How to prevent restless legs syndrome (RLS)

Video: Restless Legs Syndrome Relief (RLS) - Ask Doctor Jo

Content

Steps
Tips
Warnings
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About one in six people suffer from restless legs syndrome, especially in people in their 50s. Restless legs syndrome (also known as RLS) causes discomfort in the legs, including chills, tingling, pain, tickling, and tired or heavy legs , as well as the desire to move the legs while sitting or lying in bed. Even in sleep, a person can unconsciously move their legs in response to the effects of the syndrome, which prevents the person from sleeping well. Sometimes these people find it difficult to walk. Prevention of this disease focuses on the risk factors that can influence the development of the disease, although the exact cause of its occurrence is still not known. There are several factors that predispose a person to this disease, some of which depend on genetics, gender and age. This article looks at ways to help prevent restless legs syndrome.

Steps

1 Note that there are some things that can predispose or increase your risk of getting restless legs syndrome (RLS). It is not absolutely necessary that you get RLS if you have these symptoms, but be aware of this possibility if you feel strange sensations in your legs and the presence of risk factors (talk to your doctor about your problems):
- Ask if any of your close family members have this syndrome. If someone in your family suffers from Restless Legs Syndrome, your chances of getting this sore increase, as can be seen in many families.
- Be more vigilant if you experience strange sensations in your legs and you are above average. This syndrome is most common in middle-aged women, although it can also occur in men, and sometimes symptoms can appear late in pregnancy.
- You have iron deficiency, anemia, varicose veins, diabetes, or lung disease.
- You are a smoker, take antidepressants, drink alcohol or a lot of caffeine. Many drugs can be problematic, including anti-psychotic drugs, anti-nausea drugs, antidepressants that increase serotonin, and some cold and allergy drugs that contain antihistamines.
- Being overweight or obese.
2 More activity! A sedentary lifestyle is conducive to RLS. Include plenty of exercise in your daily routine, but start gradually, especially if you haven't done it for a while. The types of exercise that do not require a lot of energy will be most acceptable. Try swimming, cycling, walking, running, gym work, yoga, and more. Do not overload yourself with sports, do it in a measured way, but do not use it as an excuse to quit everything, in the end, sports will make you feel better.
- Walk at a brisk pace four times a week for 30 minutes at a time.This will help reduce your risk of RLS in just a few months.
- Intense leg workouts can help. Try a week of intense daily leg exercise for about 20 to 30 minutes. Cycling or brisk walking is great.
- Swimming is a very reliable way to stretch your leg muscles, especially if other types of exercise make you have spasms when you stretch.
- If you experience RLS symptoms, get up and take a walk. For some people, just moving around may be enough to suppress the strange sensations and calm their legs.
- Yoga poses that contract the muscles in the thighs, stretch the calves, hamstrings, and glutes, or flex the solar plexus and pelvis are also helpful. If you cannot sleep because of RLS, you need to get up and do gentle forward and backward bends, back turns, squats and fighting lunges, but all this is combined with slow and measured breathing.
3 Increase your intake of vitamins and minerals. The best source of most vitamins and minerals will be food, so try to improve your diet before resorting to supplements. But in some cases, supplements can give you the boost you need to be healthy. It is important to talk to your doctor about low vitamin levels and determine which ones are needed for your diet, but essential vitamins and minerals required to prevent RLS include:
- Increase your iron intake if your doctor has confirmed that you don't have enough iron in your diet. Only taking iron supplements is possible only on the recommendation of a doctor, since for most men and women after menopause, additional iron in the body is contraindicated. Use dietary sources of iron and hemo-iron, including oysters, shellfish, lean red meat, dark poultry and fish, and non-hemo-iron - eggs, dairy products, spinach, beans, etc.
- Eat More Foods That Are Rich in Magnesium, Vitamin E, and Folic Acid Magnesium supplements have been shown to help some RLS patients, so it's recommended to take 800 mg of magnesium oxide at bedtime. Note that not all studies have shown a favorable ratio between vitamin E, calcium, potassium, sodium chloride (salt), and RLS. However, in a broader health perspective, they cannot hurt, so increase your dietary consumption of foods containing vitamin E, potassium and calcium, but do not overdo it with salts!
- Increasing your vitamin B intake. The B vitamin group is important for the normal functioning of the nervous system and may be beneficial for RLS. Vitamin B is highly water soluble, so supplements are safe for most people and any excess is removed in the urine.
4 Drink plenty of water. Maintaining proper water balance in the body and meeting your water needs can help reduce RLS. The amount of water you need per day to keep your body hydrated depends on your personal needs and health. Read How to Love the Taste of Water for more information on getting enough water for your body.
5 Eat less sugar and high fructose syrup. Be sure to read labels and choose foods with natural sugar or no sugar at all. Choosing fresh fruits, vegetables, and organic fruit juices (no added sweeteners) is the best health option in your daily meal. In general, a healthier diet offers a lighter option for RLS sufferers, but remember that eating too much sugar leads to many diseases in a person, so the less sugar you eat the better.
6 Reduce your caffeine intake. Caffeine promotes RLS and a number of other health problems, so by minimizing your daily caffeine intake you are on the right track to your health.Caffeine is found primarily in coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, and energy drinks.
- Don't forget medications that contain caffeine. Take them out of your first aid kit. Avoid any stimulant, be it medications or drugs.
7 Stop smoking. You know, there are many good reasons to do this, and preventing RLS is another one.>
8 Stop drinking alcohol. Alcohol makes RLS worse, so try to reduce your intake and avoid drinking it in the evening.
9 Sleep better. Getting enough sleep is essential for good health. When was the last time you went to bed at a reasonable time every night for a week? Few of us can name such a week in our busy life and this is the main reason for the deterioration of health, because we do not give the body enough time to rest.
- Introduce regular bedtime and sleep times into your life schedule. Stick to this schedule until it becomes a habit that you don't break. When you are rested, your body will soon begin paying dividends with more energy and reduce RLS symptoms.
- Try massaging some areas of your legs before bed. It can help your legs relax and release tension pain. The calf muscles are considered to be a good target site.
- Cover your legs when you go to bed. Some researchers have noted a link between cold feet in bed and RLS. This is a great excuse to wear very cozy socks for your bed!
- Do not fill the bedding too tightly. If your feet and toes feel a lot of pressure in bed, your toes may bend, which in turn leads to a contraction of the calf muscle and spasms.
- When lying in bed, lift your legs up, higher than your torso. This can help.
10 Reduce your stress levels. Tense people are more prone to RLS. Find a way to relieve stress and don't let it dominate your life. Getting stressed is an overreaction to everyday events, when your body and mind have chosen how to react to what they see, leaving you in a state of constant anxiety and flight or in flight mode. You need to make a shift in your thinking about everyday problems (see them as manageable, not overwhelming) and increase your personal resistance, which can help you release stress over time.
- Check out some good books on stress management. There is a large selection in libraries, bookstores and on the Internet. If you are employed, ask your employer to fund your participation in a stress management workshop. A happy employee is more productive!
- Try relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, tai chi, and so on. Yoga, tai chi, and Pilates can all come in handy because they teach you how to relax and stretch. This is exactly what you can use for troubling feet.
11 Soften the floor. Hard floors in your home can damage your feet, legs, knees and back due to the constant shock of walking. Do not walk on hard floors with bare feet, always wear slippers or closed shoes when cleaning the apartment or just walking (for example, playing your Wii). On the other hand, if you like to walk with bare feet, place carpeting or large rugs where you are most likely to stand (for example, when you are cooking or watching children in the bathroom, etc.).
- Some special mats have a gel layer that makes standing very comfortable. If you are comfortable standing, RLS symptoms will ease, and for two reasons: first, it reduces stress levels, and second, it provides better support and circulation.
12 Make sure you are wearing the correct shoes. You can injure your feet if you wear uncomfortable shoes or walk barefoot on hard things.See a foot specialist to help you determine if your injured feet are causing RLS. Your specialist will advise you on the steps you need to take to get out of the situation.
- You can buy special insoles for your feet, which are sold in many shoe stores. Wearing them inside shoes will help support your feet and may help relieve RLS symptoms.

