Chocolates No

[Whymelord]

Hi,I just thought I would let you great people know about my chocolate experience.ive been having a restful good few weeks. After dinner yesterday I ate a bar of chocolate and really enjoyed it. Went to bed still feeling ok.soon as I settled in my legs went crazy.all night long, even today they still not resting so that's me with chocolate or chocolate related foods.anyone else suffered after chocolate.

[Madlegs1]

Chocolate keeps me awake ,but not with RLS. It's the caffeine.

However, if I ever eat soft centres, which I very, very rarely do, then I can get the fizzies-.

[Joolsg]

Strangely I seem to be the only person on this site whose RLS actually improves when I eat ‘trigger’ foods. I drink coffee & alcohol and have better nights when I have had 2/3 alcoholic drinks. Similarly I have better nights when I have overindulged in sweet, carbohydrate foods & chocolate.

Conversely, when I have followed restrictive diets ( paleo/low carb/ low FODMAPS/ low oxalate) my RLS worsens. I’m baffled.

[Pam34 in reply to Joolsg]

I have no problem with chocolate or alcohol either thank goodness! In fact I’m fine with most things apart from a Chinese takeaway - the loaded salt (I never use it) and the monosodium glutamate I’m guessing.

[Whymelord in reply to Joolsg]

Oh you lucky thing😃 I find some wines are ok,not that I've been going through all the wines to find a suitable one🙂.this rls is truly a mystery but it's really helpful on this forum finding how other sufferers cope .Was like a zombie yesterday so I took a Diazepam last night, feeling a bit yucky today but what's the alternative.

[Gmc54 in reply to Joolsg]

Yes, I have a weakness for marzipan, I haven't had any for well over a year, but yesterday I bought a Ritter bar of marzipan covered in dark choccy. I gave half to my husband (because I felt I had to😈) and ate the whole of the half I was left with all in one go. I slept for 7 hours last night!!!!!! Haven't done that in years.

Maybe I should get another one today...........only for medicinal purposes you understand! 🤪😉

[Whymelord in reply to Gmc54]

Gmc54, how lucky are you sleeping 7 hours,haven't done that since my pre mum years.gonna buy a bar of marzipan,medicinal purposes😉of course.seriously though its helpful reading other sufferers experiences

[Gmc54 in reply to Whymelord]

Well, I put it down to a dopamine boost because eating marzipan is such a rare event.......sadly the last couple of nights haven't been as wonderful, I am now back to my usual sleeping pattern. 🙁

[Whymelord in reply to Gmc54]

Hi,my other half suggested to me that the bouts of rls seemed to come in cycles,I can see how he thinks that,because no matter how good I am at keeping off stuff it makes no difference as rls just comes back .I take pramapexol, cant say it helps much but then I read what other sufferers are taking and sounds like the same story.

[Jimbo77 in reply to Joolsg]

I’m SO jealous of this! 😂

[dlr222]

chocolate is high in oxalates. a low-oxalate diet has helped me. I still have some RLS but it's not as bad. though any is too much!

[Whymelord in reply to dlr222]

Hi dir222,I’m being educated as well as being helped.im just learning about oxalates,it was probably mentioned on here before but I didn’t read it.thankyou for this information I will be aware of oxalates now and hopefully have more restful times.

[Mum007]

Could it be the sugar. That’s a huge trigger for some. Some chocolate has loads of sugar in. Natural and artificial are just as bad for me.

[Whymelord in reply to Mum007]

Hi,I do believe sugar is a factor although I have eaten sweet cake/biscuits in the past while,I will definitely take more notice of sugar and oxalate.thankyou.

[Eryl]

It's not the caffeine, it's the sugar. Sugar makes the body release insulin which drives the cells (including nerve cells) to consume the sugar so that blood sugar levels are kept within limits. If you're not physically active (eg lying in bed) your muscles won't be consuming any blood sugar, so your nerves do it all, which is why you can't relax and the nerves in your legs are over active, causing rls.

[Whymelord in reply to Eryl]

Hi,I thought I was watching my diet but seems not as I didn’t take care not to eat sweet stuff.im physically active thank goodness.i love to walk and do so frequently,it didn’t make my RLS any better nor worse so it well may be the diet.im on Pramapexol several years,I think maybe we get a restful spell then the crazy thing starts again.

[Eryl in reply to Whymelord]

I haven't had any rls in the past three years since I've been on a low carb diet except when I've let the diet slip. I can have just one or two squares of Lindt 85% chocolate in a day and I'm free of rls as long as I've not eaten anything with added sugar or fruit juice, and not eaten bread.

