Prone position supposedly increases body temperature. Raised body temperature increases dopamine release. link.springer.com/article/1... Maybe our forefathers had something there with those strange nightcaps.
Strenuous exercise increases core body temperature. Here’s a shout out to the woman who runs up and down the stairs a 100x a night to relieve her RLS. Can we all figure out an easier way to do this?
Also, some of us find complete relief from RLS with fever. Put fever in the search box. Even incremental increases in core body temperature may help to pump out the good stuff. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/110...
Body temperature also tends to drop as we age 😕
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DesertOasis
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I hear ya. Strange how a couple people on here swear by sleeping in the prone position and once or twice has seemingly worked for me. And I’ve recommended it to people in the past. So, if this is the reason why, it’s kind of a fun fact.
In the wee hours of the night earlier last week, I was wondering about why having a fever would reduce/stop RLS. I was also wondering why deficiencies in iron, selenium, copper or zinc would make RLS worse. What connected all these things? Why do hot baths help? Why does walking or running help? Of course the big question is – why are we absolutely driven to move our legs? I started wandering the web is search for answers and found this paper on “Micronutrient Deficiency States and Thermoregulation in the Cold”
This article says that all of those deficiencies can lead to poor thermoregulation. It states that “There is also evidence that iron deficiency may alter neurohormonal control of thermoregulation centers in the central nervous system by way of an effect on dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine. “
I imagine that poor circulation caused by a variety of mechanisms would affect thermoregulation also, especially in the extremities. Obviously walking or running would increase body temperature, as would fever. Hot baths would also. Perhaps a weighted blanket holds the blanket close to your legs so it is therefore warmer too.
So why would this cause the urge to move? I’m thinking that if the body decides that it is extremely/dangerously cold, it would do what it could to make you get out of that situation. So it sends a strong signal to move! The movement satisfies it for a very brief period, but then we stop and so the signal to move comes again. Maybe RLS is a misguided survival mechanism.
(It is from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 1996. Nutritional Needs in Cold and High-Altitude Environments: Applications for Military Personnel in Field Operations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. ) It is an interesting, though quite technical read. The next article in the series says that caffeine is an effective thermogenic agent, perhaps explaining how it helps some people with RLS.
Fascinating! Even though a lot or even most of us aren’t iron deficient body wise, our brains are. Cold brain = less dopamine release. Fever = more dopamine release. I think this might be one more nail in the coffin rather than the ultimate cause of death. We with RLS have small and few D2/D3 receptors and as mentioned before, very little stored brain iron. And who knows how readily our RLS brains can get iron from its puny stores. I think fever also helps people in general to get some iron from their stores. I remember reading that. Have to find that article.
Yes, anything we can do to improve thermoregulation and increase core body temperature I would think could only help, not hurt RLS.
I’m not sure what gives rise to the urge to move as opposed to say plain old twitching when we sit or lay? We know that our pathetic dopamine transport system means less dopamine (as a neurotransmitter) coming out of that lousy system (as compared to non-RLSers) thus less dopamine bouncing it’s way down our spines and to our peripheral nervous system where it quiets our arms and legs.
Like you I was losing my mind one night and wasn’t going to sleep until I figured out why standing and walking relieves RLS. I discovered that when we stand and walk there are one or two parts of our brains that release dopamine in a nanosecond. Dopamine is what provides balance as we stand and coordination as we walk. Dopamine is dopamine and even if it’s coursing through our body to balance us it is also relieving RLS. Btw, I have noticed that leaning does not eradicate RLS 100%. I guess our brains don’t sense much instability and don’t release as much dopamine.
Thank you for the info! It is amazing how simple it is to solve my issue: I must simply sleep with a warm hat. In that case the head is warm and the rest of the body is not so warm. The average temperature of the body is increased not so strong and there is no need to make it lower for the body. But we need the warmth in head - here is the dopamine released. So I just tested - had a strong RLS before but when I put a warm hat on it disappeared after a few minutes. Hope it is not a placebo.
It was better - I used a warm hat and also covered the neck and shoulders by a warm blanket. At first it was hard to sleep because it was unusual but then I slept about 3 hours without waking up - almost impossible for me. Usually I wake up each hour. So I plan to continue the testing:).
I noticed that with that approach I can sleep on my back - without it I cannot. So your suggestion about the prone possition is completelly true from my point of view. And in the warm hat for me it is not convenient to sleep in prone position - probably the head temperature is too high. Another thing: if I lie in prone position I feel that the heart pulse becomes higher for ~20 mins. Then it is usually normalized. I never have RLS symptoms during that 20 minutes and I think it is related to some dopamine release. Therefore I prefer not to use warm hat during the first half of hour because if my idea is correct it can lead to neurotoxicity. But maybe it is only my feature.
Usually at first the face looks right when I in prone. But seems I have strong heart bits in any prone position - should check it. Thank you for the info.Now I started to sleep on my back and feel much better after that - previously I was not able because of strong RLS. Really that idea to use warm hat works for me yet.
I find sleeping with my feet and lower extremities barely covered - thereby keeping that area cool/colder works for me - as long as the rest of me is warm...? The warmer my feet get (it is usually one foot or the other), the more likely it is that RLS will start. I'm sure thermoregulation play a part, though the fact that I also tend to experience mild Raynaud's syndrome may be a coincidence.
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