restless Legs syndrome helped by adrenaline

[Barjon]

My dad suffers terribly with restless legs syndrome but when my mum fell and had to be taken to A&E he slept soundly for two nights with no symptoms at all . I’m certain that Restless Legs Syndrome is made worse by inflammation and that adrenaline reduces this and calms it all down

[Madlegs1]

Inflammation is certainly a major factor in many health issues, and especially so in rls.

Am I picking you up correctly, that you are saying your Mum is a trigger for your Dads rls? I wouldn't be shouting that tidbit out at the Christmas dinner.😆

Thanks for sharing. I won't pass it on!😜

[Hidden]

I'd doubt if he was given adrenaline to help him sleep so I'm with madlegs1 on this one - sounds like your mum is giving him RLS

Funny I've thought my Mrs effects mine - when she comes in late from work and I haven't the dinner made all she has to do is look at me and my legs get restless - I am out of the house and running in seconds

Without a doubt inflammation plays a role in it, it plays a role in many if not all our systems issues and iirc stress increases inflammation which would lead me to think that since there is excess adrenaline coursing through the body when it is under stress then adrenaline is more likely to be causing or at least contributing to inflammation.

A quick look found this:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/113...

which appears to say there is some interaction with adrenaline and anti-inflammatory interactions and it down-regulates some pro-inflammatory activities within neutrophils - although doesn't say if that can be extrapolated out.

All that said - if you are pumped full of adrenaline doesn't matter how peaceful your legs are - you ain't going to sleep.

Prove it you say - Go to the most dangerous part of town at night dressed in a luminous thong and carrying a couple of grand in small bills - see how tired you feel!

[Hidden]

Ummm....

I think I’ll leave this thread alone.🙃

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yeah, a bit lurid that one!

[Hidden]

I'm not doubting that what you say happens really does happen. The explanation you have for it however isn't at all logical.

There may be an inflammatory element to RLS, for which there appears to be some evidence, but inflammation is actually a very complex process.

However, the stress response is also more complex than is apparently commonly thought. Most people associate stress with adrenaline (or epinephrine depending where you live) and adrenaline does not counteract inflammation. Adrenaline is not the only neurotransmitter/ hormone thats produced during the "fight or flight" stage of the stress response, noradrenaline is also produced. They are both triggered in the sympathetic nervous system and also released into the blood as hormones from the adrenal medullary glands.

Following this, there is a second stage of the stress response, the "adaptive" stage". The fight or flight stage is very quick to kick in, but can't be sustained and the greater the response the shorter time it can be sustained, hence the second stage.

The second stage is purely hormonal involving the thyroid gland to some extent but also, and mainly, the adrenal cortex glands which secrete steroid hormones. Steroid hormones reduce inflammation amongst other things.

There is therefore a connection between stress and inflammation, but the connection isn't adrenaline.

I too have experienced a lessening of RLS symptoms at times of great stress, so although on the surface of it, it sounds unlikely, I don't doubt what you say happens with your dad.

I hope your mum is OK after her fall.

[Blueeyes5265]

Thank you so much for your input. We need to know everyone's ideas 😉 Also ideas for helping everyone

Maybe if we complain a little more,?

12,000 people, right here, with us!

I'm getting older, mine is getting worse 😔. I'm not going to stress about what I'll do right now 😔, but I'm thinking about it?

[Eryl]

It may be that without her preparing his meals, his diet was different, and he wasn't eating his trigger foods.

[Hidden]

I’ve noticed something similar. If I’m chronically anxious my RLS is worse but if I have a sudden acute worry it gets better for a bit. It feels as if I can’t relax & of course relaxation seems to trigger RLS eg when sitting watching tv but I can eventually sleep during a major worry, from a different take off point ie without the prior relaxation.

I wish all the researchers would have a good think & consider thinking laterally as it’s all so complex with no ideal treatment - currently I’m taking nothing despite having dreadful RLS.

It could be something due to iron transport to the brain/availability of iron during acute stress. The brain might know it needs more iron to react to the perceived threat it’s recognised? Who knows but I so wish someone would work it all out.

[Alex2308]

Very interesting, I'm also of the opinion that your mom may trigger his RLS. She may interfere with his sleep by little noise and movements. He also may do that to her and feel guilty and cautious not to disturb her. Do they sleep in the same bed? In the same room at least?

[Barbee44]

His wife being ill may have caused him to be mentally exhausted. When I'm extremely tired, I can override the symptoms....like when I took my sleep study test. It showed RLS but I never woke up. I, personally, think it's a brain things because when I get RLS really bad, I'll get up and to a crossword puzzle and it goes away. If I watch TV it gets worse. TV uses no brain stimulation at all. Just my personal opinion. My sleep study doctor tried all those drugs that people talk about on the RLS forum, but they all caused me to either be deathly ill or caused my throat to swell. So she put me on Alprazolam. This does the same as exhaustion....lets me override the symptoms, but they're still there. I get a good night's sleep though. I'm not sure how long she'll let me stay on them because everyone says they're addictive. I'm only on 1/2 of a .5. Sometimes I feel RLS a bit about 5 a.m. and I get up to go to the bathroom, go back to bed and have slight RLS, but am able to fall back asleep.

[Hidden]

I think what we are seeing here is the thing that gives our cause so much difficulty - there are so many factors that impact on RLS falling within three categories at least - psychological, physical and environmental - non of which seem to be able to be identified as bone-fide symptoms as they are hitting sporadically and not prevalent enough - I never even imagined RLS could be anything other than painful nor effected by iron and stress, (although I likely wouldn't have wanted to admit to stress as there are enough out there that think this horrid condition is a figment of our psychosomatic or neurotic minds with out mentioning the S word) - and I have suffered RLS my whole life.

God knows how we are going to get the funders and research scientists pick such an awkward unrewarding field of activity.