Restless legs

Marlet · 11-05-2009, 03:19 AM

Anyone else in as much pain as I am?

I googled it one night to see what I could do about it and aside from "stretching" and constant movement there isn't anything really.

I did read that if you had/have growing pains you are more likely to have RLS. I had wicked growing pains growing up.

Anyone found any tricks to help relieve the pain a bit? I'm dying over here. It's 2:30 in the morning and I'm up playing soliaire and watching my legs buck every couple minutes or over flexing them on my own when they don't. I want to sleep. I'd like to actually. I'm sure it'd be beneficial to me.

However, I know if I lay down it's going to get so much worse. Thank heavens my kids are late sleepers!

ETA: Mine settles in above my knees it seems. Oddly enough, or maybe not, that's my "weak spot" on my legs. I sit cross legged almost all the time and sit on the floor a ton (with legs bent under me). My legs are not comfy in a straight position. As a result my knee area is generally sore. I think that makes it worse for me (mentally). I don't like my legs being straight and at night that seems to be the best for them.

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Brisen · 11-05-2009, 06:35 AM

I get restless legs. They're not painful for me, but the do drive me insane. I've found that calcium & magnesium helps (in liquid form seemed the best), and a bath with epsom salts before bed makes a big difference. Other than that, going to bed before I'm tired and weight on my leg (it's mostly my left) helps. I sleep on my left side & sometimes put a heavy blanket on my leg or stick it under dh for weight, or if I'm still up I sit with that leg folded under me.

I hope you find something that works!

AimeeandBrian · 11-05-2009, 12:06 PM

I have low iron and lots of Floradix has helped mine immensely. I think RLS is the worst part of pregnancy.

Marlet · 11-05-2009, 12:22 PM

I agree! With DD2 I got it but not until the last monthish (hard to remember but DH pointed out I did get it once we were back in this state and we moved back here about a month before she was born). This has been going for awhile now and I'm about to go crazy!

I forgot about calmag. I want to get some for other reasons too (helps with growing pains which DD1 gets pretty bad) so maybe I'll bump that up and see if it helps.

bethanyclaire · 11-05-2009, 01:15 PM

UGH! I HATE RLS! My mom gets it, too. When she was a kid she used to describe it to her parents as her legs feeling "ooly" and it plagued her all through her life. Strangely enough, I don't get it too badly in my legs but I get it HORRIBLY in my back. It is the exact same feeling and it is awful. Nothing like DP waking up at 3am and seeing me in a full back-bend on the bedroom floor... that really threw him for a loop the first time!

That said, I started getting it during this pregnancy and so I began a cal/mag/zinc supplement about 2 months ago and it has gone away totally. So have the leg cramps, which I usually have the whole time I'm pregnant. I am SO relieved! I take one pill at night with my normal prenatal and within a week the RLS and cramps had decreased and within 2 weeks they were GONE! I so wish I had known about that during my previous pregnancies! It has worked for me! Good luck!

TyrantOfTheWeek · 11-05-2009, 05:24 PM

OMG, I had this really bad in my last pregnancy.

NoCalMomOfTwo · 11-05-2009, 05:46 PM

Me too! I just ordered a Cal/Mag supplement too. While I'm waiting for it to get here I've been drinking warm milk at bedtime and then going to bed before I get too tired which seems to really aggravate it.

I ordered this stuff called Natural Calm that was recommended in a different thread for helping calm down contractions. Would be great if it helps the restless leg thing too! Didn't even occur to me!

carmel23 · 11-05-2009, 08:10 PM

this is super weird, but I've heard it works. Put an ordinary bar of soap under the top sheet (fitted sheet) on your bed when you go to sleep, kind of under the knees of your legs. I've heard it helps with the restless legs. hth

SilvanaRose · 11-05-2009, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NoCalMomOfTwo

Me too! I just ordered a Cal/Mag supplement too. While I'm waiting for it to get here I've been drinking warm milk at bedtime and then going to bed before I get too tired which seems to really aggravate it.

I ordered this stuff called Natural Calm that was recommended in a different thread for helping calm down contractions. Would be great if it helps the restless leg thing too! Didn't even occur to me!

Natural Calm is amazing stuff!!! I find I crave it when I am getting crampy. It totally relieves cramps, tight muscles, and is soooo nice to drink while in the bath right before bed. You sleep like a tranquilized baby lol. God I need to get more, I have been out for a few months.

~Kristina~ · 11-06-2009, 06:38 AM

I have RLS. Hot baths and Epsom salt have been working wonders for me lately.

Channelle · 11-06-2009, 08:47 AM

Oh I can't stand it! It takes me forever to go to sleep, if I can! it's normally my left ankle/foot, and I want to cut it off sometimes!

NoCalMomOfTwo · 11-06-2009, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilvanaRose

Natural Calm is amazing stuff!!! I find I crave it when I am getting crampy. It totally relieves cramps, tight muscles, and is soooo nice to drink while in the bath right before bed. You sleep like a tranquilized baby lol. God I need to get more, I have been out for a few months.

SilvanaRose, do you recall how much of it you take? Mine arrived yesterday and the directions say to do a 1/2 tsp to start, so that's what I did, but I'm thinking I would want more. Don't want to overdo it though and give myself diarrhea or anything

I think that's one of the things it "helps" with too, right? I meant, keeping you regular.