Dehydration causes RLS

[alemaprls]

I have been told that the reason I get RLS is because I don't drink enough water. I must admit I don't drink much water only coffee and tea. Has anyone else experienced this reason. A doctor told my son as he gets it too. I'm going to try it and will let you know how I get on.

[SueJohnson]

Dehydration can definitely make RLS worse.

[LotteM]

Please do keep us posted. If indeed the dehydration does give you rls symptoms, they should resolve quickly if not immediately when you start to hydrate. Plain water is good. If you are really dehydrated, a solution with oral dehydration salts is better. Rls symptoms are not typical symptoms of dehydration, though. Thirst and headaches are.

If the rls persist, do come back for experiences and guidelines. Recent ones can be found in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings of 2021: mayoclinicproceedings.org/a...

[Simkin]

I have never heard this about dehydration in my 40 years of RLS.RLS is purely neurological.

I drink lots of water and it does not seem to help.

[DicCarlson]

Dehydration can contribute to RLS, but it is probably not a chief cause. Prior to my severe RLS I had severe nighttime leg cramps - the kind that made me leap out of bed in an attempt to walk it off. The best solution was electrolyte replacement - either a commercial product or sea salt (1/4 tsp, 20 oz water bottle) and cream of tartar (1/4 tsp, potassium). This is also the "adrenal cocktail" use for many conditions. When the severe RLS kicked in, leg cramps were the least of my problems.

[alemaprls in reply to DicCarlson]

I would'nt call my rls 'leg cramps' it is not painful but very annoying as I can't sleep due to a tickly feeling inside my legs which stops if a move but starts again 1 minute later. Maybe my rls is not as severe as some but it stops me sleeping. Drinking water through the day and evening has stopped it so far, whether it will last I don't know.

[DicCarlson in reply to alemaprls]

Nor was mine - two separate issues - RLS, that fantastic urge to move when trying to sleep and having to get up and walk around. The leg cramps are just that a knotted muscle spasm. Again, related to some of the issues causing RLS, but not a major cause.

[PoorRichard]

I have found dehydration to be a minor contributing factor to my RLS. Similar to leg/foot cramping indicating need for magnesium. Hydration helps many other things like gut health and regularity, too.

[alemaprls in reply to PoorRichard]

When you say cramping is yours very painful. If I get cramp very occasionally its extremely painful for a short time then goes mostly during the day, totally different to what I get with rls which is a tickly feeling inside my legs and sometimes arms too always at night half hour after going to bed.

[PoorRichard in reply to alemaprls]

Not painful, although that sometimes occurs (we call that sudden painful cramp a "Charlie horse"). I was referring to a more subtle cramping like a very slow spasm.

[WideBody]

I agree with PoorRichard, dehydration is a minor contributing factor.

[Jerry57]

Yes, I was told the same thing by a doctor over 20 years ago. Glad I was able to find a real doctor who referred me to a neurologist who made a proper diagnosis. I inherited RLS from my mother as did all 5 of my siblings. I'm sure most if not all of us were drinking plenty of fluids, yet this doctor insisted my RLS was from dehydration and a lack of stretching.

[alemaprls in reply to Jerry57]

My mother always insisted on paracetamol before bed, she didn't mention restless legs but i'm sure she had it. In the 60s no-one had every heard of it. I've inherited it as my son has. However, I didn't realise that there are such varying degrees of it.

[Hidden]

I f do on’t find it mskes much difference. If I drink more than 6 glasses a day, I get worse, so probably flushing out too many electrolytes.

[Grammieof4]

the more water I drink the more I have to go to the bathroom. For me, a full bladder triggers my RLS.