How long should you walk at night?

[thorp]

I so appreciate the wisdom of fellow RLS sufferers on this site.

So thank you in advance for your help

I suffer from serious restless legs and have to get out 2 or 3 times every night.

Once I get out , I need to walk.

Normally I walk for 30 minutes or so. And then I can get back into bed and the legs keep still.

But is 30 minutes too long.? Would less walking still keep the legs from moving around in bed?

How long do other sufferers find they have to walk for?

Might 10 minutes be enough for some people .And maybe others need a minimum of 40 minutes

I would be very grateful for any information regarding how long I should be walking to ensure that, when i finally do get back into bed, I can fall asleep and my legs keep still

I find if I have not walked for long enough then, after about 20 minutes, the legs start up again and I have to get out and walk--again

[LotteM]

My RLS is now quite well controlled and if I get mild breakthrough symptoms, I can get away with 10-20min moving about. But when my RLS was not under control (no medicines and medicines that didn't work well), I had to walk/ move around for about 2h before at least I could stand or sit more or less still.

We are all so different. But if your current walking regime works for you, stick to it. If you find it too long, try if you can reduce it; you'll find out soon enough how much walking is needed for you. Good luck.

[Kakally in reply to LotteM]

Hi! I don’t think there is a time or distance limit if you are in dire straits with your RLS. Walk some minutes until it feels as if it settling , then rest and get up again if you need to. The furthest I walked according to my app on my phone and when I was at my worst, tortured all night , was 10 miles 😱🤣. Hilariously horrendous torture and even then it didn’t really settle the day after… those were bad times. Thanks to repeated I-v ferric carboxymaltose when required and a touch of tramadol I am really the best I’ve been for 30 years….

[SueJohnson]

I noticed under your health interests, you put ropinirole. Are you taking this?

[thorp in reply to SueJohnson]

No .

I am currently taking 200 mg pregabalin and 500 microgram clonazepam, both one hour before bed at around 2130

[SueJohnson in reply to thorp]

Good - I am glad you aren't taking ropinirole. Since your RLS symptoms are not controlled, you might want to increase your pregabalin by 25 mg every couple of days until you find a dose that does control it. According to the Mayo Clinic Updated Algorithm on RLS: at Https://mayoclinicproceedings.org/a... "Most RLS patients require 1200 to 1800 mg of gabapentin daily" which translates to 200 to 300 mg. The maximum is 450 mg. Also have you had your ferritin checked? If it is below 100 improving it to 100 or more helps 60% of patients and in some will completely eliminate their symptoms. If you haven't had your ferritin checked, ask your doctor for a full iron panel. Stop taking any iron supplements 48 hours before the test and fast after midnight. Have your test in the morning when your ferritin is lowest. When you get the results, ask for your ferritin and transferrin saturation numbers. You want your ferritin to be over 100. If your ferritin is less than 75 then take 325 mg of ferrous sulfate with 100 mg of vitamin C or some orange juice since that helps its absorption. Take it every other day at least 1 hour before a meal or coffee and at least 2 hours after a meal or coffee since iron is absorbed better on an empty stomach and preferably at night. If you have problems with constipation switch to iron bisglycinate. If your ferritin is between 75 and 100 or if your transferrin saturation is below 20, you probably need an iron infusion since iron isn't absorbed as well above 75. If you take magnesium take it at least 2 hours apart since it interferes with the absorption of iron. Don't take tumeric as it interferes with the absorption of iron. It takes several months for the iron tablets or iron infusion to slowly raise your ferritin. Ask for a new blood test after 8 weeks if you have an iron infusion or after 3 months if you are taking iron tablets.

[thorp in reply to SueJohnson]

thank you for your help

My iron is regularly measured and varies from around 100 to 150.So i fear taking extra iron is unlikely to help me

i am very glad to hear that my taking of 200 pregabalin per night is not too much .

[BoldMove]

I walk till I don't feel the pulsating. Sometimes 15 minutes, sometimes as long as 45. I have stairs in my house and have noticed RLS leaves more quickly if I climb stairs. Sometimes I'm just too tired to exert that much energy. Keep in mind we are all different. Hope yours is resolved.

[LFIT]

It’s a great question - for me 10 seemed to work and by experience got it down to 6-7 . In the times 10 hadn’t worked I’ve gone for the middle of the night hot bath which had worked quite well - just for 10mins / more a temperature shock than a bath ! Worth thinking about as an option if moderate walking not working . I really try to get back to bed within 15-20 in a worst case to help my chances of going back to sleep . Occasionally a micro snack of plain chicken and a small glass of water also seems to work

[Munroist]

I find 10-15 minutes is enough. Sometimes I unload the dishwasher, other times I walk round for 5 - 10 minutes or go up and down the stairs. Sometime it can just be staying awake for 10 minutes or doing a puzzle. Normally I do some quick stretches for calves, hamstrings and quads which only take a couple of minutes.

[SueJohnson]

He's only on pregabalin which thankfully you can't augment on.