Sleep Disorders

Restless legs is a complaint suffered by mostly women and those of middle age. It can be really uncomfortable and cause you to lose a lot of sleep over it. The symptoms can be anything from a tingling or crawling sensation to a dull ache. Up to 15% of the population suffer from restless legs and many don’t seek medical advice.

Restless legs gets it’s name as the symptoms make you want to constantly move your legs in order to get relief. Causes of this very uncomfortable complaint can be due to hormones and this is why middle age women going through the menopause may suffer from restless legs.

Pregnancy especially the later stages of pregnancy can cause restless legs and up to a fifth of pregnant women suffer from it. This is another time in a women’s life when hormones are all over the place. However after the birth the hormones start to settle down again and the symptoms will probably disappear.

Restless legs can be caused by a lack of iron and a visit to your doctor will determine if you have anaemia. Taking an iron supplement will help and also make sure that you eat plenty of dark green vegetables as these are rich in iron.

Other causes of restless legs can be diabetes, kidney disease, arthritis, nerve damage and varicose veins. There are some things you can do to provide immediate relief including taking a warm bath before you go to bed, or applying cold compresses to your legs. You could also wear support stockings in bed as this may help prevent an attack.

Caffeine, alcohol and tobacco can aggravate restless legs. Cut back on caffeine and don’t drink any coffee or alcohol during the evening prior to going to bed. If you can’t give up smoking just cut down.

Eating a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables will help to manage the symptoms of restless legs as a lack of some vitamins including Vitamin A can aggravate the condition. Try taking Vitamin E and folic acid as well as this has been known to provide relief. Some sufferers of restless legs require a higher amount of folic acid than normal.

Exercise is very important as sitting down for long periods of time such as long haul flying or sitting in front of a computer all day without a break is very bad for the circulation. If you do fly long haul make sure that you get up and move around. Walk up and down the aisle a few times and try and do a few exercises sitting down in your seat.

Wearing support stockings may help. Don’t sit in front of a computer for more than an hour at a time. Take a break and move around for a few minutes doing a few stretching exercises.

Try going for a brisk walk late afternoon as this may not only help you to sleep better but also alleviate the symptoms. Some restless legs sufferers find that taking a warm bath or applying cold compresses to the legs helps.

Requip is a prescription medication that can be taken for restless legs. It can however have side effects such as drowsiness during the day, nausea and dizziness. It’s used to treat mild to moderate cases of restless legs and may not be suitable for everyone. Requip is a dopamine based drug and many sufferers of restless legs have low levels of dopamine.

There are other medications that your doctor may prescribe for restless legs including anticonvulsants if you suffer a lot of pain with the condition.Narcotics may also be prescribed but these can become addictive if taken for a long period.