Top Tips & Products to Ease Restless Leg Syndrome

Restless Leg Syndrome is considered to be a sleep disorder and a neurological disorder because it involves the brain. RLS varies in how different individuals experience it however it there are four main factors used to determine whether what you are experiencing is Restless Leg Syndrome or not.

RLS usually discomfort or even pain in the lower limbs, strong urges to move legs, symptoms increase at night or with rest, general feeling of restlessness in the lower limbs. The following tips and advice is meant to help but does not replace the help or advice from a medical professional. If you have yet to be diagnosed, we suggest you reach out to a medical professional for diagnosis and treatment.

However, if you have already been diagnosed, the following tips may be able to help supplement your doctors treatments with added soothing benefits in order to get a great nights rest. So lets get to it.

Top 12 Tips for Easing RLS Symptoms:

1) Exercise & Stretch Daily

It is suggested that you get 30 mins to an hour of exercise per day on average. Be mindful of what type of workout you choose. Low impact exercises like yoga, swimming, elliptical, and even some cycling can be great ways to gain muscle, balance without jarring your joints and muscles.

While it is always important to stretch before and after physical activity, this is going to be especially important if you’re wanting to keep Restless Leg Syndrome at bay.

Learn more about the benefits working out can have on you sleeping habits on our blog post Exercise and Sleep.

2) Restrict intake of Alcohol, Caffeine, and Nicotine

You’re going to want to limit the amount of these three things especially a few hours before bed. It can take around 6 hours or more for the effects of alcohol or caffeine to get out of your system. While nicotine can take much longer. You may notice that the negative effects these substances have on your RLS greatly increases with the amount you partake in.

For instance, one alcoholic beverage may make no noticeable difference in your Restless Leg Syndrome side effects. While 3 or 4 can make for a painful and restless night. Which is why we suggest being very mindful about limiting these three things.

Cutting out nicotine can do wonderful things for your sleep. Learn more on our page How To Quit Smoking and Sleep Well.

3) Review Medications With Your Doctor

If your Restless Leg Syndrome is relatively new or has recently become much worse, you may want to review your medications with your Doctor. RLS can be a common side effect of certain medications, or the combination of different medications being taken together.

By looking over your medications with your doctor they may be able to suggest changes in the prescriptions and non-prescriptions you are taking, the dosage, or even time of day they are being taken. All of which may be able to help ease your RLS. Before making any changes to your medications, always seek the advice of your doctor.

4) Morning & Evening Stretches

While we covered stretching before and after your exercise routines, we also suggest that you stretch before you go to bed in the evenings and once you wake up in the morning. This will help relieve any built up tension from the day as well as make a wonderful relaxing routine for waking up in the morning.

While focusing on stretching out the muscles in your legs is important, remember that the body works best when you take for of it as a whole. So be sure to stretch from head to toe.

5) Massage Your Legs Daily

A good legs massage helps your muscles relax while ensuring proper blood flow as well. You can also choose to add different lotions and/or oils to increase relaxation.

Be mindful of the types of lotions you use, while topical muscle relaxers like icy hot may help soothe muscle cramps and knots, it may irritate your nerves. It is also mildly irritating to the skin which may make it difficult to go to sleep.

We suggest finding a topical cream that has magnesium in it. It does not have a sensory effect on the skin, however it helps relax muscles and ease the symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome.

Magnesium lotion applied topically can help RLS, while eating foods high in magnesium cab help you sleep better. Head over to our post Foods High in Magnesium for Sleep to learn more.

6) Maintain A Consistent Sleep Schedule

In order to support a happy healthy nights rest consistently, it is important to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. The truth is that your body loves to have a consistent sleep schedule. When you go to bed around the same time every night, and wake up at the same time every morning, your circadian rhythm can sink up with your habits. Allowing your body to send hormones and signals to the brain and body, sending you off to sleep and waking you up naturally.

Of course with Restless Leg Syndrome, going to bed on time is sometimes a luxury that you only wish you could achieve. Which is why our other tips are here to help you with this. However, if you can maintain the semblance of a consistent sleep schedule, this will eventually aid in lowering the symptoms of RLS in the long run.

Struggling to get on a set sleep schedule? Head over to our post How To Fix Your Sleep Schedule for our top tips and tricks.

7) Reduce Nighttime Worries

If there is something troubling your mind, try to get it off of your mind at night. There is always something on your plates that can stress us out. Stress and worrying is a quick way to ruin a nights sleep. We all have some days that get away from us and are going to keep us up. However when your head hits your pillow at night, this is no time to start thinking of ways to fix all the worlds problems. Stress and anxiety can trigger or increase RLS symptoms.

We suggest having quiet time outside of bed before you go to sleep to turn off all of the distractions and focus on clearing your mind before you jump into bed. Make peace with the fact that worrying now will not resolve all of your issues and that rest will help you tackle your day tomorrow. This will help your mind relax and in turn will help reduce the the severity of RLS symptoms.

Learn how Meditation can help reduce stress, anxiety, and encourage healing.

8) Take A Warm Epsom Salt Bath

Soaking your legs in warm water can help relax and ease the symptoms cause by RLS. Your muscles will loosen while your nerves soothed. Not a huge fan of baths? A warm shower can also help your relax while lowering the symptoms of RLS. Epsom salts are especially helpful in this case as it contains magnesium.

