bethben Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 I am not sleeping. I already have trouble sleeping, but my legs are achy and restless often. They wake me up and keep me up. I sleep with heating pads and wrap my lower legs probably too tight because that stops the achy restless feeling. I have a lot of stress that I am dealing with also (three kids with three different medical issues - some are just waiting, some are yelling for attention), and the lack of sleep is really kicking me to the curb. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemom Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Two things that helped with my RLS-I stopped drinking caffeine and eventually stopped eating gluten. Epsom salt baths at night may help if don't want to make the diet changes. The baths at night may also help you to sleep better. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 26, 2017 Author Share Posted October 26, 2017 I don't eat gluten any more and have started staying away from dairy. Caffeine will be a bit harder since I consider coffee my one treat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemom Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 I don't eat gluten any more and have started staying away from dairy. Caffeine will be a bit harder since I consider coffee my one treat. I will admit that I do really miss coffee. Especially this time of year when the mornings are crisp and cold. I've been debating about trying to find some GF decaf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 It's probably a magnesium deficiency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aura Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Extra magnesium helped me as well. Epsom salt baths, heavy blankets, heat pads and arnica oil are also things that helped temporarily, but magnesium helped the most long term. And (dare I say?) feng shui. Make sure there are no "pointed arrows" directed at your legs. It's worth rearranging your room or switching sides of the beds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosika Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 I get this when I'm pregnant. Epsom bath at bedtime, and added magnesium during the day (I add Natural Calm to a beverage at lunch), ... and ... if I wake up in the middle of the night, some satisfying sexercise usually relaxes me enough to sleep until morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 26, 2017 Author Share Posted October 26, 2017 I get this when I'm pregnant. Epsom bath at bedtime, and added magnesium during the day (I add Natural Calm to a beverage at lunch), ... and ... if I wake up in the middle of the night, some satisfying sexercise usually relaxes me enough to sleep until morning. Does it matter if the Natural Calm is at lunch or at bedtime? I actually have that supplement already. I took some last night - no help whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosika Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Does it matter if the Natural Calm is at lunch or at bedtime? I actually have that supplement already. I took some last night - no help whatsoever. I'm not sure if it matters, that's a good question. I know someone here will be able to answer it better than I can. I have to go off of my ADD meds when I'm pregnant, so my doctor has me on a slow-drip of caffeine throughout the afternoon. I usually add the Natural Calm to a soda pop and sip on it for several hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 My neurologist and dd19s sleep specialist both recommend having blood tests for ferritin and b12 checked for restless legs. DDs sleep specialist told us the other day that the new guideline for ferritin is over 70 but he (and my neurologist) both still recommend over 50. Both doctors told us to take an iron pill daily for 3 months to see if we had any benefit and then to repeat testing. The iron is the 325 strength that you can buy over the counter but have to get in the pharmacy. The iron on the vitamin shelf is too low. You can also order online. The both say that ferrous gluconate or ferrous sulfate are both fine. I don't remember the b12 guideline but it is easy to supplement since it is water soluble and very, very hard to take too much of. I buy sublingual and take either 1000iu or 5000iu daily. Sometimes I forget to take it and I pay the price after a week or two. I didn't realize how bad I was until I got relief and then stopped taking the meds again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 (edited) Does it matter if the Natural Calm is at lunch or at bedtime? I actually have that supplement already. I took some last night - no help whatsoever. I've been taking it about an hour before bedtime. Some nights it helps, some nights nothing helps. If it's a really bad night and I have something important to do in the morning I take a Xanax before bed. ETA: sometimes a weighted blanket helps when I'm having especially restless legs. Dh uses one for this purpose also. I've also started using it when my legs and arms feel weak and are in spasm. (MS related) It's been helping so much that I want to get a small weighted blanket to keep on the couch for my bad days. Edited October 26, 2017 by dsmith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 What are your iron levels? Low iron has been implicated in some leg issues at bed time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
