The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Exercises
Posted by Faye (Odessa, TX) on 06/25/2009
★★★★★
Can say that I was diagnosed with RLS about 2 years ago. One night I was reading online and noticed that I was hurting in my lower back while sitting. I looked to see what would help that problem and found- 3 -simple exercies and when I did those I slept all night long. It seems that the lower back is related to Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). I do also believe that a lack of minerals and folic acid and Vitamin D3 are also needed but the exercises doing them 3 to 6 times a day about a minute and I sleep all night long. This works whether I take the vitamins and mineral or not as sometimes I get lazy about taking pills all the time and can go weeks before I take the supplements again. But the exercises are simple: 1-Rotate the Hips as in trying to use a Hula Hoop. 2-Twist the upper body 3-Do squats with the knees as low as possible and do all of this no more that 1 minute for all 3 exercises. Do this a minumin of 3 times or more as needed.
Replied by Runr
(Weston, Kansas)
02/28/2013
Replied by Megan
(Salt Lake City, Ut)
07/10/2014
★★★★★
Fish Oil
Posted by Matriarch (Clinton, Nj ) on 03/30/2018
★★★★★
Restless leg syndrome was the bane of my existence until one day I was talking to a friend who is a PhD in pharmacy and she offhandedly said, "Restless legs? Take fish oil." Just like that my problem was solved. I take 2400 mg. of fish oil before bed and haven't had a problem in months. Truly a miracle as I had tried literally everything else I heard of to solve this problem. I hope this helps others have a good night's sleep.
Folic Acid
Posted by Pamela (New Smyrna Beach, FL) on 02/19/2009
★★★★★
Folic Acid cured my inherited Restless Legs. My mother also had restless legs. I am 47 years old and I have had restless legs in the evening for about 10 years. I couldn't sit on the couch and try to relax or take a long car ride at night without my legs going crazy twitching. It's only been in the last year or so that it has actually affected me in bed while I'm trying to sleep. It progressively got worse until it was keeping me awake for most of the night. That's when I realized I was not going to take this lightly anymore. I have done research and tried many things over the years, but when you read so many things some of it just goes over your head. The folic acid connection was one of the things that just kept going over my head. So when I looked deeper into it recently, I started seeing many accounts of how folic acid deficiency can be inherited. Some people just cannot absorb and utilize folate effectively and that can be an inherited problem. I looked deeper and learned that some of the signs of folic acid deficiency, aside from restless legs, are periodontal disease (my mom had it in her mid thirties and had all her teeth removed), poor circulation (my hands & feet are always cold), and even Alzheimer's (my mom contracted Alzheimer's in her mid sixties). I read that if this is the case with you that you need to supplement with high doses of folic acid. I bought the 800 mcg tablets and started with just a couple of them at a time. I have built up to taking 15 of them at night before bed and my restless legs are no more. I can hardly believe it, but it's true. It took about a week or two for it to completely disappear and if my body adjusts to this dosage and it comes back, I will just continue to increase my dosage as necessary. I am a firm believer in healing ourselves with natural products and methods. I have used much information from this wonderful site to improve and cure my problems.
I'd like to add that EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), which is a form of self-applied acupressure, has also helped me greatly. Used correctly, it will stop the twitching in your legs. For me it was only temporary because of the folic acid deficiency, but it was a huge help to me in the middle of the night when I couldn't get to sleep because of my restless legs. I hope this can help someone else who struggles with this problem.
Folic Acid
Posted by victoria (burkburnett, texas) on 03/27/2007
★★★★★
I had heard that for those who inherited restless leg seem to require high doses of folic acid. I've tried this and it works great. I take about 20, 800mcg's at night.
Homeopathy
Posted by Megan (Sydney, Australia) on 12/27/2011
★★★★★
I want to share a remedy I have found for Restless Legs Syndrome. 'Restless Legs Relief' is a homeopathic remedy found in Health food stores. I spray 4 squirts under my tongue and no restless legs anymore. What a relief, as continually having to move my legs around was stopping me sleeping. I had tried the bar of soap remedy to no avail. Hope this helps!!
Homeopathy
Posted by Lee (New York) on 08/09/2011
★★★★★
I have had restless leg syndrome for most of my adult life. I'd get it for a couple of nights every now and then, but now I've had it every night for over a month, it's very distruptive to sleep. I have tried many of the remedies on this site, only to get about 1 1/2 hours of relief before I'm up again. I went to the Dr. for a blood test to see if I was deficient in anything, but I'm not.
I came across a homeopathic remedy called Restful Legs by Hyland. OH, BLESSED RELIEF! I realize that different things work for different people, especially for this condition, but you might want to give it a try. They have a website you can google. I purchased it in a health food store, but it is available in chain drug stores as well according to their website. It's relatively inexpensive.... about $8.00.
Replied by Janet
(Kendal, U.k)
08/10/2011
Replied by Lee
(New York, Usa)
08/15/2011
Horse Chestnut
Posted by Carl (Studio City, CA) on 02/22/2009
★★★★★
Horse Chestnut tabs from a health food store will relieve symptoms of RLS in some people. There is some evidence that insomnia and RLS may be secondary to folic deficiency. People with a family history of RLS may benefit from taking 5-10 mg per day of folic acid. However, those taking folic acid should make sure they are receiving at least 500-1000 mcg of vitamin B12. Also, consult a physician before using folic acid if you have epilepsy as folic acid interacts with some epilepsy medications and can trigger a seizure in some people. Obviously, from the discussion, different people benefit from different supplements and treatments. One should experiment carefully until you get it right.
