Have you heard of Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)? A friend’s mother has had it for a long time. About 15 years ago, she went to a neurologist because she was having pain and discomfort in her legs that was keeping her up at night. She would be in bed and have a sudden need to move her legs. She described the need to move her legs as a feeling of aching, jumpy and crawling.
When she got up and moved around, she felt better. But, as you can imagine, she lost a lot of sleep. At the time, the neurologists said they didn’t know what it was. Now, RLS is getting more recognition and research is providing those who suffer with some answers.
Recent studies have found a connection with iron in the brain between those who suffer from RLS and those who don’t. Lower iron levels in certain brain cells may be to blame as iron transporting protein was not found in the RLS brain.
There were also decreased brain iron levels in the mid-brain of RLS patients. This should not to be confused with iron deficiency. Although iron deficiency has been found in many RLS patients, this study focused on the way the iron was delivered to the brain cells.
Relief from RLS and the cause is still being researched, but there are treatments, including prescription drugs. There is also a unique home treatment. Some people have found that taking a bar of soap and putting it in your bed between the fitted sheet and the mattress pad around where your knee rests has helped. This has not been scientifically tested and there seem to be different variations (wrapping or unwrapping the bar of soap, which brand - most say not Dove, some say rubbing an extra bar on your leg before bed helps, too), but there are a lot of believers who have found relief. However, be sure to talk to your physician about which method would be best for you.
Other things you can do to help your RLS includes avoiding tobacco, alcohol and caffeine, getting regular exercise or joining a support group - www.rls.org and www.rlshelp.org. If you have RLS and try the soap method, let me know how it works!