Are restless legs keeping you awake? Simple steps for a better night’s sleep

Have you ever laid awake at night and tossed and turned… with a strange fidgety feeling in your legs? It feels like an uncontrollable urge to move your legs as if they’re full of energy, and your legs feel damned uncomfortable. Don’t worry – although it feels rather unusual and annoying, this condition is really quite common, affecting around 10% of us at some point in our lives. Thankfully, restless legs can be relatively easy to manage, so a better night’s sleep may not be too far away for you.
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is defined as a sleep disorder. It can feel like a real burden at night, creating a constant urge to move your legs and causing sensations that range from tingling and buzzing to a deep, achy discomfort. It can cause a crawling or creeping sensation in the feet, calves and thighs. However, this condition does not give you muscle cramps, so if you are experiencing this symptom, then it will be something other than RLS.
RLS tends to strike most when you’re trying to unwind in the evening or when you are settling down for the night, making it especially difficult to drift off to sleep. Poor sleep, in turn, affects everything from your energy levels and focus to your mood and overall well-being, leaving you feeling drained and out of sorts. Over time, it can even start to interfere with everyday life, work, and relationships, making it more important to find supportive ways to manage your busy legs.
It is thought that glitches in the neurotransmitter dopamine play a significant role in RLS as it influences smooth muscle function. Dopamine is the same neurotransmitter that helps us with motivation and focus and it is the neurotransmitter which can be disrupted if you have ADHD. In one study, RLS symptoms affected around 43% of children and 33% of adults living with ADHD. Do you know any ADHD’ers who have fidgety legs during the day too? Interestingly, dopamine agonists are the first-line medical intervention for RLS sufferers.
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Practical things you can do to relieve your RLS
But what can you do to help relax your legs, when they are on overdrive at night? There are some practical things to do if you are having a hard time getting to sleep and your overactive legs are bothering you.
Massaging your legs, especially deep massage, can really help to reduce the restlessness and irritability of RLS. The act of deep massage produces a heavy stimulus giving feeding back to the central nervous system. A warm bath with Epsom salts, a warm hot water bottles as well as cold and hot compresses can also help to relieve things.
Taking a walk can help (even though this is not that convenient in the middle of the night!) and even walking down and then up a flight of stairs my help.
Stretching really well, whether this is through yoga poses or simple calf and leg stretches can also ease symptoms if you simply can’t get to sleep.
Lifestyle and nutrition play a very important role in RLS and certain nutrient deficiencies are often involved with the onset of symptoms. Read on to discover the lifestyle and nutritional causes which can underpin RLS, and how you can address them to finally get a good night’s rest.
Lifestyle reasons why you might develop restless legs
Dietary triggers
There are some dietary habits that can aggravate RLS, like consuming too much caffeine and refined sugar, which overstimulate the nervous system. Avoid drinking caffeine after midday if you are an RLS sufferer. Drinking alcohol in the evening can also exacerbate the restless legs, so try a couple of weeks without drinking alcohol and see if things improve. Highly processed foods, laden with additives, may also have a disruptive effect on your wriggling legs. So keep these to a minimum, especially in the evening.
Medications
Some medicines have been implicated in the worsening of RLS and if you are taking any of the following then discuss the possible links with your GP or consultant: antidepressants, antipsychotics, antihistamines, beta-blockers and some blood pressure or heart medications. This is likely because many of these medications can block dopamine transmission.
Too much exercise
Exercising to much or too late in the evening can trigger restless legs. Try exercising in the morning and you may need to dial down the intensity of your exercise regime. You can plan ahead for a better night’s sleep and calmer legs by adopting activities such as swimming or yoga.
Nutrient shortfalls involved in RLS
Lack of iron
Iron is vital for dopamine production and regulation of dopamine within the brain and the spinal cord. Without enough iron to support the conversion of the amino acid tyrosine into dopamine, you might experience uncomfortable muscle sensations in your legs. You don’t need to be anaemic for this to happen and some people are more sensitive to shortfalls in their iron levels, especially if they are not naturally efficient at making dopamine. Some experts recommend that your ferritin levels (iron stores) in your blood are at least 75mcg/L to prevent restless legs.
Restless legs are more common when you are pregnant. Since a woman needs to watch her iron levels closely whilst she is pregnant, the onset of restless legs maybe a clue she needs to consume more iron.
Foods like red meat, dark leafy greens, and lentils are fantastic sources of iron. Pair these with vitamin C rich foods like bell peppers or citrus fruits to boost your absorption of iron.
