5 Home Remedies For Restless Legs Syndrome
The neurologic illness known as Restless Legs Syndrome, causes painful, uncomfortable feelings in the legs at night, including twitching, burning, crawling, tingling, and other unpleasant sensations, and has no known cure. Therefore, the problem for the 10% of people who experience this condition is managing the symptoms, which can severely impair quality of life and sleep.
Yes, there are drugs that have received FDA approval and they work, but they also have side effects (including fatigue, dry mouth, weight gain, and brain fog) and their effectiveness may be limited.
That's when things get tricky. There are plenty of all-natural treatments for restless legs syndrome, including bizarre-sounding old wives' tales about putting a bar of soap under your pillow and sipping tonic water. In order to evaluate the data supporting these treatments, a 2015 literature review published in the journal Sleep Medicine Clinics aimed to separate science from science fiction.
Home Remedies For Restless Legs Syndrome
This article we will talk about 5 home remedies from the study, which was carried out by a group of researchers from the Tulane University School of Medicine and the Advanced Sleep Center, and make your own determination as to which is the most efficient since no single tactic is guaranteed to be successful for everyone.
1. Start Exercising
Exercise may be beneficial for reducing stress by generating endorphins, increasing dopamine, stretching muscles, tendons, and hamstrings, or just calming the body and mind.
Participants in a 12-week study saw improvements in their RLS symptoms after just three sessions per week of resistance and aerobic exercise for the lower body.
According to a 2013 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Iyengar yoga in particular has been demonstrated to substantially reduce RLS symptoms and enhance sleep after 8 weeks. Just make an effort to work out in the morning since some people find that working out too close to bedtime exacerbates their symptoms.
2. Skip The Stimulants
RLS may be made worse by alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine. In a 2015 study published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine with more than 1,500 RLS patients, those who didn't smoke and drank less alcohol experienced fewer symptoms.
The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation suggests quitting caffeine and alcohol altogether after six o'clock.
3. Keep Bedding Lose
Anecdotal data suggests that the configuration of your bed may affect how you feel. Tightly tucked covers under the mattress may compel your toes to point, which may cause calf muscles to tense and cramp.
Therefore, keep the bedding free so that the feet can rest naturally. Patients also claim that raising their feet above their torsos can aid in the prevention of symptoms.
4. Get Iron Supplementation
According to studies, about one-third of individuals who have low iron storage can manage their RLS with iron supplementation. Someone with RLS needs to know their ferritin level just like someone with heart disease would need to know their cholesterol levels.
Although magnesium, potassium, calcium, and folate are all minerals that may help with RLS symptoms, you should still consult your doctor before taking any amount of iron or other mineral, as they might impede the body's capacity to use other minerals or possibly cause toxicity.
5. Practice Mindfulness
Stress management based on mindfulness gives psychological strategies for treating symptoms. This method helps individuals with RLS deal with anxious thoughts head-on rather than letting themselves become panicked or attempting to ignore them.
A 2015 study published in the journal Mindfulness found that participants with RLS who participated in a 6-week MBSR programme saw improvements in their overall mental health, the severity of their symptoms, and their ability to sleep.
