Thread: Restless leg syndrome

I have this! Mine usually goes away once I am relaxed enough. I don't know how badly you have it, but I have found that doing yoga before meditation helps me a lot. It might be worth a try.

But if you don't have time for that, then I don't know what to tell you. I found ways that worked for me to get around my unrelenting legs by experimenting with different things, you could try the same

Feel free to pm me if you want to discuss some more ideas of things you have tried or could try, I always like to hear new approaches and ideas that I haven't heard of before as well.

I am not a doctor, but I have a good friend of mine who has had the same issue and she reported that taking magnesium supplements (magnesium is a muscle relaxant) really helped with this problem.

I would recommend seeing a naturopath/herbalist first and trying something natural, and then if it still doesn't go away, then talk to your doctor.

Restless Leg Syndrome is caused by an iron deficiency in a certain part of the brain, according to research by Harvard University. It is due to poor uptake, not necessarily due to not getting enough iron in your diet. However, iron supplements help, even if your blood tests show that your iron level is not particularly low.

This is more anecdotal, but everyone I know, including myself, has eliminated RLS by going gluten-free. Every once in a while I refuse to believe being gluten free actually does anything and I go back to eating wheat, and within a few days the RLS is back. It's really pretty amazing. Try going gluten free for a month and see how it works for you. My own suspicion on this is that something about gluten in some people (many people) affects the lining of the intestinal tract such that iron is not as easily absorbed.

I always laughed at commercials for this disorder thinking that it was a joke, but I'm sorry that you're suffering from it.

Maybe you can do some exercise beforehand and get the excess energy out of your system so that you can be still for WILD and mediation sessions.

During my WILD attempt of this morning, which was finally REM free, I was conscious during almost all the 90 min process (which includes a 15 min WBTB), I observed a moving signal happening automatically every 20-40 seconds at my left ankle during what seamed to be NREM sleep stage 1 and maybe 2 (I also have a auditory hallucination specific to the stage 2)

I was feeling unpleasant sensations in my arms and legs and managed to stay perfectly still, but this particular electric and automatic signal in my left ankle seams very close to a light restless leg syndrome.

Scientists don't know very much about what are the reasons of this syndrome but they do agree that it is related to a trouble with dopamine regulation.
low Iron in blood can be one of the triggering factors, but it is a neuronal issue.
as I also am ADHD, it sounds logical that I can be affected by the restless leg syndrome because of the dysfunction of the dopamine release.

obviously, it makes WILD attempts more complicated.
the need for move seams more problematic while lying on the back.
in the other hand, lying on the side makes me fall asleep very fast.

That 's why I experiment with my programmable vibrating alarm, it helps me to stay aware while falling asleep.
need to make more tries by sleeping on my side rather than on my back (like I did this morning)

I used to joke about this until it happened to me. Infinite cramping and pain. The disorder found me when I was malnourished+sleepless+depressed+stressed. I got rid of it, thank god. Try to forget everything you had read on restless leg syndrome, don't think about it anymore. The more you think the worse it gets, the disorder has a psychological side to it. You need to forget about it to get rid of it. Make yourself believe there is no such thing as RLS and try to believe that the sensations are caused by some nutritional deficiency.

You are probably right, cause my symptoms where very stronger this night as I was aware of suffering from the RLS.
But if you tell to someone or to yourself not to imagine a pink elephant, guess what you will immediately see in you mind !
so last evening and this night I just noticed how obvious was the fact that I had this syndrome and that it explains how the hell I don't stop to move every night and even every day.
If I just ignore it (but now that I am aware of it, it's more difficult), I finish by falling asleep very fast.
But I will have to find a strategy to forget that I am one of those who suffer from RLS...

too bad for my WILD quest

You're not alone, I get this, too. I have had it for as long as I can remember. Fortunately, for me it is not every day. I find it happens to me when I have upset my rhythm in some way, like if recently I have skipped a lot of sleep, or gotten way too much, or if I was completely inactive for a while then suddenly did a lot of physical activity.

Long, sleepless plane rides are hell for me. I find I have to tap my legs incessantly for an hour or so to music, so as to not suddenly kick or jerk and disturb the passenger in front of me.

As far as I can tell when I google it, doctors still can't pinpoint what causes it--studies can only show possible correlations that you can consider. But they seem to agree it's a neurological thing--kinda strange that technically your legs are going crazy and it's "all in your head". All the same, it has real consequences; one night last week I didn't go to sleep until 3:30 because of it.

But I think in my opinion, the best thing one can do is to really have a consistent schedule for your body; it helps in a lot of areas. I.e., go to bed/wake up consistently at the same times every day, even on weekends, eat at similar times, do exercise at similar times, get plenty of water, and don't underestimate the usefulness of meditation and relaxation techniques. Beyond that, if that doesn't alleviate problems, find a good doctor and get their opinion.

Take a good multi-mineral supplement you will be ok in a week. It may be multi-vitamin including mineral.

I usually have shakey limbs when I eat a lot of sugar

RLS can be caused by SSRI antidepressants as well. Many years previous, I used to take sertraline. If I missed a dose, I could be guaranteed to have RLS that night. The only thing I found was to just roll with it. Get up and go for a run around the house until your legs are exhausted. Lying there waiting for it to go away never worked. If I could manage to tire out my legs, then I found it easy to fall asleep.
Of course, that only treated the symptoms. I hope you've had luck finding a cure, OP.