Tag Archives: restless legs

Restless Legs (Part 3) Natural and Medical Treatment

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We have been looking at the symptoms, triggers and lifestyle tips for the frustrating and mysterious sleep-disturbance condition restless leg syndrome (RLS) in our last coupe posts. For our last RLS feature, we will examine the natural and medical management options available to sufferers as the condition can adversely impact both sleep and quality of life if left unattended. While there is no cure for RLS as of now, there are many different symptoms management treatments to try. Different people experience success with different treatments or combinations thereof. Some of which include:


Alternative Remedies for RLS

There are multiple homeopathic and alternative treatment options available to try. Some of these are not scientifically backed or proven, but anecdotal evidence suggests effectiveness for many people so trying them out can’t hurt, hey?

  • This first one may sound strange – but thousands upon thousands of RLS sufferers have reported success with placing an unwrapped bar of soap in a sock and sleeping with it under the pillow or close to the legs. While there is no science available to back this remedy up, anecdotal evidence is strong (some health professionals suspect it has something to do with the magnesium content and ions).
  • Ask your doctor if vitamin D, C or E would be right for you to try, all of these have been associated with reducing RLS symptoms, but supplements can be dangerous for some people so check to see if they interact with your medications or conditions first. As your doctor (or one of ours!) about magnesium and calcium supplements as well.
  • Cold or hot compresses during peak symptom intensity may help ease symptoms.
  • Physiotherapy can help some people with their symptoms.
  • Homeopathic doctors often recommend 12c dilution of causticum for RLS. Be sure to always check with your doctor before trying any homeopathic treatment.
  • Massage can be an extremely effective treatment for RLS – especially before bedtime.
  • Relaxation tactics such as meditation can help chill out your system before bed.
  • Try topical OTC or herbal muscle creams or sprays to help relax the muscles.
  • Try drinking sleepy tea (with chamomile) before bed to help relax you.
  • Some sufferers report success with TENS machines (talk to your doctor first).

Medical Treatment Options

People with very extreme cases of RLS often find relief with certain prescribed medications that are usually used to help conditions with some similar symptoms as RLS such as Parkinson’s disease. Such medications include dopamine agents, benzodiazepines, anti-convulsing agents, or alpha2 agonists. Daily medications are usually reserved for RLS patients who do not respond to lifestyle or alternative treatment and who’s condition significantly impacts their sleep and overall quality of life.

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Lifestyle Tips To Help Restless Leg Syndrome

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RLS is a troublesome sleep-disrupting condition with neurological elements that causes the legs to involuntarily move, or causes strong urges to move the legs while at rest.

There is Still A Lot To Learn About RLS

It is still quite a mysterious condition to medical professionals, though it appears to often be associated with other chronic conditions such as heart disease, lung disease and arthritis. There is no known ‘cure’ for RLS, but there are many things that can be done to help manage the condition. We’ll take a look at lifestyle changes that can help reduce RLS symptoms in this post, and natural remedies plus medical management options in the following post.

Diverse Treatments For A Diverse Condition

While the condition affects everyone slightly differently, symptoms of RLS are usually extremely unpleasant and frustrating, and can impede quality of life if not controlled. There are various treatments for symptom management. Each person may require different treatments or combination thereof to manage their particular symptoms. These treatments can be medical, homeopathic or lifestyle-based.

Lifestyle Changes That May Help

  1. Take a hot bath nightly to help relax muscles. Try infusing it with lavender or chamomile bath salts for a more relaxing experience before bed.
  2. Keep your mind busy, especially when you are sitting still as symptoms often worsen at rest (busying the brain helps via distraction and also because it stimulates other areas of the brain which can redirect it from signaling pain or unpleasant sensations to your extremities).
  3. Get half an hour to an hour of daily exercise – studies show that moderate daily exercise can help RLS symptoms greatly (but don’t overdo it, vigorous exercise may actually negatively impact the condition).
  4. Try low impact, stretching-based exercise like yoga or tai chi to help control muscles and relieve symptoms. Yoga in particular has shown great promise in RLS management.
  5. Control stress – stress is a major trigger of RLS. Work to bring down your anxiety and stress with relaxation techniques. Check out our Stress Busters post for some good stress management tactics.
  6. Focus on sleeping well – get into a relaxing nightly routine. Some light reading before bed may help (not on blue-lit screens before bed), or have a nightly cuddle or backrub before slipping into the sheets around the same time every evening.
  7. Keep your feet warm – it appears RLS occurs more in people who often have cold feet (or poor circulation), so keep those feet warm in the nighttime with socks, slippers or extra blankets on the foot of the bed.
  8. Examine your diet – are you consuming foods that keep you awake? Try going for iron and magnesium rich foods instead of sugary, processed ones.
  9. Try to cut down your intake of caffeine, alcohol and nicotine as they have all been linked to worsening of RLS symptoms.
  10. Stretch it out – routine stretching can significantly help manage RLS. Try stretching the leg straight out and bending the toes back several times a day to help stretch the hamstrings. This can lessen Charlie horses and leg cramps that are often associated with RLS as well.
  11. Timing travel and other seated activities during times of the day when your symptoms are at their quietest can help make these activities easier. Make sure to take plenty of standing, walking and stretching breaks when you have to be seated for long periods of time.
  12. Try keeping a symptom diary to track when your RLS is at its worst to see if there is a correlation between your symptoms and temperature, certain foods or certain activities.

Keep an eye out for our post on home remedies, alternative treatment and medical options for RLS next time! Thanks for visiting DocChat!