Do you lose sleep and have reduced productivity due to restless leg syndrome? Restless leg syndrome causes a sensation, discomfort, and the urge to move the legs; the discomfort occurs mainly in the evening when you rest or at bedtime. Although moving the legs might reduce the discomfort, it reduces the quality and prevents effective resting. Therefore, you should look for a restless leg syndrome El Paso doctor who can offer relief for the discomfort. Here are the restless leg syndrome symptoms and remedies to overcome the discomfort
Restless Leg Syndrome Symptoms
You may have an urge to move the legs when resting or at night when sleeping; this urge leads to poor sleep and daytime sleepiness. The leg discomfort worsens in the evening, and you can relieve the symptoms with leg movement. You will experience the sensation of throbbing, pulling, itching, aching, cramping, and crawling in the legs. Restless leg syndrome is not always associated with severe health complications; anybody can develop the condition. However, it may sometimes occur due to past spinal blocks, kidney issues, family history with the syndrome, pregnancy, and iron deficiency.
How to Deal With Restless Leg Syndrome
- Rule out any underlying health complications
You can deal with restless leg syndrome by treating the underlying health complications. You can limit substance intake if the problem arises from habits such as caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco consumption.
Moreover, you may need to limit medications that trigger restless leg syndrome. For instance, older antihistamines, anti-nausea drugs, lithium, and selective serotonin drugs might cause restless leg syndrome. You can inform the doctor about the current drugs as it helps them rule out if they are causing the syndrome or not. You may need to deal with health conditions like late-stage renal disease, nerve damage and diabetes, and other triggers to overcome restless leg syndrome.
- Develop healthy sleep patterns
Restless leg syndrome disrupts quality sleep, but you can develop healthy sleep patterns to overcome restless leg syndrome. You may wish to sleep, wake up simultaneously, and keep the bedroom quiet and dark. Finally, reduce distractions that will keep you awake and avoid screen time before sleeping.
- Use vitamin supplements
The iron and vitamin supplements might alleviate the restless leg syndrome as iron deficiency is associated with the complication. Your doctor will determine if you have iron deficiency through blood tests; suggest IV iron supplements for severe cases. Sometimes, Vitamin C and E supplements might relieve restless leg syndrome.
- Exercise
The exercises relieve restless leg syndrome symptoms and improve sleep quality and fitness. However, your doctor will develop moderate physical therapy activities which improve the restless leg syndrome. Excessive exercise will increase the disease symptoms; you should not work out until you suffer from aches and pain as it alleviates the symptoms.
Restless leg syndrome can cause discomfort and inability to maintain a good sleep routine leading to daytime sleepiness and inability to concentrate at work. Although the syndrome might occur by itself, it may result from underlying conditions, and it would be better to sort out these underlying problems. You should maintain a good sleep pattern, deal with underlying issues, and exercise to alleviate the restless leg syndrome symptoms.