[Whymelord in reply to Eryl]

Hi,the low carbs diet is definitely working for you and worth trying for other sufferers. Can you please tell me if you are on medication for rls or do you not need it now.i don't like dark chocolate but could get to like it if it would reduce the rls.

[Eryl in reply to Whymelord]

No, I don't take any medication for rls, just vitamins B12, and omega3, and a diet high in leafy green veg and low in carbs.

[Eryl in reply to Whymelord]

And a weekly dose of kelp supplement or seaweed in a stir fry or as laverbread for iodine, which is supposed to be good for nerve function.

[Lapsedrunner]

I don’t eat much chocolate, but if I do.....it makes absolutely no difference!

[Whymelord in reply to Lapsedrunner]

Hi,I don’t eat a lot of chocolate either so that’s the reason I blamed it for the RLS flare up.its soo horrible when it’s happening,the awful thoughts that go through my head,then when it settles back down again ,I’m soo relieved.

[Eleanor1990]

Over the years I’ve figured it out that I am allergic to caffeine and msg. Chocolate has caffeine in It! No chocolate, no problem! And I love chocolate!

[dklohrey]

I have found refined sugar to be the culprit for me. So candy, pastry, ice cream etc. . Alcohol is also a sure fire trigger for me.

[spygirl96]

I have had a good experience with chocolate but it has to be the 70% or more pure dark. I get Lilly's and it is sweetened w/ Stevia and not sugar which i believe to be the culprit. I've had RLS for about 10 yrs and have been taking Ropinole for 5 yrs - .50 mg per day at night. Usually that works unless i eat sugary stuff then nothing works. Mostly, I do the Keto diet and watch my carbs. But sometimes, i have to get up in then night to take half of a .25 (.125 mg) to get my legs calmed down. Or I eat a small block of chocolate which sometimes does work. Also, stretching my legs out in the night and squats help too. I also take 15 mg of CBD at bedtime but I'm not sure it really helps my legs much. I walk 1-1.5 miles a day with my dogs everyday rain or shine.

[HilsK in reply to spygirl96]

Isn't it sad that the darker he chocolate the greater the amount of caffeine in it. (That's not a myth its a fact). But you are obviously doing what works for your body and mind at this moment in time. Its a great excuse to walk the legs of the dogs too! I borrow one .. but I agree sugary stuff and for me caffeine really don't help me We all haev to find our own balance somehow. Good luck x

[Pollyanna1]

I must admit sugar does make mine worse.

[Maz7]

Yes , me also mixed with indigestion and stomach ache 😖.

[LoisTonya]

Every so often I find certain foods trigger my rls and, conversely, cutting out certain foods gives me relief. I even cut my dopamine agonists twice after cutting out foods with histamine and I had a couple of months rls free. Then it came back badly. I have now increased my DA back to what it was originally but the legs keep going. It’s so variable I just cannot pin it down to anything for sure.

[Whymelord in reply to LoisTonya]

Hi,a couple of months rls free sounds like Heaven. I'm writing down the ingredients that good people like you tell me about.oxalates is another one.I agree with you,no matter what we try or leave out of our diets the cursed thing keeps coming back.Its trial and error continuously, thanks for your reply.

[Muftah36 in reply to Whymelord]

I thought I was the only one finding the inconsistency between my diet and my leg activity. Seems I am always searching for last nights culprit . I am so tired of this .

[Whymelord in reply to Muftah36]

Hi,yes that's sounds just like me,blaming one thing then another then finding that no matter what or when I eat something it makes no difference. Never ending.I do stop and think of families who are suffering right now from the effects of the covid,but that doesn't help much when I'm at the end of my tether from this blasted rls.good luck.

[HilsK]

Yes Whymelord! I had to bin it along with everything else with caffeine in.

Chocolate has caffeine in! healthline.com/health/does-...

It doesn't seem fair does it! We need chocolate when we have low seratonin but low dopamine and its a no no. I was given a cup of ovaltine by my daughter and within 40 mins was in trouble.

[Tharg]

Hi all. After Whymelord's post, thought I'd try denying myself chocolate. Seems to work, largely. Doesn't free me of RLS completely but does seem to reduce severity/frequency of onset. After a week or so of no chocolate, tested by eating a couple of small chocolates after dinner and the RLS kicked in just after going to bed. Other causal factors still plague me, wrong type of exercise, sitting down too long at certain times. However, taking chocolate out of diet helps a bit. Damn shame, as I do make a pretty good Sachetorte and Tiramisu! Will have to continue making them because neighbours and wife insist! 😢