Think vitamin B6
Some studies have found that vitamin B6, in the bioavailable P-5-P form (pyridoxal-5-phosphate), can help to support the nervous system and in turn restless legs. Several studies have found that vitamin B6 often works well when taken alongside magnesium, and this duo can help to calm down busy legs and increase sleep quality.
Foods like calves’ liver, salmon, chickpeas, poultry and bananas are excellent ways to incorporate more natural forms of vitamin B6 into your diet.
Mighty magnesium
Magnesium plays a vital role in calming the nervous system and relaxing your muscles, and anecdotally has given some people relief, especially if they are deficient in magnesium. Other symptoms of a magnesium deficiency are muscle cramps, twitches and tics as well as constipation.
If you think you need more magnesium, then incorporate magnesium-rich foods like nuts, seeds, avocados, and dark chocolate into your diet to boost your magnesium levels or consider taking a magnesium supplement in the evening to relax your legs.
Sunny vitamin D
Following findings that vitamin D deficiency is closely associated with restless legs, scientists have suggested that the immune supporting effects of vitamin D may help to protect against RLS – particularly in people who also live with autoimmune conditions like Multiple Sclerosis and Coeliac Disease. Vitamin D is also a natural steroid and since we have a vitamin D receptor in every cell in the body, including our legs, it is important to keep your vitamin D levels optimal.
Watch your vitamin D levels during the winter when the sun isn’t producing any vitamin D, and take supplements when the weather is grey or wet. You can increase your vitamin D levels through food by eating outdoor-reared meat, organic whole milk and oily fish, as well as some mushrooms.
Vitamin B12 & folate
Vitamin B12 and folate both play a vital role in the nervous system, which may explain why low levels of vitamin B12 and folate have been implicated in the onset of RLS. If you have low B12 you can develop neuropathy which is damage to your peripheral nerves and this in turn can result in tingling, numbness and pain in your legs or feet. One advanced indicator of restless legs is thought to be a vitamin B12 and folate deficiency, so it is important to have a blood test to check your levels of both of these vitamins.
Eggs, liver, fish, and meat are good sources of vitamin B12. Dairy products naturally contain some vitamin B12 and you should always take vitamin B12 supplements if you follow a plant-based diet or you do not eat many foods containing vitamin B12.
You can incorporate more folate into your diet through foliage such as green vegetables and dark salad leaves, as well as avocado, pulses, and eggs.
Round Up
Restless legs at night are not just an annoying sensation, but they can seriously disrupt your sleep. Thankfully, there are lots of lifestyle and nutritional strategies you can try to alleviate the symptoms. If you’re suffering from RLS and the tips above haven’t helped, then book in with our NatureDoc clinical team today – we’ll help you look for the culprit and get that good night’s sleep once and for all.
References
- Causes: Restless legs syndrome
- Restless legs syndrome: A community-based study of prevalence, severity, and risk factors
- Restless legs syndrome
- Lifestyle Factors and Risk of Restless Legs Syndrome: Prospective Cohort Study
- Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and restless leg syndrome across the lifespan: A systematic review and meta-analysis
- The treatment challenges of restless legs syndrome
- Are you missing this simple treatment for restless legs?
- Iron for the treatment of restless legs syndrome
- Dopamine and iron in the pathophysiology of restless legs syndrome (RLS)
- Iron supplementation for restless legs syndrome – A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Iron deficiency anaemia and restless legs syndrome: is there an electrophysiological abnormality?
- Restless legs syndrome: pathophysiology and the role of iron and folate
- Evidence-based and consensus clinical practice guidelines for the iron treatment of restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease in adults and children: an IRLSSG task force report
- Therapeutic effects of magnesium and vitamin B6 in alleviating the symptoms of restless legs syndrome: a randomized controlled clinical trial
- Magnesium Therapy for Periodic Leg Movements-related Insomnia and Restless Legs Syndrome: An Open Pilot Study
- Are serum vitamin D, calcium and phosphorous associated with restless leg syndrome? A systematic review and meta-analysis
- Vitamin D and Restless Legs Syndrome: A Review of Current Literature
- Analysis of Serum Vitamin D Level and Related Factors in Patients With Restless Legs Syndrome
- Possible association between vitamin B12 deficiency and restless legs syndrome
- Folate deficiency and neurological disorders in adults
- Restless Legs Syndrome as an Early Neurological Manifestation of Vitamin B12 Deficiency
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