Hi, I have never posted before. I wrote the following quite a while back and chickened out on posting after seeing all the different medications and surgeries etc. people have gone through.
I feel compelled to post this though, because I suffered another night of RLS recently after stupidly being so tired I put my feet up on the armrest of my couch while watching TV and not remembering why I shouldn't be doing this. I suffered enormously for about 4 hours later that night (and yawned uncontrollably for hours for the lack of oxygen) and suddenly remembered how debilitating RLS is, and have found the document I wrote a few years ago and have been meaning to find a place to post it.
I found this message board.
Please read this, and I pray this even helps one person, but honestly -- I hope it helps everyone.
My heart goes out to everyone suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome and also to the significant others of those with the problem. I know the sleep deprivation of this disorder affects both parties.
I used to suffer from restless leg syndrome. At one point in time, several years ago, I suffered nightly for about 5 months straight, with little or no relief. Then, I hit upon the answer for me and I truly believe for many (all) who suffer from this disorder – without drugs.
I am writing this because I really hope I can help others that are suffering because I remember how horrible it was for that period of time and how desperate I was becoming with the sleep deprivation and endless hours getting out of bed and pacing the floors and doing exercises to relieve the restless leg symptoms.
I had restless leg syndrome on rare occasions throughout my life until a 5 month period about 3 or 4 years ago. During that period of time, I suddenly had nightly occurrences that were absolutely horrendous. I would go to bed, sleep approximately 2 hours very well, and then wake up with the absolutely irresistable urge to get up and move my legs.
Remaining lying in bed was impossible!
I would get up and pace the floors, jog in place, kick my legs in the air etc. etc. While I was doing this, the feeling would be alleviated. BUT if and when I attempted to lay back down the feeling would return immediately.
At one point during this 5 month period, I had to go out of town for my job, and stay in a motel overnight with another woman sharing my room. I decided I better warn her that I would be getting up in middle of night and pacing the floor by my bed, but I promised to try not to disturb her and I would be as quiet as possible. Mysteriously, it was my best night in months – I did not wake up and did not have restless night syndrome. The next night when I got back home my restless leg syndrome recurred however.
A few months later, I went to visit my brother and he is into hiking. We hiked each day and I fell into a deep sleep each night but a few hours later I would wake up with the horrible symptoms again and start pacing and/or exercising to alleviate them. He and I both have a “Select Comfort” bed, where you can dial the firmness of the mattress, and he gave up his room to me and he slept on the couch in his living room while I visited him.
Now please believe me when I say, I am not meaing this to be a Select Comfort advertisement in any way. However, I do need to explain how I figured out what was causing my problem and the dialing of the firmness of the mattress is key to my discovering what was causing my restless leg syndrome.
About the third of the five days I was visiting him, my back was very sore from the continuous hiking. I decided to dial up the firmness of the bed to give a little more support to my aching back. I can’t even tell you if it helped my back, but to my amazement for only the second time in 5 months I did not have restless leg syndrome! His bed was at “45”, (I remembered I had mine set at 50 at my house) and I dialed his up to “55”, and I slept the entire night through! And the next two nights were the same amazing phenomena! I came home from the trip as well rested as I had been in half a year. And rushed straight to my Select Comfort bed to raise the firmness as I had my brother’s bed. When I saw, due to a power outage my Select Comfort bed was at the very lowest firmness possible in my household anyway – at 35. I believe the power outage had occurred about 5 months prior during a lightning/thunder storm and I had never noticed my bed had deflated. The difference can be imperceptible – except to my restless legs! I upped my side of the bed to 55, and for the first time in 5 months had a wonderful night sleep in my own bed.
It was then that I realized what was causing my restless leg syndrome. Poor circulation in the legs by sleeping on a soft mattress where my hips were lower than my feet. It felt very comfortable, yes, but it would cause me to wake up with excruciating discomfort. Once I elevated my hips to be level with my feet -- the restless leg syndrome disappeared!!
I cannot begin to tell you the difference this made in my life! To begin a day not sleep deprived from pacing the floors for hours was sheer heaven!
On rare occasions afterwards I would (and still do) experience restless leg syndrome. I have thought back on the circumstances and realized that for example: before bed I laid on our old couch which was a little saggy in the middle while watching TV. I would get up and go to bed and immediately upon getting in bed I would have the horrendous symptoms that would last hours. I realized I couldn’t lay on that couch more than a few minutes or I would pay for it later. We finally replaced that couch and got a new couch that has recliners on both ends. My husband is able to use those recliners, but honestly, I get restless leg syndrome from just looking at them, because his feet are way higher than his hips when he has the recliner up. But the couch itself is very firm and I am able to lay on it and still go to bed without waking up later suffering.
From all this I am just saying, please examine anytime you are in a situation where your hips are lower than your knees and feet. And think Blood Circulation to the deep tissues in your legs. Consider gravity and make sure that your entire legs are getting good blood circulation.
The medications they have developed for restless leg syndrome, just try to deaden the symptoms in your legs. However, those symptoms are there for a reason. Your legs are crying for more oxygen in the deep tissues. The medications by no means address the real problem – lack of blood flow and oxygen to the legs! Make sure your evening and night time positioning is allowing good blood flow. That is first and foremost.
In addition make sure you have adequate iron and B vitamins in your blood – they carry the oxygen.
Examine whether your restless leg syndrome occurs after a few hours of sleep. I believe the problem is your mattress.
If the restless symptoms arise immediately or shortly after going to bed before even falling asleep – it may well be your couch/recliner. I’ve even realized there’s a certain type of couch that I can’t even sit on, let alone lie down on -- where the seat is very soft, but the knee area is very high and firm, and would lead me to me having RLS very quickly.
Keep the blood flow to your legs and feet maximized in the evening and during the night with your mattress and your couches/ recliners etc. and you will sleep well!!!
