restless leg syndrome: know the triggers that wreck your rest

I’ve got an interesting read for you today about RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME!  I personally suffered through this for the last few months of my pregnancy and it was just awful.  While it occurs in many pregnancies, this syndrome isn’t pregnancy specific and can effect anyone. 

If you’re suffering from RLS or know someone who does, read below to see how you can cope! 

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You have restless leg syndrome (RLS).  It’s unpleasant, but you deal with it.  But, do you have to?  While many medications are out there that can help, they all come with a side of side-effects.  You don’t want that.  Fortunately, there are some natural ways to deal with the disorder that may even help you live a normal life and completely resolve the issue.

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Reboot Your Diet

It might be time to start a new diet that promotes good health.  While it might seem far-fetched, there are many ways in which a good diet can help improve RLS.  For example, if your diet is low in magnesium, adopt a diet that improves this vital mineral.  Why?  Because magnesium is used for over 300 different processes in the body, one of which being nerves – which is a suspected cause of RLS.

Sources of magnesium are green, leafy vegetables, root vegetables, and legumes like beans.  Surprisingly, dark chocolate (85 percent cocoa or higher) is rich in magnesium.  Even so, you may need to supplement because many adults need anywhere between 300 and 500 mg of this vital mineral.  Some people need more, depending on how efficiently their body absorbs it.

Another change you can make is to eat more iron.  Iron is oddly deficient in some diets, like vegan and vegetarian diets.  Even if you eat a lot of plant-based iron, it may not be absorbed properly.  That’s because the body prefers heme iron – which is only found in animal flesh.  If you are iron deficient, you’ll also need vitamin C, because vitamin C helps with the absorption of iron from both plant and animal sources.

Reboot Your Lifestyle

Get out there and be more active.  But, don’t over do it.  According to Irving Asher, MD of the University of Missouri Health System, “People who have RLS function best with the same amount of activity daily.”  So, if you do ramp up your activity, do so slowly.

That means don’t start training for a marathon if you’ve never jogged a day in your life before now.  At the same time, don’t be afraid to start jogging and don’t be afraid to get in the gym and lift weights.

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Another thing you can do is reduce your consumption of caffeine.  Giving up coffee is hard for most people – sacrilege even.  But, coffee may be too stimulating for you to handle in the evenings (ditto with chocolate, which contains theobromine – a substance that mimics caffeine).

Finally, avoid alcohol. If you suffer from substance abuse, get help immediately. Don’t want to go through the 12 steps? Sites like non12step-drugrehabs.org are filled with programs that use alternative methods that are both cognitive-based and physical-therapy based.

Stretch Before Bed

Stretching before bed can be like scratching an itch.  It can help you settle down and relieve tension from the day.  It may not cure you, but it might help you unwind and feel good.

Look At Nutritional Deficiencies

Getting non-IgE food sensitivity tests can uncover a lot of food sensitivities.  What are food sensitivities?  They’re immune reactions to foods that you eat that are not outright allergies. Instead, they are delayed hypersensitivities.

Reducing inflammation may lead to a beneficial cascade that ultimate resolves or greatly improves RLS symptoms.  It’s worth a try and you may just end up getting other benefits from it too, like weight loss and a general improvement in your overall mood.

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Steve Tucker’s research into neurological issues has resulted in many insights.  With a great love of helping people deal with health issues, he often blogs about his research and experience to help others take control of their health with knowledge and suggestions for treatment.  Follow Steve on Twitter.

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QUESTION:  Have you ever suffered from RLS?  Any other ways of coping?

splendid…lindsay