About a week ago, I was so desperate that I started tapping the parts of my legs where RLS was worse. I immediately noticed that the discomfort subsided!
I have continued to do so every night. I do it neither too hard nor too soft, just to make me feel better without hurting myself.
Within minutes of doing it, my legs go back to normal. Sometimes it takes a little longer than others, but eventually my legs stop bothering me.
It may be a coincidence, I don't really know, but that has helped me.
I have written here that I use IcyHot, a cream that contains lidocaine and menthol and that has helped me a lot. However, it seems it is not sold in all countries. It seems they only sell it in the United States.
Well, let me tell you... since I started tapping my legs I haven't had the need to use the cream!.
I am not saying tapping your legs is a cure. I'm just saying that it has helped me and maybe it can help some of you as well.
There's no harm in trying and it is free.
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Micafe
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I have looked into tapping, but never thought of doing it directly on my legs. That’s a good idea. Like you I’ll try most things, especially if it’s free.
WOW!! So I "coincidentally" subscribe to The Tapping Solution. (Btw, I do NOT believe in coincidences; I believe in God-incidences.) It is by a brother and sister, Nick and Jessica Ortner. I have not actually done the tapping, but have seen live demos and videos of people who deal with chronic pain, emotional pain, food addictions etc. Lots of free videos and info. I'm definitely going to try both your version/their version. Here's a short explanation I copied:
Tapping is also known as EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique). It is a powerful holistic healing technique that resolves a range of issues. It's based on the combined principles of ancient Chinese acupressure and modern psychology.
The basic Tapping technique requires you to focus on a negative emotion at hand. This can be a fear, a worry, a bad memory, or any unresolved problem. You do this while maintaining your mental focus on this issue. Then you use your fingertips to tap 5-7 times on 9 specific meridian points of the body.
Tapping on these meridian endpoints, while addressing the root cause of distress, sends a calming signal to the brain. This allows you to feel relaxed and in control.
Friend sent me a video of The Earthing Movie: The Remarkable Science of Grounding. It led me to ask Google if Grounding helped with RLS. Here's what I found!:
How I dramatically improved my Earthing experience
It has been over three years since I began using Earthing devices. Prior to that I was very aware of how good I felt when connected with the Earth, be it surfing, walking barefoot outside or meditating on the grass. The feeling was palpable and often instant. I was also aware that I didn't feel so good when indoors. When presented with the idea of Earthing myself indoors it was a no-brainer. I remember feeling a pleasant tingling sensation the first time I slept on a Half sheet and I woke up feeling more refreshed than usual. I also noticed that the restless leg syndrome (RLS) I had been experiencing became much less pronounced. Prior to Earthing in bed it could take me 3-4 hours to get to sleep when I had an attack of restless legs. I had read that others with RLS also experienced a dramatic improvement in symptoms when sleeping Earthed.
Then, over the next couple of years I noticed that my restless legs began to gradually get worse again, despite Earthing myself in bed. This was pretty disappointing as I was seeing many other people getting great relief from symptoms by Earthing themselves. I continued to try and deal naturally with my RLS with magnesium oil, iron, herbs homeopathics and anything else natural that I could get my hands on. None of it worked at all!
Recently a light bulb went off. I remembered a conversation I had with Dr David Richards who has a practice in Iluka Northern NSW. Among many other things, Dr Richards has been reversing neuropathy (numb feet and extremities) in diabetic patients by placing Earthing patches directly on to their feet. 14 out of 14 diabetic patients regained circulation and feeling in their feet after this treatment. Dr Richards told me that his patients did not get the same dramatic improvement from just sleeping on an Earthing sheet: it was the patches directly on their feet that did the trick. I thought it was definitely worth trying to direct Earthing to my calf muscles (where I experience RLS).
When we recently relocated to Buderim I came down with a cold and had a sinus headache, so as well as putting Earthing bands on my calves I also put an one around my head and over my eyes (like and eye mask) and lay down. I experienced immediate relief from the headache and woke up after sleeping deeply feeling much better and I had no restless legs whatsoever. I repeated this with similar results for the next week until I got tired of getting the Earthing band leads tangled around my legs in bed!
I then wondered if placing a Universal Earthing mat under my calves would have the same effect. I didn't like the idea of sleeping on rubber, however, it would be worth it if it kept my RLS at bay. With the Earthing mat I also experienced a dramatic reduction in RLS and slept deeply and soundly. Next I placed the Earthing mat under my Fitted Earthing sheet and still got great results. Out of interest I measured my body voltage in bed - Unearthed I was 1.5V - my fitted Earthing sheet brought my voltage down to 0.14V. When I placed the Universal Earthing mat beneath my sheet my body voltage dropped to 0.006V. Not only that my whole Fitted Earthing sheet became more conductive with the Universal mat placed either on it or under it. Interesting!
Based on the advice of the scientists and researchers at Earthing Institute, in the past I have suggested that people not to get too focussed on the variation in the drop in body voltage between the different Earthing devices as this was not meant to impact the effectiveness of Earthing. Due to my recent experience I have changed my view on this. The great thing about Earthing sheets and sleep systems is that your whole body is receiving beneficial electrons from the Earth, however, there is a small space between the silver threads so the drop you get in body voltage will invariably be less than that from an Earthing universal mat, body bands or patches where the conductive surface is much more concentrated. As well as the increased drop in body voltage, the latter Earthing devices are also ideal for focussing Earthing to a particular part of the body that needs healing and relief.
While my experience is anecdotal and just one persons account that could be influenced by an element of placebo etc, I also tried combining an Earthing mat under a half sheet on our toddlers cot. Bodhi is in the process of getting his two year old molars and has been incredibly restless and wakeful at night. For the past five nights since grounding him this way he has slept very peacefully even though he is having a tough time with his teething during the day!
If you are interested in experimenting, I would love to hear about your experience of sleeping on an Earthing sheet with a Universal Mat beneath it. Perhaps it will enhance your Earthing experience too.
I had already bought a mat for my bed and 1 to stand on while I meal prep and do dishes before reading this person's post. I'm hoping this helps! I'll let you all know!
I used to hit my legs so hard I got bruises. Some nights it seemed to work. Some nights it seemed to make things worse. Some nights I thought an axe or a hacksaw would be useful, and there were nights when I thought about harming myself just to get some relief.
I have never done it so hard as to get bruises. That can't be good either. However, I understand what you mean. There are moments when you are so desperate that you feel like doing anything that will stop the suffering. I am so sorry..
Me too, I've even encouraged others to give my legs a good thump. I will often hit my legs hard enough to leave marks, anything to stop that feeling. I haven't wanted to harm myself but to just cause a distraction pain, like if I pinch myself momentarily that's a bit worse so I get a tiny break from that relentless feeling. I'll look into the tapping idea, it's worth a try.
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Thank you Everyone who has helped me so much this week! 