I feel compelled to post this though, because I suffered another night of RLS recently after stupidly being so tired I put my feet up on the armrest of my couch while watching TV and not remembering why I shouldn't be doing this. I suffered enormously for about 4 hours later that night (and yawned uncontrollably for hours for the lack of oxygen) and suddenly remembered how debilitating RLS is, and have found the document I wrote a few years ago and have been meaning to find a place to post it.
I found this message board.
Please read this, and I pray this even helps one person, but honestly -- I hope it helps everyone.
My heart goes out to everyone suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome and also to the significant others of those with the problem. I know the sleep deprivation of this disorder affects both parties.
I used to suffer from restless leg syndrome. At one point in time, several years ago, I suffered nightly for about 5 months straight, with little or no relief. Then, I hit upon the answer for me and I truly believe for many (all) who suffer from this disorder – without drugs.
I am writing this because I really hope I can help others that are suffering because I remember how horrible it was for that period of time and how desperate I was becoming with the sleep deprivation and endless hours getting out of bed and pacing the floors and doing exercises to relieve the restless leg symptoms.
I had restless leg syndrome on rare occasions throughout my life until a 5 month period about 3 or 4 years ago. During that period of time, I suddenly had nightly occurrences that were absolutely horrendous. I would go to bed, sleep approximately 2 hours very well, and then wake up with the absolutely irresistable urge to get up and move my legs.
Remaining lying in bed was impossible!
I would get up and pace the floors, jog in place, kick my legs in the air etc. etc. While I was doing this, the feeling would be alleviated. BUT if and when I attempted to lay back down the feeling would return immediately.
At one point during this 5 month period, I had to go out of town for my job, and stay in a motel overnight with another woman sharing my room. I decided I better warn her that I would be getting up in middle of night and pacing the floor by my bed, but I promised to try not to disturb her and I would be as quiet as possible. Mysteriously, it was my best night in months – I did not wake up and did not have restless night syndrome. The next night when I got back home my restless leg syndrome recurred however.
A few months later, I went to visit my brother and he is into hiking. We hiked each day and I fell into a deep sleep each night but a few hours later I would wake up with the horrible symptoms again and start pacing and/or exercising to alleviate them. He and I both have a “Select Comfort” bed, where you can dial the firmness of the mattress, and he gave up his room to me and he slept on the couch in his living room while I visited him.
Now please believe me when I say, I am not meaing this to be a Select Comfort advertisement in any way. However, I do need to explain how I figured out what was causing my problem and the dialing of the firmness of the mattress is key to my discovering what was causing my restless leg syndrome.
About the third of the five days I was visiting him, my back was very sore from the continuous hiking. I decided to dial up the firmness of the bed to give a little more support to my aching back. I can’t even tell you if it helped my back, but to my amazement for only the second time in 5 months I did not have restless leg syndrome! His bed was at “45”, (I remembered I had mine set at 50 at my house) and I dialed his up to “55”, and I slept the entire night through! And the next two nights were the same amazing phenomena! I came home from the trip as well rested as I had been in half a year. And rushed straight to my Select Comfort bed to raise the firmness as I had my brother’s bed. When I saw, due to a power outage my Select Comfort bed was at the very lowest firmness possible in my household anyway – at 35. I believe the power outage had occurred about 5 months prior during a lightning/thunder storm and I had never noticed my bed had deflated. The difference can be imperceptible – except to my restless legs! I upped my side of the bed to 55, and for the first time in 5 months had a wonderful night sleep in my own bed.
It was then that I realized what was causing my restless leg syndrome. Poor circulation in the legs by sleeping on a soft mattress where my hips were lower than my feet. It felt very comfortable, yes, but it would cause me to wake up with excruciating discomfort. Once I elevated my hips to be level with my feet -- the restless leg syndrome disappeared!!
I cannot begin to tell you the difference this made in my life! To begin a day not sleep deprived from pacing the floors for hours was sheer heaven!
On rare occasions afterwards I would (and still do) experience restless leg syndrome. I have thought back on the circumstances and realized that for example: before bed I laid on our old couch which was a little saggy in the middle while watching TV. I would get up and go to bed and immediately upon getting in bed I would have the horrendous symptoms that would last hours. I realized I couldn’t lay on that couch more than a few minutes or I would pay for it later. We finally replaced that couch and got a new couch that has recliners on both ends. My husband is able to use those recliners, but honestly, I get restless leg syndrome from just looking at them, because his feet are way higher than his hips when he has the recliner up. But the couch itself is very firm and I am able to lay on it and still go to bed without waking up later suffering.
From all this I am just saying, please examine anytime you are in a situation where your hips are lower than your knees and feet. And think Blood Circulation to the deep tissues in your legs. Consider gravity and make sure that your entire legs are getting good blood circulation.
The medications they have developed for restless leg syndrome, just try to deaden the symptoms in your legs. However, those symptoms are there for a reason. Your legs are crying for more oxygen in the deep tissues. The medications by no means address the real problem – lack of blood flow and oxygen to the legs! Make sure your evening and night time positioning is allowing good blood flow. That is first and foremost.
In addition make sure you have adequate iron and B vitamins in your blood – they carry the oxygen.
Examine whether your restless leg syndrome occurs after a few hours of sleep. I believe the problem is your mattress.
If the restless symptoms arise immediately or shortly after going to bed before even falling asleep – it may well be your couch/recliner. I’ve even realized there’s a certain type of couch that I can’t even sit on, let alone lie down on -- where the seat is very soft, but the knee area is very high and firm, and would lead me to me having RLS very quickly.
Keep the blood flow to your legs and feet maximized in the evening and during the night with your mattress and your couches/ recliners etc. and you will sleep well!!!
This was the answer for me
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