I remember a dialogue from the famous sci-fi movie Blade Runner, “Nothing is worse than an itch you can never scratch.” You may not understand the saying completely though the ones suffering from Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) surely do. RLS is neurological disorder that creates an irresistible urge in the patient to move his legs. The symptoms include tickling, feeling of itching, or crawling. Although scientists and doctors still haven’t inferred the cause of this disorder there are number of things you can do on your part to help your situation.
Don’t resist the sensation
You sleep might be interrupted at night due to the disorder though you need not fight your sensations. Getting up and walking around the house or giving in to the desire to scratch your legs or feet will rid you of these sensations. It provides the momentary relief and you can get back to the bed.
Relax your muscles
RLS may be attributed to the tension in the muscles. Relaxing your muscles is the best way to rid you of such tensions. The best way to do so is to take a warm bath and massage your legs and feet.
Light Exercises
The disorder is attributed to people with a lazy life style and those who are fat are more likely to fall prey to it. Getting up early and taking a jog can be of great help. Some other good exercises include swimming and cycling. Such exercises help you to improve blood circulation throughout the body, though you must avoid over-stressing your legs.
Take vitamin and mineral rich food
There have been cases where RLS has been cured by adding increasing magnesium, iron and vitamins. Besides the supplements that the doctor recommends you nothing beats the natural sources of vitamins and minerals in your diet. Add more spinach, beans, oysters and other rich sources of vitamins to your diet.
Avoid caffeine and alcohol
Caffeine and alcohol are known to interfere with the nervous system. High intake of these items is not going to help your cause and you should rather give up them to give yourself a chance to live a more relaxed life. Avoid their intake especially before going to bed as they are likely to interfere with your sleep and inducing the symptoms of RLS more often.
Understand your medication
Different type of drugs can interfere with your condition. Antidepressant and antipsychotic drugs may aggravate your condition. In case you need them for certain try to minimize their intake.
Stretch your legs before sleeping
Stretching your legs gives your calves, hamstrings and gluteal the right exercise before you go to bed. This may help you getting more undisturbed sleeps at night.
It is important to understand your body and infer as to what works for you and what not. Living with RLs can be a challenging task but tweaking your lifestyle to some extent can help you overcome the disorder.
