Any of you familiar with RLS? My husband was recently diagnosed with diabetes. Last night his legs hurt so bad he could not sleep, needless to say with his tossing and turning I got maybe 2 hours sleep. I finally asked him to take a hot shower, maybe it would help around 2:30am. It did! He finally got to sleep, me however was not able to get any sleep until 4:30ish, and had to be up at 6:30.
Anyone have any of the same situations? We are not doctors so no he has not been diagnosed with it, but according to doctor "internet search" he has the symptoms. They can be related to the diabetes it says. Just looking for your experiences.
Actually several of my grandchildren have had RLS and that's exactly what my daughter has them do at night when they can't sleep because of their legs. A nice hot bath works wonders. Also, a heating pad on the legs and or a little handheld massager works too.
I have had RLS since I was a teen. I have no other health issues. There is a risky medicine out there, but my doctor prescribed a sleeping pill (Restoril) for the nights when it is really bad. It works great and has solved the sleep issues related to RLS.
My good friend has RLS. It pretty much entirely goes away when he stops eating carbs. I am not sure if he has a wheat sensitivity or what. He and his wife spent about 2 years eating zero carbs. His wife is an awesome cook and would make pizza dough out of coconut wheat or dessert out of ricotta cheese and stevia to sweeten it. When they started eating carbs again his RLS came back.
I get it during my pregnancies. I have a soap trick-- it sounds strange, however, it works for me (and I looked it up on google and numerous people have made the same claim).
Put a bar of ivory soap under your fitted sheet and sleep with it between his legs. If that doesn't work, usually a hot soak in the tub helps.
I had it when I was pregnant. I would eat a banana before bed and that helped.
Restless Leg Syndrome generally isn't painful. It is an odd sensation that you need to move your legs constantly to be comfortable. It usually occurs more during rest or sleep times. Getting up and walking makes it go away, temporarily.
Go to www . rls . org for great information on it and compare his symptoms there. (take out the spaces in the web address)
My advice is to take a walk. I notice at night when I haven't moved around enough that day that my legs feel restless and I just have the urge to move them, even though I'm dog tired. And if your husband is struggling with diabetes I think that walking may help with that as well. It's a healthy and relaxing way for you two to spend 20-30 minutes together.
I am making an educated guess that this is not RLS. It is never painful. I feel that it is diabetes related...could be lack of circulation in lower extremities. Start riding a stationary bike and see your doctor.
I deal with this from time to time ( too often). I am not diabetic, not overweight, in shape and good health. I don't know how or why it happens.
I hate the nights it happens. Feels like creepy crawlers in my legs.
One thing I do is get up and stretch which helps a lot. I prefer not to take meds ( Rx or other) to relieve it. Sometimes a hot bath helps.
I stretch before bed and it helps as well.
Good luck.
Check out these vitamins: http://www.GBGisIT.com I have been taking them for a couple years. They come in liquid or chewable. They are all natural so ok for diabetics to take. I actually take one right before bed and it has stopped my RLS and helps me sleep, which most vitamins kind of wire you so you can't take them at night. Anyway, I have a sample pack I can send you too...just message me if intersted. Good luck!!!
I dont have diabetes but I do have RLS and it sucks. My husband has thankfully learned to laugh it off but he says that I do the 'running man' in my sleep when I get the crappy feeling that causes it and I have a difficult time falling asleep when the symptoms come on. I have no clue what causes it but I find that when I do get the symptoms its always at night before going to bed/sleep and it feels like bad growing pains. I try to manage it by flexing my muscles at the feet which seems to offer relief as I do it but the pain comes back as soon as I let go. I have described the feeling before as if my bones are itchy - sounds crazy but thats how it feels sometimes. I never tried and probably should because it seems like such a quick fix if it actually works but my friends father swears by a basic bar of Ivory soap tucked under the sheets at the bottom of your bed at night when you sleep
Its worth a shot
Good Luck and I hope he (and you) find relief soon
Restless leg syndrome is not typically associated with actual pain. It is exactly as named - restless legs. An inability to hold your legs still. Self-diagnosing on the internet can be a very scary thing. Get your hubby to a doctor so you can find out exactly what's going on. Best wishes.
My husband has it, and he doesnt have diabetes. Its not painful for him either. Its extra bad when he is really tired or hasnt exercised that day. We havent tried anything diet-wise, but we might in the future. We did try the soap thing too. From what I understand, its an old wives tale that if the person has a subconscious awareness that its there, they will try not to kick it in their sleep. Our newly opened bar of Dove ended up on the floor.
I have it, had drugs prescribed for it, decided not to take them after reading the side effects! what helps me is to get up and stretch when the twitching starts. if i dont feel like getting up, i do "isometric" stretches in bed. i pretty much lay on my side and arch back and stretch my legs as much as possible. it helps. i also dont have diabetes.
Try magnesium. It is a natural muscle relaxant. Magnesium Malate is the better type. When I was pregnant, I would take 5 or 6 of these big pills and it helped a lot. But it can be used for lots of issues and it's pretty hard to OD on it. It can make one's stools a little loose if you take a whole lot though. There is also a product at health food stores called Natural Calm, which is a powdered Mg supplement. They have it online too.
As others have mentioned the pain may not be RLS. Ask your doctor about peripheral neuropathy, it is common in diabetics. I am uncertain what the current treatment options are. Best wishes to you both!
I have a friend with it. She take prescription meds to help with it, so hers must be pretty bad? She does not have diabetes.
Good luck! I hope he feels better!!
The cure is walking (at least for me!) If I don't get a daily walk in, I have restless legs. Also, no late night snacking & avoid sugary foods.
I have it occasionally. Really bad with my pregnancy. My parents both have it as well. I've never experienced pain, however. Just an "ancy" feeling. Like you can't sit still, drives me crazy! it's always in one leg for me (I had sciatica with my pregnancy, so it's worse now on that side since it's a nerve thing) it seems to get bad only at night for some reason. there is medication for it, even OTC meds that you can get at the drug store. for some reason I find drinking milk helps. don't ask, I know it's weird. also just walking around or trying to get the blood flowing. But it's no fun!
I have it and my experience is different. There is no pain. Its more like an invisible entity tickling my feet and causing me to jerk my legs. I get to feeling this way when I'm tired and at rest (in a movie theater, or watching tv at home). There are two solutions for me, walk, or go to bed. My RLS does not keep me awake, rather when I have it I know there is no fighting it. There may be 5 min left on my tv program and I will just go to bed because I'm too miserable to power through it. I have had this condition since I can remember, and my grandmother and father had it as well.
