Does eating sugar/ sweets later in the day make your RLS worse ? I’ve been under control for several months until Last night when I had a sugary dessert. I’ve noticed this before but last night took me 3 hours to finally get to sleep
sugar and RLS: Does eating sugar... - Restless Legs Syn...
sugar and RLS
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Rph5
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Yes, same here. I've had just one RLS relapse in the last 3 months: I was feeling a bit down, took solace in 2 x Twix and a slice of cheesecake, paid for it that night!Even worse than sugar for me is aspartame and other artificial sweeteners: have to steer clear entirely.
You have discovered a fundamental cause of RLS.
Inflammation triggers RLS.
Sugar is an inflammatory substance.
QED. 🥵
Thankfully I can get away with 1x250ml full fat coke, one chocolate brownie or equivalent, and one small pudding a day - as long as I don't have them all in the evening! I know some people have to cut back much more... What about you?
I’m okay as long as I eat them early or at the latest by 7.30 ish pm.
thank you. I am learning
You can totally eliminate rls by avoiding inflammatory foods without the use of drugs.
sweeping statements like this don't help those of us suffering with serious RLS. I highly doubt it can be "totally eliminated" by diet.
I've eliminated mine. It's such a relieff you should try it.
Sugar and sodium are my boogiemen. My RLS stays under control when I avoid those two. I'm off all the meds nowadays. Sometimes the answer is so simple. Not a single doc ever mentioned that to me. I know they know this, but why do they withhold this ?
Because telling the truth doesn't pay. A Big Pharma leader once told delegates at a conference "A patient cured is a customer lost".
They know very little about RLS.Also- it is much easier to prescribe a medication, than tell us to change our diet.
This is handy to know as I've just been toldmtomup my salt as my sodium is low, maybe I won't now, thank you
If your doc told you your sodium is low then that is a different story. However, I would figure out exactly what your sodium levels should be for your personal situation (taking into account for things such as heart disease or diabetes, of whatever...) and agree with your doc on that first - agree on the number - and only agree on a RECENT sodium level/saturation test (perhaps a 24-hour urine collection test from the company my doc uses called LITHOLINK) and then, and only then, the two of you can determine your proper sodium levels based on evidence, not a standard guideline designed for the masses. You must become smarter than your doctor about this. It's the only way out of "dis-ease" and into "ease" of life. You can do this. The facy that you're on this site proves that to me! Good luck, and never give up hope.
Thank you
I am telling my doctor about all my meds now and what I need to change, I have noticed a difference with stopping some of my meds although I'm struggling since, especially with stopping slowly my 150mg of sertraline and omeprazole . This group has helped so.much especially Sue, I am so grateful to all.
$$$
Yes, unfortunately that's correct. Sugar is a trigger for me, too.
Even on 2 mg Buprenorphine Christmas 2021 I was having high volume of fake sugar / sugar even tried natural monk fruit that used as sugar all of them in high volume OVERRIDE Buprenorphine for hours, that and alcohol .
This disease robs us in more ways than people would ever imagine, and what it has not robbed of long Covid is doing a dam good job robbing me of other pleasures in life.
If you google how sugar even fake sugar physically effects the brain you will be surprised what you will learn.
It's not a disease, it's a syndrome brought on by our behaviour i.e. consuming inflammatory foods.
Not that simple. Nevertheless curious what your diet consists of.
My diet consists of real foods, not processed supermarket crap. No foods made with wheat flour or refined seed oils.
that’s all I eat too , I have been to fasting clinics , health clinics all over the world .
Actually 3 weeks of fasting night time vegetable broth only made it worse.
Actually I lived on very very little food for far too long to the point of being hospital . The suffering when you are in the point of organ failure. The reason I could not eat was due to lack of sleep . This period of time appears to have done some permanent damage. I now struggle to eat so body does not get enough nutrients and my immune system is in dire straits.
Our bowel and intestines etc are our largest organ the size a tennis court.
I am working very hard with Chinese therapists to reverse this because I catch everything. I have been on antibiotics since February 2023 we are now April 12 th also just been treated with another antibiotic as I picked up Trachoma in Caribbean at Christmas apart for the fa t it can send you blind it also attacks the immune system what’s left of mine from all the food illumination diets and fasting.
I was an original Atkins girl for 10 years
Definitely got worse with age over the years .
I have done total elimination diets.
Also limitation diets consisting of only 2 to 4 things.
Mandarin , carrot , celery apple only
I still work with Chinese doctors .
I have studied under leading self developed guru who did a lot of work with Princess Fergie . He taught so many things including meditation and de framing the brain .
I studied for years under him sadly he past away just prior to COVID . My husband said we have spent $500.000 AUS in travel and therapies and treatment . As an Ex nurse and a researcher I never give up even though the buprenorphine works I am still looking deeply to find a solution that is not medication.
Everyone seems to be different.
During this whole experiment the only natural thing that stopped it dead in its tracks and let me sleep is really really turbulent airplane flight .
Even on SUBUTEX Christmas2022 we flew to US from Australia it was really turbulent I Did not require SUBUTEX until 3 rd night in Miami..
I am one of now 10 people in my family 3 are very young grandchildren.