Magnesium does wonders for relaxing muscles in order to keep them as chill as possible before heading off to bed. This also helps to ease the stresses of the day as well. The more relaxed your body and mind is, the more likely your Restless Leg Syndrome will take a night off.

Head over to our post Meditation for Sleep, Anxiety & Healing to learn how you can use meditation for better sleep, manage stress and anxiety, as well as healing benefits.

9) Test Your Iron Levels & Kidney Function

While psychological stress can increase the symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome, it is not just “in your head”. There are underlying deficiencies and physical issues that can cause RLS. For instance, deficient iron levels in your blood can be a trigger for RLS.

Many young women who suffer with heavy menstrual cycles end up anemic and have iron deficiencies. This is a common trigger for Restless Leg Syndrome. While kidney issues can effect how your body absorbs nutrients like iron.

Correcting an iron deficiency can be a simple and highly effective way to treat RLS. While RLS can be a sign that you need extra medical help with low kidney functions. This can cause many other more severe health problems.

10) Enjoy Nighttime Activities BEFORE Heading To Bed

If you enjoy reading, watching a TV show, or any other relaxing activity right before you go to sleep. Then we suggest doing these activities outside of bed. If you can a relaxing chair or simply snuggle up on the couch for a minute or two.

The point to this activity is to train your mind and body to associate your bed with sleep. This way as soon as you climb into bed, you’re ready to go right to sleep. This will limit the amount of time your legs have to act up.

11) Elevate Your Legs At Night

By elevating your legs, this can help promote proper blood flow to your lower extremities. Which has been show to help ease the symptoms of RLS. There are different ways to accomplish this comfortably while you sleep.

Two of the most effective ways are with an Adjustable Base Frame for your bed. Or wedge pillows are another more cost effective way to achieve the same position. Check out the product suggestions below for some of our top choices for RLS.

Check out the many Benefits of Adjustable Bases they are wonderful for elevating legs and so much more.

12) Use CBD For Pain Relief

CBD, or Cannabidiol, is becoming a common treatment for pain relief. It is most commonly used topically or sublingually to help ease irritation and pain. It is also commonly used to help reduce stress and anxiety.

This combination makes CBD a wonderful nighttime treatment for Restless Leg Syndrome. Whether you use it in a cream and massage onto your legs directly, or you prefer to take CBD internally it can help reduce the painful and irritating symptoms caused by RLS as well as help you fall asleep. That is a great combination if you ask us.

Learn more about how CBD works on our post CBD Oil Guide: Finding Better Sleep With CBD.

Top Products for Easing Restless Leg Syndrome:

Helix Sleep Adjustable Base

Adjustable bases are a great addition to any bedroom. But, the specific benefits it offers to those with RLS is key. Having a bed that elevates your legs for better blood flow to help ease and lower Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms can make a huge different. The Helix Adjustable Base is a well made and designed adjustable bed that is also very affordable.

Head over to our full review to learn more about the Helix Adjustable Base. Or click the link below to start shopping now.

Buy the Helix Adjustable Base HERE!

Brentwood Home Wedge Pillows

The Brentwood Home brand has a wide selection of wedge pillow that vary in size and materials as well as price. Regardless which one you find to be the best choice for you, they are all made in America with top of the line quality. You are sure to find one that you will love.

Learn more about the wedge pillows and how to use them on our post Benefits of Wedge Pillows. Click the link below to start shopping now!

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Astura Magnesium Body Butter

This special lotion made by the wonderful Astura, is made to calm muscles and reduce pain. As a body butter this magnesium filled product will help relax muscles while moisturizing the skin. This is a perfect product to use while massaging your legs before bed.

Shop for the Astura Magnesium Body Butter HERE!

Chill Pain Away Magnesium CBD Cream

Combine the powers of CBD oil and Magnesium together in order to get the best of both worlds. The CBD helps to soothe and eliminate pain and discomfort, while the magnesium calms tension in the muscles. All while the gentle massaging of rubbing the product in will help you relax and go to sleep.

Shop for the Astura Chill Pain Away Cream HERE!

Curfew Tincture – Hemp Oil

This CBD Tincture can be used topically or sublingually. The Curfew tincture has a pleasant peppermint flavor that makes it enjoyable to use under the tongue. You still taste the earthy hemp flavor but it is muted by the peppermint. This CBD oil is a great product for helping to induce sleep, as well as lower pain and discomfort.

Read our review over the Curfew Products for Sleep to learn more.

BUY Curfew CBD Sleep Accessories HERE!

Sleep Time Bath Salt

The perfect Epsom salts to use in your bath right before bed. These salts were made by the Parachute collaboration with Osea and feature a delightful lavender scent. A great way to relax your mind and muscles before drifting off to sleep.

This item is featured on our Top Gifts For Her post! Click the link below to start shopping now.

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Tips to Ease Restless Leg Syndrome

As you well know, Restless Leg Syndrome can make it seem very difficult to get a good nights rest. We hope with a few of these tips, that you get better sleep than ever. These tips are wonderful supplements to the treatments and advice of your medical doctors. We hope these help you get the best sleep possible.

If you have any questions or insight on our tips for products to ease Restless Leg Syndome we would love to hear from you. Contact us, we’d be happy to help!