Restless Leg Syndrome – Sleep and Suffering From RLS Symptoms
If you suffer from restless leg syndrome, you know how hard it can be to get a good night of sleep. Tingling, twitching and jerking legs can make falling asleep and staying asleep really tough. Then if you do manage to fall asleep, you might find that you’re awakened with the same symptoms in the middle of the night. If you have Restless Legs Syndrome, you have a sleeping disorder, but you should know that there are a few things which you can do that might help you to alleviate some of your symptoms and get a good night of sleep.
Exercise and Your Restless Leg Syndrome Symptoms
Research shows that long periods of inactivity can cause your Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms to increase. One of the best defenses against your symptoms is to get plenty of exercise where you’re moving your legs. This has been found to be especially true if you choose cardio exercise which gets your blood pumping and helps to improve your overall circulation in your body.
Plus, it is thought that when you stimulate the legs in your muscles, they help to support your blood vessels, so this can prevent damage to them and your nerve endings.
Watch What You Eat
You should always watch what you eat and maintain a healthy diet, but if you eat sugary foods immediately before you go to bed, you can cause an imbalance in your sugar levels, which can cause you to suffer from more RLS symptoms than you would ordinarily, so make sure to save the sugary snacks for during the day and see if you don’t get a better night of sleep.
The same goes for caffeine. Remember there is caffeine in chocolate, so if you eat chocolate before bed, you are doing yourself a double disservice by making it more difficult to fall asleep and adding the sugar to your body. Try to cut out most caffeinated beverages, such as coffee, tea and colas around mid afternoon so that your body will be ready when it’s time for you to go to bed.
Avoid heavy meals right before you go to bed because this can also give you the added disadvantage of stomach troubles, which might also make it more difficult to get to sleep.
In addition to watching what you eat and getting plenty of regular exercise, there are supplements that you should consider taking when working to deal with your Restless Legs Syndrome and the sleeplessness it causes you. One is a natural supplement, Restulex.
B vitamins, vitamin C, magnesium and iron can all affect how bad your restless legs symptoms are, so consider at least taking a daily multi-vitamin and improving your overall diet so you incorporate more of these vitamins and minerals in your body.
It might also be helpful for you if you notice that you do have symptoms to try making some changes to nightly routines. For instance, some people report suffering from RLS symptoms more if their legs are too warm. In this case, it might be a good idea to apply a cooling lotion to the legs before bed time and avoid sitting in a hot bath for too long. Other people report that if the skin on their feet feels too dry, it makes them tingle more. Lotions with peppermint are great for the whole leg and foot area, so if you find this is a problem, a cooling lotion might do the trick for you.
Also, some people report that their legs become twitchier when they lie down, particularly on the back. Remember that you are putting pressure on your legs when you lay this way, so consider another sleeping position that doesn’t rest so heavily on your legs.
You can help to ease your Restless Legs Syndrome symptoms and get the sleep you need, but a little bit of trial and error might be in order.



