RLS/hot feet

[warpsgrove]

I'm male, 82 yrs old. Fourteen years ago I had a spell of cold feet, day and night. Thick socks and fur-lined boots helped, and the condition went away as mysteriously as it had come. More recently I began getting hot feet at night. With an enlarged prostate I always need to get up at least once in the night, and what initially wakes me is hot feet. After passing water I can usually sleep well but recently, and especially following replacement of accidentally-fractured hip, simply going back to bed after peeing does not relieve RLS. Bearing in mind the caffeine content of tea fellow forum-members may find this surprising, but going into the kitchen in the small hours, making a cup of strongish tea with milk and drinking it slowly works like magic. After 20 minutes I go back to bed and fall asleep immediately, to wake again a couple of hours for another pee, after which I again sleep well until "proper" getting-up time. I understand neither the physiology nor the psychology of all this: I only know that it gives me a decent night's sleep. Despite its soporific reputation, alcohol works the other way: drinking even the tiniest amount before bed has for many years guaranteed me a restless night.

[Hidden]

So tea helps you to get back to sleep.. Lucky you I'd be up all night if I had tea at that time.

If I can't sleep I usually go sit in living room for 20 or so mins then I'm sorted out.

[warpsgrove in reply to Hidden]

It could just be that 20 minutes sitting down WITHOUT the tea may do the trick. I'll try it!

[Hidden in reply to warpsgrove]

Hopefully it works for you..

[warpsgrove in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. I'll let you know!

[SueJohnson]

Actually it is well known that for some people caffeine helps their RLS. I'm glad you found this and it works for you.

[warpsgrove in reply to SueJohnson]

That's very interesting, and I'm glad to hear that the connection is public knowledge. I get the impression all the same that reasons for RLS vary greatly from person to person, and that ways of keeping it in check--including medication--are a matter of trial and error.

[Jerry57]

You are not alone. Tea, coffee, or any kind of caffeine will ease my RLS symptoms whether its afternoon, evening or the middle of the night. For me, caffeine and kratom have similar effects.

[Amelanchier in reply to Jerry57]

Me too. I have stopped drinking any sort of caffeine in the daytime so that I can take it at night in the in the hope of it having maximum effect, but keeping my overall intake at a reasonable level.

[Jelbea]

Hello warpsgrove - Your hot feet may be a symptom of some form of neuropathy. This can be due to many conditions such as diabetes which causes nerve damage and sometimes goes undiagnosed. Ageing circulation can also cause burning feet. You might get it checked out. By the way caffeine in the middle of the night helps my severe RLS.

[warpsgrove in reply to Jelbea]

I've suspected neuropathy for some time. When I go to bed (but not when I get up) my toes sometimes feel "bunched" and thicker than they really are. Except on very hot nights (rare in UK) I wear bedsocks---not to keep my feet warm but because they somehow seem to ward off the hot feet feeling to some extent. Despite all that the midnight cup of tea is the only reasonably effective solution I've found so far. Reading everyone's posts only reinforces my impression that no two people have identical symptoms: all very mysterious.

[Birdland]

Regarding hot feet, I have always experienced this with my RLS. Way back to when I was a child. When it gets really bad I use special socks with frozen jell packs inserts. Purchased them on Amazon. Others on this forum have said they experience this too. As usual, our RLS experiences can vary from person to person. I envy those who can consume caffeine without extra RLS symptoms. Not me.

[Owl70]

Hi there - any alcohol certainly guarantees a bad night and just one small glass leaves me with a hangover. I too have burning feet , previously like you always being really cold - my relieve that works , for some strange reason , is having them on a hot wheat bag 🤔 , whereas putting my feet in cold water only gives a five min relief. Strange really but works .

[Carlettejaque]

Hot feet syndrome is called Erythromelalgia and can get progressively worse. It is a neuro vascular condition. Treatment usually involves antidepressants. Look it up on the net.

[Jelbea in reply to Carlettejaque]

I suffer from erythromelalgia. I have a rare blood cancer - essential thrombocythaemia/polycythaemia vera which causes lots of problems such as burning red feet, itching skin which water can make worse and trouble with blood clotting. But all in all I manage well. It would be easier if I did not suffer severe RLS causing very little sleep which makes everything worse.

[charlie1234567890]

I had terrible hot/burning feet when I was taking mirapex/ pramapexole. Went away when I quit the drug.

[Typicallygaslit]

I use L-Theanine which is an amino acid extracted from green tea. For most people, it works as a sedative. I’m not sure it helps me in this way but I do find that it relieves stiffness and pain in my legs. I think it has a favourable effect on both glutamate and dopamine. The first time I used it, I felt immense pleasant cold in my legs as well as a fantastic clarity of thought. Unfortunately, over time the effect has worn off so I don’t get that level of relief. But it still helps somewhat. I wonder if maybe this is why your cup of tea seems to help. Could you try green tea as it would be even better? Or get this supplement?

I too suffer from hot feel because of restless legs, it’s perfectly correlated with the amount of agitation I experience. Any kind of serotonin stimulating drug will make the hotness worse, and also makes me need to pee a lot throughout the night.