“Lack of sleep is only bad if you have to drive, or think, or talk, or move.” — Dov Davidoff

Have you ever been lying in bed at night, trying to sleep, but your legs have a creepy, crawly, weird sensation that compels you to move them? And you think that in doing so, it’ll go away — but nope?

As soon as you stop moving them, another wave of your own special kind of Hell erupts and the creepy, crawly, weirdness is back.

Sometimes, it feels like a sort of itching or tingling, and no amount of rubbing or movement will make it go away for more than a few seconds.

If you’ve had it, you know it can be the bane of your existence, nasty sleep-destroying son-of-a-fill-in-the-blank that it is!!!! 

Here’s the good news: In case you were wondering, yes, it is a Thing. You’re not losing your mind. It’s called restless legs syndrome (pretty boring really, couldn’t they have given it something a little more exotic than just saying exactly what it is?). 

And if you’d been thinking you must be the only sleep-deprived, wall-crawling pile of exhaustion to experience this special brand of Hell, nope. Lots of people share your misfortune. 

What Causes This Misery?

The…well…not-so-good news is that in many cases, no one is sure why it happens. When there is no known cause, it is called idiopathic or primary restless legs syndrome. Specific genes related to it have been identified and it can run in families (most of my children suffer from it, too). Usually in these cases, symptoms begin before the age of 40.

What we know so far is it seems to be related to a problem with the basal ganglia, which is a part of the brain that uses dopamine to help control muscle activity and movement.

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter than passes messages between the brain and the nervous system, helping to regulate and co-ordinate movement. But if nerve cells are damaged, the level of dopamine in the brain is reduced. This causes muscle spasms and involuntary movements. 

By the end of the day, dopamine levels naturally fall. This might explain why restless legs syndrome is often worse in the evening and through the night. 

The really sucky thing is that with no known cause, there’s, um, no known…y’know…cure. Dang.

And…typically, it gets worse with age. Yay. Another treat. I’ll look forward to that. NOT.

But Wait! There’s More!

Sometimes, the cause is known. Yay! This means that in those cases, there can be help for it.

When restless legs syndrome happens as a complication of another health condition, or is the result of another health-related issue, it’s called secondary restless legs syndrome.

It can crop up if you:

• suffer from anaemia due to iron deficiency, which can lead to a drop in dopamine and presto, your very own restless legs syndrome, hot off the press.

• suffer from a long-term health condition such as Parkinson’s disease, RA, underactive thyroid, chronic kidney disease, fibromyalgia, or diabetes.

• are pregnant, although it doesn’t usually begin till around the 27th week and most often disappears within a month after giving birth.

Triggers That Make It Worse…

…which we really do. not. want. It’s so bloody temperamental and once you get a sniff of it, you’re off — nothing to be done about it. 

Here’s a list of Things That Don’t Cause It But Can Make It Worse. It’s such a pinhead.

Certain medications such as these can set it off:

• some antidepressants

• antipsychotics

• lithium

• calcium channel blockers

• some antihistamines

• metoclopramide (used to relieve nausea) 🤢

There is also evidence to suggest that these are other possible triggers:

• excessive smoking, caffeine or alcohol (Sure, they blame everything on alcohol. Can’t even enjoy a glass of wine anymore without thinking I’ll give myself cancer of the everything, heart failure, and Alzheimer’s all at once in a race to see which one gets me first. Plus it makes menopausal hot flushes worse. Yay. Can’t even drink to forget the damn things.)

• being overweight or obese

• stress (Uh…I’m guessing almost everyone with this malady is in the sh*t then) 💩

• lack of exercise 🙄🤦🏻‍♀️

A Helpful Tidbit

For me, this misery is most likely to happen when I’m extra tired. When I’ve been having fun reading on Medium or creating something or playing with Witchy or journalling late into the evening, all happily tucked up in my bed with a fountain pen and a thick notebook. I go a li-i-i-ittle too long, I know I’m awfully tired, but I’m enjoying what I’m doing so I think, oh, just a little more and then WHAM! It hits without warning (well, the excessive tiredness was the warning and I ignored it because I’M the pinhead at those times). 

And then I’m screwed. In the very not good way.

Sometimes, if I drop what I’m doing, turn out the light instantly and try to sleep, I can beat the bastard. I’m gone before it destroys any hope of my sleeping for the next few hours. 

But sometimes, it happens after I’m already in bed, trying to sleep and there it is. The horribly annoying, creepy, crawling, weirdness. I do battle with it for a while, doing my best meditation breathing, using every relaxation trick in my toolbox, employing self-hypnosis techniques, but it’s relentless. 

It kills any hope I have of these being successful in letting me sleep.

The only cure for me is to get up, turn on the light, and do something — anything. Sit on my bed with the laptop. Read a book. More journalling. Doesn’t matter. As long as I’m not trying to sleep, it disappears. 

I have to keep myself busy for another few hours until I’m so far beyond exhausted, I’m out like a light as soon as my head hits the pillow. By then, it’s often 5 or 6 a.m. and my body thinks it’s time to get up again in a couple of hours. So this condition can massively mess with your body, your sleep, your health, your overall happiness, wellbeing, enjoyment of life, productivity and — oh, bloody hell, why did I start listing those?? I hadn’t thought of it quite like that till now. 😤

So don’t let yourself get too tired! And if that ship has sailed, head to bed at the very first hint that it’s starting. You might just have a chance to beat the little moron that’s trying to drive you over the edge and ruin your night.

And This…

You might want to tell your doc (or other health care provider) about this sleep-depriving pinhead. 

If there’s an underlying problem that can be addressed, such as needing more iron, then yay! Easy peasy — all fixed!

Annnnd…for mild symptoms, docs will tell you that establishing a regular sleeping pattern can help.

So can avoiding stimulants in the evening (caffeine, tobacco, and yeah, alcohol. Waaaah!)

If symptoms are severe, sometimes medications can work. Ew. Not my thing. But then, I guess that’s why I’m a classical homeopath. I’m all about alternatives but hey, do whatever turns your crank in terms of health care. 

So — no cure, but without an underlying problem, seems your best bet is to get enough sleep, keep a regular schedule with that, and do not let yourself get too tired.

Summing Up

I wish I could tell you that there’s a splendiferous and simple cure for your restless legs misery but in most cases, it would appear there isn’t. Please don’t throw rocks at my house; it’s not my fault. This messenger doesn’t really want to be shot. 

I just wanted to tell you that you’re not losing your mind; it’s a Thing, and there might be — might be — a teeny thing or two you can do to at least reduce the frequence or severity of it kicking your @$$. 

Spiritual Arts Mentor and Master Teacher, Liberty Forrest, guides you in discovering who you are, why you’re here, and how to follow that path.