My daughter suffered really badly she had 2 blood transfusions and has never had it since.
I am going to Utah for full body stemcell just awaiting the right flights .
Also I am very much looking into Fecal transfusion.
Australia has a company called microbia who a doing ground braking work and leading the world in this Field.
One thing is for sure when they take your sample and analyse it there is no hiding your diet 😂
I don't agree. Just because you've eliminated your symptoms doesn't mean that a change of diet will work for every person suffering with this wretched condition. It may help some but not everyone.
Then google "foods that cause inflammation" and see how many are in your diet and ask youself whether tbey could be makung a contribution to your rls.
I am aware of such foods and actually consume little of them. I am careful with my diet so please don't assume that my symptoms are caused by eating an inflammatory diet. One size does not fit all.
Until you cut them all out you'll never know the truth but if you preffer to suffer rather than risk being proved wrong it's your coice.
Oh Eryl, give it a rest. You KNOW diet is NOT the cause of RLS for the vast majority..Spinal damage and low brain iron are the 2 biggest causes & changing diet won't stop such RLS.
Hear hear Jools. 👍
Sir, you need to back off. You don't know us and no one here is doubting you eliminated your RLS through diet. I am very happy for you. RLS is neurological, it is hereditary and is incurable.I get complete relief through a reasonable diet, exercise and medication. I'm ok with that. I have addictive tendencies and little self control. I have cut back on sugar and coffee, but I really, really enjoy both of those things. These earthly bodies are all going to die no matter how well you take care of it. I'm more concerned about my spiritual health for the spirit lives forever. Happy Easter.
GOOGLE and elimination is one of the first things people do with
WILLIS EKBOM DISEASE.
Most of us are so very cautious of what passes or lips , blood brain barrier etc and then some people can exercise some can’t .Feb 2023 the cottage I was in the UK has a staircase the first few days I had to increase my dose because the stairs aggravated my symptoms.
Interesting there are millions of people in the world who eat , drink totally abuse there bodies and they never suffer this disease .
Yes - sugary things , in particular chocolate 😛 seems to definitely increase RLS
Yes to chocolate. It's the oxalates in chocolate that are toxic to some of us.
Oxalate is definitely the cause in my case. I’m 100% better since cutting it out, thank goodness.
I hope that this revelation will sink in i.e. that sugar is one of the fundamental causes of RLS when ingested at any time of day but even worse if eaten near bedtime.
Absolutely , sugar at night will makes things worse.
For me, avoiding sugar (including table sugar, chocolate, soft drinks or sweets of any kind), alcohol plus other things such as msg in Asian foods brings my RLS down to a base line level… which is still bad enough to require medication to control.
But if I add sugar (or the others) to the mix at any time of the day then it takes the horrible RLS sensations up another level at night, requiring more medication and ultimately a sleep deprived night.
Sadly it took many years but finally I’ve learnt to say no to the S word.
I miss eating sweets. (I especially miss my ice cream) But it’s not worth it. A few moments of bliss is not worth a sleepless night.
I too , sadly, have had to reduce sugar intake in afternoon and evening. However, I’ve been able to have small amounts of Lily’s Extra Dark chocolate with Stevia not sugar. The oxalates in chocolate don’t seem to bother me, fortunately.
started low calorie low carb (sugar) diet and RLS significantly improved. Still taking meds but much later in the day. Diet is a life changer for me.
I reach for table sugar substitutes as my #1 stevia, #2 Monk Fruit (Dixie brand non bended i.e. erythritol), Inulin products). I reach for Keto treats, although the oils, all starches, and alcohol sugars shown on nutritional labels cause me me to put most back. Lots of Keto foodstuffs are bogus.
I tried Monk fruit it set me off we are all different. It’s great when we find that thing that does or does not help us.I’m pleased you are finding your triggers.
I know that sugar can make RLS worse for me. But I have also had RLS come on when I have had no sugar and my diet has been pristine. So, inflammation does affect the course of RLS, but in my case, it will not eliminate all RLS symptoms.
I gave up sugar entirely last Oct. Only intake is fruit (fructose) & milk (lactose), but no foods with added sugar (even swapped my lifelong breakfast of Wheetbix for Vita Brits! RLS hasn't been an issue for me since then. Give it a go because you'll note the difference in 10dys or less. Exercising legs an hour or two before bed also prevents onset of RLS. 🤞
Sugar and alcohol are my triggers.
I had a nutritional therapist for a year where we had an hypothesis that low sugar, no processed foods, low carb, high food fat might eliminate RLS symptoms. I have had RLS since high school and I am 67 years old. I have refractive RLS meaning it manifests itself in all of my body limbs, hands and spine.
Anyway, I was basically on the KETO diet, lost 14 lbs, and only 5-6 grams of sugar per day. It didn’t work. A sugary dessert though does seem to aggravate the RLS more for me.
Also, I have increased my iron/ferritin levels per Mayo Clinic guidelines to over 100 units without success.
For the last dozen years I have been on 2mg of Ropinirole and supplement with Gabapentin 300-900 mg as needed. It works for the most part.
Best of luck to all. Someday there will be better solutions for the aggressive forms of RLS.
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