Weird “itches”

[JFishing2]

My RLS seems to manifest in different ways on different nights. It’s always as I’m dozing off, but sometimes it’s just simple “jerking”/kicking of my leg as I’m about asleep. Not pleasant but I can handle it and eventually power through to sleep.

The most annoying is when at the just about asleep stage, I get this deep itchiness, usually in my groin area or the bottom of my foot and if I don’t move, my leg will kick a series of 2 or 3 times, almost like a dog with his belly being rubbed. It’s absolutely maddening. It’s like I can subconsciously feel it coming in slow motion, but can’t do anything about it.

[Madlegs1]

Sounds more like a weird form of PLMD.(Involuntary movement of legs) or to give it a proper title-- Periodic leg movement disorder.

You could try taking some magnesium in the evening.

Good luck.

[JFishing2 in reply to Madlegs1]

Yes, I definitely have PLMD. My wife tells me I’ll kick her like every 30 seconds on the dot sometimes.

[Hidden]

Apart from what you describe as "itching" I can experience exactly the same.

RLS commonly occurs as you are about to fall asleep, that is because it is at its worse at night and when you're relaxing, i.e. lying down.

I also have unpleasant sensations just before the twitching starts. I just wouldn't describe them as itching though. Luckily they don't last long, I find the twitching less unpleasant.

Which, forgive me, poses a philosophical question. If, for example when you look at something you call red, how do you know that when I look at it I see (what you call) red? I may be seeing what you'd call green, but I don't call it green, I call it red!

I call the twitching "exercise without effort".

[JFishing2 in reply to Hidden]

I enjoyed the philosophical question. It actually got me thinking if there’s any words that have completely different meanings in 🇬🇧 and 🇺🇸.....then we could talk right past eachother haha

[Hidden in reply to JFishing2]

Chips!

[WideBody]

It's amazing how many people have Jerking/kicking also have RLS. In Dr. Allen's paper

"Restless legs syndrome: diagnostic criteria, special considerations, and

epidemiology" where he states "in conclusion, although the presence of PLMS is not specific to RLS, an elevated PLMS index is supportive of the diagnosis of RLS. Eighty percent of patients with RLS have a PLMS index greater than 5; thus, it is actually the absence more than the presence of PLMS that is most significant for the diagnosis of RLS. Patients with a PLM index of less than 5 are unlikely to have RLS, and the diagnosis should be made with some caution in these patients."

I have the same jerking and kicking. I power through it with slow breathing. But I also get itching a lot, in my case it's my head or scalp. Weird. I wish I could help.

[JFishing2 in reply to WideBody]

I’ll have to try the breathing! A lot of times if I get up and walk around for a couple minutes and lay back down it goes away. I like the idea of staying in bed though haha.

[Guitarpickin]

I definitely feel the sensations building before the jerking/twitching happens...like you, the involuntary movements happen just at the moment I’m about to fall asleep. Very annoying. I don’t have itching at the same time, though. Just tingling or electric sensations. The itching sounds like a drag. Maybe try a peppermint lotion (or cinnamon lotion, if the warmth is comforting-I’ve read others in this forum who find relief with warmth. I do not.). Anyway, the cooling sensation of peppermint (or warmth of cinnamon) on your skin might override the itching... at least on your feet. Not sure what might help with the groin part though. Any additional sensations in that area would probably be even more of a distraction.

[Doings]

Yes I occasionally get that too in conjunction with rls i just thought it was part of the torture package.