Confused: could stress actually help?

[Tronafirth]

I have had RLS for 24 years. In a typical year I would say I only have 5 to 10 nights without symptoms that significantly reduce my sleep.

In the first month of lockdown I think it would be fair to say I was pretty stressed. We were in the centre of a Covid-19 hotspot, and I knew 19 people who tested positive and 6 people who died.

So what is confusing me is that for one month at the start of lockdown, when I was so stressed, I had no RLS. I slept for 8 hours per night and was much less tired than usual. I don’t want to bottle Covid, but I do wish I could bottle whatever it was that let me sleep.

So my question to this group is this: is it just me? Does anybody else (weirdly) experience less RLS symptoms when they are stressed??

[Hidden]

My gut tells me it is distraction could have been a big factor - you were focused HIGHLY focused on all the hullabaloo over covid and as many of us know here if we are highly distracted our symptoms reduce.

There may have been other changes - your routine may have been put out of sync, your diet may have changed in some way too like times or amounts people that are highly stressed often reduce their food and calorie restriction may have helped.

You didn't keep a diary by any chance?

[Tronafirth in reply to Hidden]

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply raffs. I guess it must have been distraction as you suggest. I’m just surprised that such a stressful distraction would allow more (rather than less) sleep. Diet about the same. Only other change in routine was a later start time for work. Thanks again.

[Hidden in reply to Tronafirth]

When Covid hit I slept like a baby for three weeks, the most peaceful sleep I had in years, so much so that on some mornings I woke in agony my body had been still for so long and not used to it. Then I finished prepping my garden, had the spuds in and could relax - cue insomnia and soon after RLS.

I was physically destroyed at the end of the days work (not a full day as I have ME and have to pace a lot) and just 'died' when I hit bed. I haven't had any panic force me into so much action in a long time and cannot get stressed enough to get working again! Not every one goes to pieces in a crisis.

It may be that while stressed you were tensing your body and that tensing effected things - blood flow, nerves, etc and that made some difference. There are so many things to try and factor in at any one time that I've just about given up making sense of the/my body at this stage!

[Tronafirth in reply to Hidden]

Wow! That is so interesting that you had a similar response when Covid hit. We just need to find something less dramatic than a global pandemic that has the same effect 😂

[Hidden]

Hi,

stress is a double edge sword. Negative stress can be unpleasant. Positive stress may be exciting. The physiological response is the same and is a process for enabling us to deal with threats.

The stress response has two aspects, a nervous system response and a hormonal response.

Thre hormonal resoonse is slower and more persistent and includes the secretion of cortisol which has anti-inflammatory properties and raises blood glucose enabling us to have more energy.

It may be this that can lessen RLS symptoms.