Tips

Acupuncture helps many patients to get rid of restless legs syndrome.
Talk to your doctor about your condition, especially if it interferes with your daily routine or interferes with sleep.
Learn about the history of RLS in your family. Most often, RLS is a hereditary disease that is passed down through the generation, so if your grandparents had it, then you may have it. By studying your family history, you can predict the likelihood of whether you will have RLS.
Most of the advice will reduce the spectrum of possibilities for RLS and restore balance to your body, which in itself is a good thing for long-term health.
Use lukewarm water to steam your feet. This may provide some relief, as Epsom salt contains magnesium sulfate and magnesium helps in muscle relaxation.
RLS sufferers are a fairly large community, much more than you think! If your RLS is serious, you can find comfort in support groups.
A warm or cold bath, hot or cold compress / bottle, or other source of temperature changes can relieve RLS symptoms. Even alternating hot and cold water can help. Massage and acupuncture also help some RLS sufferers.
Some say that they are helped by a bar of soap under their feet when you are in bed. Even if it acts like a placebo - that's good! Just remember that there is no scientific basis for this.
If you are traveling by plane, try to get an aisle seat. This will allow you to stretch your legs more if needed.
Take valerian root for good sleep. This helps some people with RLS.
The longer your daily walks, the more they will tire your body and create a fertile ground for sleep.

Warnings

If your symptoms do not improve or get worse, see your doctor. Do not self-medicate in the hope that the disease will go away. After all, these could be hidden symptoms of something more serious.
Iron tablets can be poisoned. Just 3 adult tablets can poison a child. Do not take iron tablets without the knowledge of your doctor, and if you miss one tablet, never double your next dose to catch up.