City Mouse Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 My DS had "excessive leg movements" when asleep that were thought to be caused by low ferritin. His was at 14 when the doctor wanted at least 50. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scholastica Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Does it matter if the Natural Calm is at lunch or at bedtime? I actually have that supplement already. I took some last night - no help whatsoever. If you are extremely deficient, it can take a bit to work. Your body is so hungry for it. Keep taking it for a while, and see if it still doesn't work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acadie Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 Running and deep stretching help me, as do magnesium and decreasing caffeine. Could you switch to half caf, so you still enjoy it but the dose is lower? I love Peet's decaf. Sleeping on my stomach sometimes helps after I get up and stretch my calves and thighs. Amy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mominco Posted October 26, 2017 Share Posted October 26, 2017 What are your iron levels? Low iron has been implicated in some leg issues at bed time. Agree with Tammi and when did you get your D3 checked? Both of these could be an issue,did you change shoes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 26, 2017 Author Share Posted October 26, 2017 What are your iron levels? Low iron has been implicated in some leg issues at bed time. I have no idea. After reading replies here, I check my multi-vitamin that I thought contained iron and found out it has no iron in it. I have a Dr. appointment next week and can have her check my levels at that point. I've been taking it about an hour before bedtime. Some nights it helps, some nights nothing helps. If it's a really bad night and I have something important to do in the morning I take a Xanax before bed. I read about Vita-calm on their website. I have been mixing it wrong. I didn't realize that if I have it cold, I have to let it sit for 15 minutes to let it fully dissolve. I was gulping it down immediately. I will be trying this method for a while and see if it works better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bethben Posted October 27, 2017 Author Share Posted October 27, 2017 Agree with Tammi and when did you get your D3 checked? Both of these could be an issue,did you change shoes? My D3 is most likely good since I take D3 daily. It was in the very low levels when I moved here from Minnesota so I started supplementing at that time. I'm at a higher altitude so while I get more sun, the sun doesn't give as much D vitamins as it would at a lower altitude even though you burn faster. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 My neurologist and dd19s sleep specialist both recommend having blood tests for ferritin and b12 checked for restless legs. DDs sleep specialist told us the other day that the new guideline for ferritin is over 70 but he (and my neurologist) both still recommend over 50. Both doctors told us to take an iron pill daily for 3 months to see if we had any benefit and then to repeat testing. The iron is the 325 strength that you can buy over the counter but have to get in the pharmacy. The iron on the vitamin shelf is too low. You can also order online. The both say that ferrous gluconate or ferrous sulfate are both fine. I don't remember the b12 guideline but it is easy to supplement since it is water soluble and very, very hard to take too much of. I buy sublingual and take either 1000iu or 5000iu daily. Sometimes I forget to take it and I pay the price after a week or two. I didn't realize how bad I was until I got relief and then stopped taking the meds again. This... My sleep specialist also checked my ferritin levels - I think they were around 24 IIRC. Taking iron helped me tremendously. I also take magnesium with it. I take them both at night before bed. Magn. helps with restless leg but it also helps with the constipation caused by extra iron. My dr. recommended getting the iron shots if I couldn't get my levels up via OTC supplements. Thankfully, I haven't needed to do that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigs Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 A weighted blanket helped my restless legs as soon as I got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 A weighted blanket helped my restless legs as soon as I got it. This is my recommendation as well. Very helpful. My chiropractor suggests Min-Tran and I thought it helped: https://www.amazon.com/MIN-TRAN-330-TABLETS-GLUTEN-FREE/dp/B002D32O3S/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1509068487&sr=8-2&keywords=mintran If you haven't had your thyroid checked, I'd advise that. My legs were really achy when my thyroid levels were off. Lastly, I will mention that my restless leg was due to a blood pressure medication. It took several months after discontinuing the med for my legs to return to normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muttmomma Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 You might ask your doctor for a few weeks of gabapentin. It was the knot thing that helped my hubby, and we tried everything you could possibly imagine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HS Mom in NC Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 My youngest has had RLS since infancy. Over the counter iron was recommended by her ped because of it after blood tests showed she was low. Magnesium helps too for muscle pains. Together they work wonders. If you test low for iron it's important to test for B12 levels too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 I had this terribly when pregnant. Iron supplements cleared it up entirely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trulycrabby Posted October 27, 2017 Share Posted October 27, 2017 Iron, magnesium, and Tylenol. Tylenol works much better than nsaids for RLS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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