Restless Legs Syndrome tends to happen in the evening or night time hours when you're sitting or lying in bed. Moving around eases the feeling temporarily but there are things you can do...
Restless legs are normally either a lack of circulation in the leg muscles which result in them twitching during the night in order to stimulate more blood flow or nerve supply problems. This generally originates from tension or damage to the lower back, which compromises the health of the bundle of nerves which travels from there out through the sciatic notch and down into the legs. It can be a combination of both these things.
Restless Legs symptoms:
- Pulling and jerking
- Feeling of an electric current
- Itching
- Aching
- Throbbing
- A feeling that something is crawling on your legs
People with low iron levels or anaemia may be prone to developing Restless Legs. Once iron levels or anaemia is corrected, patients may see a reduction in symptoms. Chronic diseases such as kidney failure, diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and peripheral neuropathy are associated with RLS. Treating the underlying condition often provides relief from RLS symptoms.
Some pregnant women experience restless legs, especially in their last trimester. For most of these women, symptoms usually disappear within four weeks after delivery.
Certain medications (such as anti-nausea drugs, anti-seizure drugs, anti-psychotic drugs, and some cold and allergy medications) may aggravate symptoms. Patients can talk with their physicians about the possibility of changing medications.
Suggestions
- Check any medications you are on for side effects
- Reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption
- Quit smoking
- Substitute coffee with chamomile tea and rosehips tea
- Get regular, daily exercise
- Baths with magnesium salts and essential oils
- Massage and hot packs on the lower back
- Yoga - try some yoga poses you can do in bed!
McDowells Product
Restless Legs Mix
The formula is aimed as nourishing the nervous system, and relaxing muscles. As well it will help to tension in the body in general. It contains herbs Mugwort, Nettle, Prickly Ash, Rue, St John's Wort, Valerian and Dr Bach™ Flowers; Oak and Vine.
Massage Oil
Magne
Warning: If you take anti-depressants you should not take formulas with Saint Johns wort unless under advice from your doctor or herbalist.
You should use massage and hot packs on the lower back and any deep heating massage oil containing at least wintergreen and rosemary oils, massaged into the leg muscles and lower back.
Cypress and Lemon Grass essential oil massage is a great supportive approach as well, and this will stimulate the circulation and reduce tension, improving the nerve signals as well.
As a herbalist, I provide a herbal formulation which, taken internally which will both improve the circulation, reduce the muscle tension and heal up the myelin sheath surrounding the nerve fibres travelling down the legs.