Hot Shower, Massage
Posted by Colin (Ajax, Ontario/canada) on 01/19/2012
★★★★★
For my RLS treatment, I usually take a very warm shower, and then I massage my legs to the sole of foot bottom for about fifteen minutes and with this procedure I do get a good night rest.
Hydration
Posted by Lardiver (Abbotsford, Bc Canada) on 02/25/2011
★★★★★
I have found that if I drink 2 - 3 glasses of water befor going to bed it stops the RLS. Also foods that start up my RLS like chocolat, junk food, and more, the 2 to 3 glasses of water stops it. At first I thought I would be up all night peeing it out but usually only about once, must have something to do with laying down. Try it if you get desperate like I did.
Replied by Lardiver
(Abbotsford, Bc Canada)
11/02/2011
Inversion Table, Exercise
Posted by Jmwe29 (Missouri, Usa) on 12/10/2014
★★★★★
Interesting site. Ran across it because someone had inquired at a UK site about using molasses to relieve RLS, so I did a search and this forum came up in the results. Because this is a site centered on finding natural relief, I am assuming most people here probably don't use much in the way of prescription meds, but I thought I'd throw in my 2 cents' worth - cholesterol lowering meds are so widely prescribed now, people need to know that they trigger RLS as do a lot of other meds.
Now for what has helped me immeasurably - when I realized that lower back trouble triggers RLS in me, I invested in an inversion table that I try to use every night. It has done wonders for me. As my back goes, so goes RLS. And I have found that lower back exercises also will calm it down, specifically the "bridge", and the "bird dog". You can do an internet search for those with the word "exercise" and find them pretty easily if you want to give them a try.
Iron
Posted by Jon (Australia) on 11/03/2014
★★★★★
For me, magnesium gives only some temporary relief and doesn't address the cause of RLS.
I get long lasting relief with iron.
Low iron can result in low oxygen carried by the blood and nerve damage.
Magnesium and iron both effect/benefit the blood.
The reason magnesium can give some temporary relief is that when magnesium is taken, the blood vessels dilate. This results in a very relaxing effect in people who have enough blood to fill the now larger blood vessels (for people with adrenal fatigue magnesium can often make them dizzy or faint, due to low blood levels.)
This dilating of the blood vessels allow for more blood flow with increasing oxygen delivery - this is how magnesium can give temporary benefit to people who actually need more iron.
Iron and B12 are very important for blood and nerves health, they have really helped my family's health.
Replied by
Timh (KY)
11/04/2014
2041 posts
Iron
Posted by Lorica (New Albany, Indiana) on 06/04/2013
★★★★★
A few nights ago I discovered I couldn't sleep due to restless leg syndrome. Looked it up on the net. Some said take iron. I realized I had not been taking the iron I use to supplement since I eat very little meat. It had gotten lost in the shuffle with my other supplements - didn't replace it when it ran out. Well, I kinda megadosed on the iron. The next night, no more problems. Once before I had problems with low iron, dizziness, and supplementing made the dizziness go away, though my blood tests said I was fine. I prefer to be my own diagnostician when possible and go by symptoms. You can't always count on those blood tests when they say you are fine. I've discovered that in several ways. Plus a doctor I used to have, decades in practice, told me that today's blood tests call "average" normal. But he said 30 years ago people were healthier and "average" really was normal. So, be sure you are at optimal, not just normal/average levels in iron and other things.
Replied by Jon
(Australia)
11/03/2014
★★★★★
Iron
Posted by Kathi (Everett, Wa, United States) on 01/16/2012
★★★★★
I used to have RLS as well and it was caused by my severe anemia. Once I was no longer anemic, there was never an issue with RLS again! I used wheat grass powder daily to build up my blood again. Give it a try.
Iron and Potassium
Posted by Debbie (Portland, Me) on 03/18/2013
★★★★★
Three weeks ago my naturopathic did a full blood work on me for vitamins and iron deficiencies. My ferritin count was a 2 which is extremely low she put me on 100 mg of iron a day (a combo of Floradix and Iron C) for 6 weeks and my rls has been gone since day one of the regiment. I have suffered with rls for years and this is the only thing I have done different. I give all the credit to the huge iron intake that my body so desperately needed. Ferritin count is so important and regular medical drs do not check it.
Iron and Potassium
Posted by Linda (Orlando, FL) on 02/23/2007
★★★★★
I have taken potassium supplements for many years (plus iron and calcium) to control my RLS symptoms. It took me a while to find the right balance of supplements, but my RLS rarely keeps me from falling asleep. It still bothers me on long car trips or in a long movie if I'm tired.
I had a sleep study done a couple of years ago, and the doctor remarked at how much leg movement I have in my sleep (even with taking the supplements). He indicated that RLS is associated with low iron. So, I increased my iron a little, and the symptoms improved. I know, however, that the potassium helps because if I run out of it my legs are "dancing" within a couple of days.
Replied by Donna
(Brattleboro, VT)
04/27/2009
