Restless Legs Blog

I think I might start keeping track of what I eat, the exercise and sleep I get and any unusual things I might do doing the week. I would like to have a little more hard data on what really brings on RLS for me and in doing so I might help others who suffer from RLS. I know when I stop paying attention, that is when I notice an onslaught of symptoms. Funny how that seems to apply to so many things in life. Just when you think you have conquered some bad habit or you have really licked your sweet tooth you stop paying attention and you become complacent, that is when everything falls apart and you start to slip into old bad habits and paths of least resistance. Who knows, if I can be vigilant with my RLS, I might finally stick to my exercise routine. Since, in most cases they are related, I just might get a 2 for 1.

Here’s hoping just mentioning it on my blog will help me stick to my resolve. So, if you can give any words of support, I am listening.

Kris

Ran across some excellent thoughts on sleep that I wanted to share with everyone.

” Sleep disorders disrupt the sleep of millions of people all over the world. Until the 1950s, most people thought of sleep as a passive, dormant part of our daily lives. We now know that our brains are very active during sleep. Moreover, sleep affects our daily functioning and our physical and mental health in many ways that we are just beginning to recognize. Going to bed and waking up the same time each day. As creatures of habit, people have a hard time adjusting to altered sleep patterns. Sleeping later on weekends won’t fully make up for the lack of sleep during the week and will make it harder to wake up early on Monday morning. I found very useful information on the web related to getting a Good Night’s Sleep. Exercise is great but not too late in the day. Try to exercise at least 30 minutes on most days but not later than 5 or 6 hours before your bedtime. Avoid caffeine and nicotine. Coffee, colas, certain teas, and chocolate contain the stimulant caffeine, and its effects can take as long as 8 hours to wear off fully. Therefore, a cup of coffee in the late afternoon can make it hard for you to fall asleep at night. Nicotine is also a stimulant, often causing smokers to sleep only very lightly. In addition, smokers often wake up too early in the morning because of nicotine withdrawal. Avoid alcoholic drinks before bed. You may think having an alcoholic “nightcap” will help you sleep, but alcohol robs you of deep sleep and REM sleep, keeping you in the lighter stages of sleep. You also tend to wake up in the middle of the night when the effects of the alcohol have worn off. Avoid large meals and beverages late at night. A light snack is okay, but a large meal can cause indigestion that interferes with sleep. Drinking too many fluids at night can cause frequent awakenings to urinate. “

I agree. All very valid points. If we could just all have the willpower to take better care of ourselves we wouldn’t have the kind of health problems we do in this country. Good health takes work, just as everything else that is good in life.
Kris

This letter was posted on a blog I visit and I felt it was worth mentioning. Is there a correlation or is it just a coincidence? Here is the log and my response.

I suffered from RLS as well until about 18 months ago. I also had other symptoms and searched the net for answers. All pointed to Mercury Poisoning. Not being in contact with mercury led to search possible sources. DENTAL AMALGUM POISONING (Silver Fillings) was the only contact I had. (So I) Had all my fillings removed, started herbal treatment to remove mercury from my system, and have not had RLS since then. Worth looking into as a possible solution.

It is interesting that you should bring that up. I just read an indepth article about
silver fillings in teeth and the mercury that is a part of that and the poison that could be leaking into our bodies as a result. It was very enlighting. My first thought was could RLS be related and bingo you write a log about it. It would be interesting to find out how many RLS sufferers have silver fillings. It would be fascinating to see if there is a link.
Kris

Traveling is always a painful experience, but I have found some things that help, so I thought I would share them with you. If I stretch just before I travel I seem to have fewer symptoms. Also, if I take off my shoes and wear comfortable socks I have less pain. If I wear loose fitting clothes that do not restrict the flow of blood in my legs I also experience fewer symptoms.
Kris