Restless Leg Syndrome

This topic contains 14 replies, has 8 voices, and was last updated by  Orgchr 7 years, 5 months ago.

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  • Does anyone else out there suffer from restless legs? I read somewhere that fasting can improve this, but I’m experiencing the opposite. It seems to be much worse since starting fasting in January. I know certain minerals are supposed to help, but my diet is so much better now on NFDs that I can’t believe it could be this. If anyone has been through this I’d love to know please.

    Hi NG
    I used to get restless legs frequently, much less often now, however, I have a great exercise sequence that seems to solve it…
    1. Lie on your back on the bed.
    2. Slowly raise one leg, without bending the knee, as high as possible and lower. Repeat 10 times.
    3. Raise the same leg and bend at the knee. Raise and lower the leg from the knee 10 times.
    4. With the leg flat on the bed, move your foot up and down from the ankle, towards you and then pointed down. 10 repeats.
    5. Raise the leg, unbent, as high as you can, from the hip, and hold the stretch with your arms for 10 seconds.
    6. Repeat the whole sequence with the other leg.

    This stretches out the nerves in the leg (HIP, KNEE, FOOT) so relieving restless legs. I always do it when I can’t sleep and it works a treat. Give it a go. PVE 😊

    Thanks PVE! I do something similar, but I lie on my side and raise and lower my leg until my muscles can’t take it any more (about 60 times). Sometimes I don’t get it until the middle of the night though so I’d love to just be able to get rid of it completely, rather than have to exercise at 2am. Maybe I should just be glad that my inner thighs are getting a workout!
    Did fasting affect yours at all?

    Unfortunately, it IS in the middle of the night we usually get it because we aren’t moving. 😕
    I’ve been fasting for 3 years. Not sure if it is the fasting or being much lighter (and doing 10000 steps a day) that has helped. The exercise can be done as you get into bed as a preventative. Husbands tend to see it as foreplay 😆 P

    :-)) Maybe I’ll try your method as mine doesn’t last all night. I usually get mine as I’m falling asleep at the start of the night and then sometimes later on again. Yes, I definitely get it less if I’ve had an active day

    3 years fasting, I say!!

    I have RLS also. How I hope that this will help cuz it drives me insane. I do similar legs exercises at night. I have only been doing 5:2 for about 5 weeks now and have had no improvements.

    I don’t think it has anything to do with weight or exercise. I was a skinny teenager and very athletic in sports. It started for me then.

    Hi All,

    I just discovered this thread, a bit late in the day.

    I’ve recently started this diet to try to help with my RLS, which I’ve suffered from for years. I read that the diet helped reduce levels of inflammation in the body which can contribute to the condition. I have also noticed some improvement and a reduced number of attacks.

    I would say though that its vital to have your iron levels checked because if you are anemic the diet isn’t going to help correct that.

    You may be low carb and as your insulin drops (good), you will be losing salt and possibly minerals, particularly magnesium. I had cramps until I made the connection and took a supplement of magnesium and added salt to my diet. You’ll also lose water so make sure you drink enough.

    Please see my answer about your legs below.

    Hi NG, I suffered from the dreaded RLS for over twenty years gggrrrrrrr! I really sympathise with you and all the other sufferers out there because it’s such a weird thing to have and when I used to explain it to my family I think they thought I was completely nuts!! I used to walk around most of the night, tried raising my legs, bending them at the knee, rotating them, bathing them in cool water and sometimes used to feel like kicking something really hard, usually more snoring husband 😩.
    Maybe these suggestions work for some people but they didn’t for me. Doctors never had a clue but I happened to read an article one day about a medication called. Pramipexole so asked my GP about it – he had to look it up in his medicines book! Anyway, he prescribed it and it changed my life! If you look it up it will tell you other conditions it is prescribed for, such as Parkinson’s Disease but mine is the minimal dose. I take one tablet of every night and it’s brilliant. I know taking this step is not for everyone, but as nothing else worked, including natural remedies, I’m glad I did.
    Oh well, sorry to go on but I felt so sorry for you reading your post and hope this helps. If not, good luck any way. Best wishes Ellie

    Hi Elliecee
    My doctor prescribed something similar for me, but it had a nasty side effect so I couldn’t continue taking it but Im glad it has worked for you.

    Hi Stephen
    I was wondering what kind of magnesium supplement you take. I did try some at one time but they really upset my stomach. I do take a multivitamin which does contain a small amount, but perhaps not enough. Perhaps I need to include some food high in magnesium on my fast days.

    Eat pumpkin seeds if you need magnesium. I eat them before a bike ride to avoid cramps. Make sure you take into account the calories in pumpkin seeds though. I eat almonds and pumpkin seeds as my “treat” foods instead of sugary rubbish.

    Thanks Bigbooty I’ll have to get some of those.

    I am at teh very start of this journey so I cant say if fasting will help but what I have found helps not just my resloess legs but also my insomnia is last thing at night before I go to sleep I take a 1 level teaspoon theraputic grade magnesium with 1 teaspoon metamucil in soda water have been doing this for three weeks and have slept through the night every night and no restless legs. Originally was just taking the magnesium in water and it made no differnece to my sleep and it diminished my restless legs considerably but still some nights it would drive me bonkers…. I added soda water to the magnesium as a way of making it more palatable to drink and then five weeks ago I injured myself and the Drs put me on medicine that severely constipated me so added metamucial to it… that night I slept through usually I sleep about three hours and no restless leggs every night since I have slept until at least 4.30 5.00am and after 3 weeks feel really good and no restless legs dont understand why and wondering if the concoction is going to interphere with fasting days dont know how the fibre will count re fasting and or the body procesing it and calorie count would appreciate feed back on this from anyone who knows

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