Distraction?

[wantokporo]

This is just a general query about what some (many?) use as mid-night remedies. Scalding hot baths used to work for some relief but stopped. Shaking legs, walking still does. But I had never given distraction a serious test. So now I have been getting up and playing online bridge for a couple of games and it works. I am wondering why, and if anyone has any thoughts or knowledge about this. I am doing mind/body therapy for anxiety/blood pressure so I have been immersed in these ideas. It seems odd to me because it isn't like I am laying in bed thinking about my legs shaking before they start shaking. I wonder if I stayed in bed and started subtracting 7 from 100 that that would work? I know meditation doesn't stop them, although I enjoy doing it in the middle of the night.

[SueJohnson]

That's because it increases the dopamine in your brain. It also takes your mind away from the symptoms.

[wantokporo in reply to SueJohnson]

So the "happy hormone" kicks in when I play online bridge? I don't feel happy especially. Also, then why couldn't I lay in bed and think of happy things? I'm not arguing or doubting, just wondering. Also that might indicate that happier people wouldn't get shaky legs? Or if I had an especially great day or something that my legs would be better? Maybe people have experience with this correlation? I have actually been happier lately in that I am a bit more accepting of my condition and my days have been more productive, but my legs are off the charts and my sleep as bad as it ever gets.

[SueJohnson in reply to wantokporo]

It's not just being generally happy. After all taking a dopamine agonist doesn't make you happy but it relieves your symptoms. But if you had some great news for instance that might make you euphoric for a very short while and relieve your RLS.

[kushami36 in reply to wantokporo]

I’m no expert, but isn’t dopamine somewhat connected to expectation, reward and motivation, which you might experience while playing a game.

I studied a little bit on this topic a loooong time ago.

[Madlegs1]

I listen to repeat radio during the night, on a timer. I often don't hear the radio turn off.

Also use the pistol percussion on my legs if they are particularly bad.

Lying with my legs up against the cold wall is also very effective.

Basically everyone has their own particular thing!

Good luck.

[RiversW]

This one may seem odd. I discovered playing video games with my son would often calm my legs. But not any kind of game. Typically the action in the game had to include continual quick action and rapid response time. Not shooting games with periodic burst of movement and action, but games like downhill skiing. There a very old skiing game called SSX Tricky that almost always calmed my legs when I played. Problem was after a while I just got bored playing, but it was fun and effective while it lasted.

Good luck, Rivers

[Elisse3]

I have the therapulse which has been very helpful But the last week or two my RLS seems to have ramped up even my meds are not working aswell. So therapulse is not helping as much listening to music which i do every night and was helping not now helping only thing left is getting out of bed to pace have a cuppa then back to bed and that works probably for an hr. So all my bag of tricks are failing me. Time to phone doctors tomorrow that should be interesting as i seem to know more than they do

[Medee69]

I use the herb Kratom. Helps tremendously with my RLS. 🙏🏼💪👍🇺🇸

[Ouchagain]

I find that it needs to be an active rather than a passive activity that keeps RLS at bay (it's not distraction when it stops me getting any RLS symptoms to be distracted from!), so all sorts of art and craft activities work really well as do some computer games. They really seems to bump up the dopamine levels. Unfortunately things like television, theatre, lectures and the evening company of friends provide a bit of distraction at best but don't stop my legs going bonkers. And unfortunately I have to stop these preventive or distractive activities to go to bed, so medication is still essential for sleep. But I can sit and work long into the night on non-repetitive brain-exercising creative crafts without experiencing a single leg twinge. Good luck finding activities that help any of you, they can really help.

[Rayme]

My distraction was online puzzles, for years. I have severe RL that can go on all night and so I would work on a beautiful puzzle and that would settle my legs and provide an hour and a half of sleep. In January I started on 5mg Methadone, a big decision, but I needed a break from the long, long nights and the relentless RL. But the puzzles really helped me!

[Simkin]

The only thing that really works for me is getting up, walking around & distracting my brain. I usually send my emails at night, for example.

[Edengirl58]

Hi Wantokporo,

I am trying to treat my RLS as a mind/ body condition, using mainly the work of Dr Howard Schubiner, who assures me it is one. (I used it very effectively to treat long covid as I luckily had no discernible organ damage). Mixed results re RLS at present. I have managed to reduce my Gabapentin from 600 mg down to 200mg, with no worsening of symptoms. I did come off it completely for about 2 x weeks but symptoms increased- though this may have been coincidental.

I have joined the Psychophysiological Disorders Association, and have registered for an online Q and A session next month - to ask whether they consider RLS a mind body syndrome, and if so how to use the brain circuitry reprocessing techniques in the middle of the night!

[DicCarlson]

I am always intrigued with the mind/body connections. Everyone has seen the stage hypnosis performances with a selected audience member quacking like a duck, etc. I was hypnotized to quit smoking many, many years ago. It was an enjoyable experience, but alas I looked on the results as - well, I can "overcome" this suggestion, and continued smoking. But, the suggestion was compelling. I could recommend Glen Harrold - lots of free videos, etc. maybe not for RLS, but certainly for insomnia.

glennharrold.com/

[wantokporo]

Thanks, Edengirl58. I looked up that Association but, from what I can tell, their "direction" is how certain conditions cause a greater number of psychological issues, not the other way around; i.e., my PLMD is more likely to contribute to depression and anxiety (that is a no-brainer if you ask me). For what it is worth, I have found a meta-summary of papers that show that RLS is susceptible to the placebo effect, but PLMD not so much. To me that indicates the possibility of the causality you are talking about, that psychology can be a component, or the cause of RLS, but then I am not an expert on the placebo effect. (This is not to say "it is all in your head" by the way, or in any way to dismiss the actual condition or suffering. It could possibly give another therapeutic approach.)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/179...

[Nanpat]

so I presume you’re sitting when you play?

I can’t sit to do anything when getting a bad attack, thought this was a sign of rls?

Glad it helps you

[WideBody]

Meditation and “box” breathing are sometimes all I have. Breathe in slowly count to four, hold, breathe out slowly count to five, hold, repeat.

Now focus on the slow breathing. Meditate on something you enjoy. On the beach, in the forest or on a mountain.

There is a name for this behavioral training, I can’t remember. Yes it absolutely helps. No it is not easy.

I do this almost every night. When I go to bed, RLS always shows up, I use meditation to hold RLS back. I can usually turn RLS off in about 10-20 minutes.

Mind you, it wasn’t always that way.

[RiversW]

I would like to add one more note of interest to my comments about using video games to calm my legs. I have been working as a film editor for 35 years. For most of my career I edited on computers. Typically a bank of 3 TV's, a keyboard and me in a dark room. Images constantly flickering. A frenetic environment, During my entire career I have had RLS, day and night. But when I was working, RLS left me alone for the most part. A wash of constant images, just like a video game, seems to have a beneficial effect on my mind as far as RLS is concerned. Now there is no telling what other damage has been done! Rivers

[Ducatidave]

see my post healthunlocked.com/rlsuk/po......