Periodic Leg Movement (linked to Restless leg Syndrome)

I don't have that but I have suffered from Restless leg Syndrome for years. Used to eat bananas for it but now I find that Coconut water stops it from happening. You could try it, it's good for lots of other problems too. June

I eat loads of Bananas but do take a few little Magnesium pills every morning and it has helped, I wont state 'cured' the problem but it has helped. Sorry to hear of your plight and hope someone in the medical profession can help you further.

Right shall get some Coconut water. See how that works then try the Magnesium pills.

Thank you both

Oddbiddy, how many ounces of coconut water do you drink a day? How many ounces of fluids per day do you think in general. I've been reading how important hydration is for RLS. How bad was your RLS prior to water and other treatments? Do you have just have RLS or do you have any other conditions too? I think that RLS can be caused by other conditions.

Sorry for all the questions but getting relief from RLS via natural routes is nothing short of amazing and needs to be broadcast all over the world.

I was drinking coconut water before it was posted as remedy for rls/plm (I like it). Unfortunately it does not appear to help with rls/plm. However, I was interested to see the term 'twitching' can you elaborate? I often suffer with a tremor as well as the usual restlessness. I take 2mg Ropinirole 45 min before bedtime but I am unsure regarding the effectiveness but dare not not take it as previously have felt suicidal with the repetitious tremor. I have not immersed my legs in cold water (although I feel it may help) but do go into the bath room and stand on the cold floor in bare feet.

By the way this blog does help as very few people seem to understand how debilitating it can be to have disturbed sleep and all the other problems that occur with rls/plm.

all I can say is that I am convinced the coconut water has sorted out my RLS, which I have had for years. I was finding it hard work to eat a banana in the evenings and have now been able to stop. I also have severe COPD so I am on an oxygen machine for about 17 hours a day and in a wheelchair. I don't like taking any kind of remedy if I can help it as I am sure it is all there in our food, if we could only find the right thing. I am experimenting with cider vinegar at the moment, it is said to be good for leg cramps amongst other things. Of course I have to take three inhalers for my COPD and mucidine and calcium chewy tablets. I drink about 5 pints of fluid a day, half a pint being coconut water. When I first got RLS many years ago I didn't have any other conditions. I always have a thermos next to my bed in case I get leg cramps and find if I drink about three quarters of a pint the pain will go away or become bearable.

Thanks June for answering my questions. There's a new COPD inhaler that was very recently approved in US - Anoro Ellipta - I believe it's called. 5 pints of fluid a day is great! A dehydrated body is a sick body....allegedly.

Everyone with RLS should probably be well hydrated. Why not. Some say a quarter teaspoon of sea salt to a quart (32 ounces right?) of water will dramatically improve health. They also say water should be as pure as possible and you should drink about half your body weight In ounces of water everyday. Unfortunately, they also say the water should be body temperature. Yuck, but I do it. You get used to it. I will add the coconut water

Erik, I get relief when I take bioavailable iron at night. I am not anemic nor do I have low iron stores. My problem, as I believe all with RLS, is "iron management." Our body holds back on releasing iron from our stores in an effort to thwart off what it believes to be an attack. So if you have a bacterial infection, auto-immune disease, cancer, your brain will get very little iron that it desperately needs to produce dopamine and relax our legs. Add to that the fact that EVERYBODY's iron availability drops at night and you have RLS and PLMD. Taking iron during the day, or taking the kind from the drug store will NEVER do anything. Once the iron is stored it's like pulling teeth to get it released. If you can cure yourself of the underlying infection or disease then of course your body will no longer withhold iron and your rls will go away.

I have to literally sneak my brain some "bioavailable" or "chelated" iron at night on an EMPTY stomach. The iron goes right to your bloodstream and your brain can pick it up from there. It only works for that night. It has to be repeated whenever you get an attack. It takes an hour to kick in.

Iron is not the cure. It is a treatment out of desperation. It should work that first night and every night. If it doesn't then don't do again. If it does work then you have to run it by your doctor because iron is a heavy metal. Actually I feel like iron is a drug. It's almost addicting because when your brain uses the iron to make dopamine your whole body relaxes and you have a feeling of well being and you want that feeling every night.

The twitching feelings is behind the knees, one night it may be left leg another night the other. It is like a little nerve is twitching, I used to get the well known restless leg feeling, with the crawling sensation in the legs, now it is just this twitching. The cold water, not very nice when all you want to do is sleep.

I have Hashimoto disease (antibodies effect the Thyroid making me underactive). I am on Levothyroxine to supliment my Thyroid Hormones, just 50 micrograms one day and 25 micrograms the next. I have Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux, so on medication to lessen acid in stomach, which may effect my absorption on nutrients. Also non-seasonal Rhinitis so on Benedryl. So all this is probably having effect on my absorption.

Getting some coconut water today, started extra Magnesium also going to take Selenium too.

All very helpful posts.

I got PLMD when I was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. My husband said it was like being in a mixed martial arts ring! It was confirmed in a sleep study that my whole right side was "throwing" or "flailing" and I didn't even wake up! That subsided as I got over the cancer experience (no chemo/radiation) and the drugs that I took with it. Also with EMDR therapy. Now I just have RLS. How can you be sure it's the right iron? Is "slow release" all right?

The type of iron I use is not slow release. I use one called Easy Iron aka ferrous biglysinate. I read that the body will withhold iron in instances of cancer as well in an effort to starve out cancer cells which also love iron as do our brain cells. So ask doc first.

Benadryl makes rls worse as well as certain acid inhibitors such as Tagamet and Zantac. SSRIs and melatonin terrible for rls too.

The Benedryl with Acrivastine only one that works well for me, the Dr gave me others to try but these stop sneezes. Zantac (Ranitidine) helps my GORD symptoms so looks like I am stuck with RLS/PLM.

Mary, pleased you have got over the cancer experience. I find your re. RLS experience interesting as once again, as in my experience, RLS has worsened after the body has been in trauma. In my case it is broken leg and later knee replacement surgery. At its worst I had to leave the marital bed as I was afraid of severly damaging the wif

with my thrashing about. Now the symptoms have lessened but still are severe.