Fight Sleepless Nights: 4 Tips for Conquering Restless Leg Syndrome

They twitch. They ache. They force you to toss and turn all night long. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) affects millions of people worldwide, so the good news is that you aren't alone. Here are just a few common tactics that have helped others with RLS.

1. Understand the Condition

Anyone can get RLS, though it strikes women more than men, especially during pregnancy. It happens to all age groups, including children and the elderly. It may or may not have a genetic component; if someone in your family already has RLS, you might be at an increased risk of developing it as well. These are all basic facts about RLS that everyone should know. Education is the first step in combating any condition, so do your homework if you think that you may have restless legs.

2. Change Your Habits

What's your nighttime routine? What do you do before you climb into bed? These habits might be causing or worsening your RLS. For example, your late-night sodas could be pumping your system full of caffeine that acts as fuel for your naturally restless legs. The blue light of your laptop screen could be keeping your brain awake even after you've put it aside and closed your eyes, and that could be affecting your legs in turn. Start cutting things out of your nighttime routine to see what helps or hurts your legs.

3. Utilize Mental Exercises

There's a strong mental component to RLS, especially with chronic sufferers, and it isn't uncommon for real symptoms to mix with psychosomatic ones. For example, if you feel nauseous when you climb into bed, that's probably caused by emotional anxiety and not your legs themselves. Look into mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) techniques to help you stay calm even with restless legs. Once you've conquered the mind, the body will often follow.

4. Research Underlying Causes

RLS can strike for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it's because of an iron deficiency; other times it's linked to chronic conditions like diabetes or Parkinson's disease. According to experts at the Sheen Vein Institutee, vein disorders are also a concern. You'll need to understand your RLS if you want any real chance of treating it, so start looking up facts and figures and seeing which apply to you. These are just a few tips for beating restless legs syndrome. It can be a truly exhausting condition, so don't wait with your treatment efforts. Start planning, researching and fighting your RLS today.