This might sound strange, but if I get physically ill, my RLS seems to virtually disappear.
Recently I had Covid for the 3rd time, and it was worse than the previous 2 bouts: I was pretty much in bed all day, and felt really quite ill. But the one thing I really noticed - as I had the previous times - was that my RLS disappeared entirely, like it had been switched off.- It was almost worth the illness for the bliss of being able to relax my legs for the entire night!
Has anyone else experienced this? I'd be interested to know what might be running through my blood or affecting my nervous system while I'm ill - maybe its an effective treatment for RLS!
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Mattly
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Yes, we have discussed this before. And I have experienced it myself when I had the flu several years back. There also have been several speculations about what happens that overrules the RLS, but no-one really knows.
Hi Matty - yes, any time I get a temperature above normal, ie when I have flu, my RLS goes completely! I have always associated it with a high temperature, as when it goes back to normal, the RLS starts up again. As you say, it is almost worth the illness to feel the bliss of calm sleep. No idea why......
I had minor surgery some years ago requiring a GA, I was amazed to find that for two whole nights afterwards my rls disappeared, I went so far as to look up the ingredients of GAs and found there was an effect on the microbiome from such drugs, all very complex but hopefully bit by bit the puzzle will some day be solved.
Most likely you were given an opioid for your GA (I assume you meant general anaesthesia). Opioids are very effective for RLS and required far far lower doses than needed for anaesthesia or pain. That situation is different from being ill as in having a virus infection and experience reduced or no RLS as long as you are ill.
I've also experienced a reducion in symptoms when Ive had Covid, twice, and yes, it's worth suffer the infection for the heavenly freedom from rls, no idea deal how this works
Agree. Recently in hospital for a week after bowel cancer op...the anti blood clot bootees really stopped RLS for 2 days plus I was completely knocked out after anaesthetic etc...Once I came home the RLS gradually came back late evenings.. back on magnesium, spray gentle iron etc....Going to ask about the electronic bootees as they were prescribed by doctor...seemed to stop RLS...Almost worth having cancer....
makes sense to me because when I eat sugary items or carbohydrates, my RLS symptoms are worse. So if you’re sick, usually one eats less., therefore it would affect the symptoms of RLS. Just a thought.
Yes, I have noticed this. When my mum was very ill in a nursing home after a stroke I was very anxious and upset, my blood pressure was up, but RLS was very much less during that time. And only last night I had a tummy issue and was in some distress and discomfort, guess what - no RLS!
I recently had a repeat endoscopy to see if my stomach ulcers had healed up 10 weeks after been discovered.
The first endoscopy back in the summer I had fentanyl and medazolam as sedation RL went down then 6 hours later crazy
So this time after the sedation drugs and procedure I asked my oxygen nose tubes be kept on for 2 hours and the anaesthetist and consultant agreed to try it - hardly any RL for about 6 days which has left me pondering again how the way we use oxygen affects us all.
I wonder if when we are sick our oxygen gets utilised differently like the body knows inherently what to do with it??
My RL has since ramped up again
What I’ve believed for some time and my garmin supports this is I have mild to moderate sleep apnea my oxygen regularly falls to 80% twice in the night but on the nights it doesn’t my symptoms are less the next day ….
I also think when you are sick your attention is diverted from the RL and the brain is so clever it gives you something else to worry about so it naturally dampens down the signals the work of the late Dr John Sarno who wrote the mind body prescription describes this theory well in his book.
This might be explaind by the fact that most people's diet changes when they're ill. If you notice this effect it suggests that you might find relief by not returning to your regular diet when you recover from your illness.
The RLS gets much worse for me when sick. I have to bump up the Bup and practically live in a hot bath for the duration. Takes about a week to get back to baseline
I've had the same, I normally get one night totally free of RLS right at at the start of a COVID infection, a couple of times before I've actually realised I have COVID. I also had it whenever I had a new type of COVID jab - if I had the same one again it seemed like my body recognised the strain and didn't react so strongly. It's happened 5 times to me now and those 5 nights are the ONLY nights in the last 5 years I've slept through unaided so it's a pretty clear connection.
I mentioned it to with the Neurologist I was seeing about my RLS and he wasn't surprised and suggested it was the body's reaction to infection which involves sequestering iron away in ferritin stores which means your ferritin goes up quite sharply (to avoid whatever is attacking you getting hold of the valuable iron). Why that should change your RLS for the better wasn't explained but it's well known that some people respond well to having their ferritin raised - maybe more gets to the brain? Interesting to see all these others with a similar experience.
There are also plenty of RLS sufferers who feel worse with COVID so as usual with RLS it's frustratingly variable, possibly depends on what your root cause is.
I had COVID for the first time nearly three weeks ago and also experienced no RLS initially, which was amazing as I’ve been struggling to reduce my pramipexole below1x 0.088mg tablet. Then as I started feeling better my RLS came back with a vengeance during the day as well as nighttime, I wondered if that was triggered by post COVID inflammation, especially as my gut was also affected. It’s all gradually settled down now and I’m getting some decent sleep again thank goodness
I have been hesitant to tell anyone but I have the same thing, if I’m sick it’s gone I broke my ribs and it was gone, so glad to hear I’m not the only one. Good luck
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