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.
Baking Soda
Posted by Pat (Fredericksburg, VA, USA) on 08/07/2007
★★★★★
I have restless legs at night sometimes. Since reading about the many cures here I have tried 1/4 tsp of baking soda in a cup of water: within 20 minutes my legs are calm and I am able to sleep. I haven't found anything else that helps; won't try pharmaceutical drugs to help, don't want any side effects. The baking soda really helps me!
A Bar of Soap
Posted by AHMET (Konya/Türkiye) on 01/07/2025
★★★★★
It is very useful to place 2-3 small hand soaps, known as hotel or travel type, under the sheets. I definitely recommend it. If the pain is severe, you can speed up the process by applying soap to your legs.
A Bar of Soap
Posted by elisabeth (Montana) on 06/05/2024
Any particular kind of soap?
A Bar of Soap
Posted by AHMET (Türkiye) on 01/07/2025
Simply place 2-3 small hand soaps under the sheets.
Baking Soda
Posted by Christine (York PA) on 09/10/2023
I am updating on my post from last evening. After I went to bed within an hour the terrible symptoms of RLS came on with a vengeance. I was hoping the baking soda would work. I must admit I had a significant sugar intake early last evening; no, not from a dessert, but had pork barbecue that I purchased at a farmer's market which tasted sweet. I looked at the label this morning it was made with corn syrup AND sugar. This is a huge issue with me. Our society is obsessed with sugar. I do not want sugar in real food. I make most of what I eat in my kitchen. Long story short, I put ice packs on my calves and took 3 different meds. After suffering for 5 hours I finally slept for a few hours. Good luck to everyone.
A Bar of Soap
Posted by legalmumbojumo (Minneapolis) on 02/19/2020
★☆☆☆☆
Thank you for all the advice on RLS. I ate a banana earlier b/c I was hungry. I didn't know about it helping for rls. I have a magnesium spray that I am going to try in a few mins.
The bar of soap is a total myth and ACV is not that great for you as many people seem to think. Very acidic. I think it can burn away tissues in your throat and stomach. Anyway, my rls comes and goes and lately it has been so bad that I feel it in my arms down to my fingers and my legs down to my toes. Walking helps, but it just comes back. I'm going to try the tonic water too.
Cold Room, Potassium
Posted by Bogdan (Canada) on 03/06/2017
★★★★★
Hi, what's working for my RLS is a cold room. I've had RLS since I was a kid till now, 50+ years.
Found a/c need to cool room 20 deg and take two potassium pills. This is it. all the best.
Butcher's Broom
Posted by Laurie (Seattle) on 07/16/2016
★★★★★
Butcher's Broom helps with restless leg syndrome. Used to work in a vitamin store and customers loved it. Take the tincture or capsules twice a day.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Sageinreno (Reno, Nv) on 04/01/2015
★★★★★
I had RLS, only it was all over my body, it started mainly in my legs and then eventually got really bad everywhere. I had never heard of the soap trick until now. However, I went on a no carb diet for a few weeks to lose a few pounds and the Body RLS completely stopped. I tested it further by introducing wheat back into my diet, it came back. Now, I eat a totally wheat free diet as much as possible, sometimes when I'm out with friends I can't follow it well, but I mostly eat at home. Within about 3 hours of me consuming bread, pasta or crackers, or pizza, cake etc...anything with wheat, it starts up again. I don't have celiac, and no one else in my family has any history of wheat sensitivity. My joints also swell up, I feel very arthritic and my energy level goes way down, that's just after ONE serving! So, just wanted to let you all know that there may be a root cause that you don't know about. It might be the modern wheat, it might be the roundup they use to dry today's wheat crops to get them to market faster, I don't know. I just know. I don't use wheat anymore and don't have the problems.
Dietary Changes, Magnesium
Posted by Michael (New Zealand) on 10/17/2016
Well Kim, I have consistently recommended Magnesium Chloride LIQUID for leg muscle issues on this Site and I hope this will help you. Follow the maker's directions. If it does indeed prove beneficial for you, it ought to show results VERY quickly indeed! That is the good news. Please let us know if it does help you.
Cheers, Michael
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Patricia (Indiana, US) on 08/08/2014
★★★★★
It seems restless leg syndrome may have more than one cause. For ex. the first time I got it, it was due to low iron. I almost never eat red meat but take iron supplements. When I ran out I forgot about it until I got the rls and saw on the net that it could be caused by low iron.
Let me say this about iron & all supplements. A doctor I used to have, now retired, said that what they call "normal" in blood testing just means average. He said that after decade of practice he saw "average", therefore "normal", go down quite a bit. So he said go by symptoms and not just blood tests.
The 2nd time I got rls, many months later, I knew it was not iron. The stinging and itchy feelings reminded me of when I had done a parasite cleanse and checking on the net sure enough I saw someone saying that after getting rid of the bugs the rls went away. (Maybe they operate best in low iron conditions??)
I began to take a heaping tsp of diatomaceous earth in water every morning on a mostly empty stomach. In one day the rls was down to very mild in in a week it was gone.
Hulda Clark, famous for her cleansing regimes, said every person she ever tested for parastes had them, and everyone had tapeworms. One way to see this for yourself: Take 2 cayenne capsules in water 3 X a day with 2 glasses of water to keep from a burning sensation in your stomach.
Don't eat any rice or things like seseme seeds or nuts. In a very few days you should see "white rice" or seseme seed looking things, or things that look like cut nuts. These are parts of tapeworms. The cayenne pepper does not kill the head, though, which is what reproduces.
Anyway, food grade diatomaceous earth is cheap and very safe and will make all those symptoms go away, rls and tapeworm parts.
Magnesium
Posted by Prioris (Fl) on 03/01/2014
I use magnesium to keep my restless leg under control. Works well. I use a cal-mag-D3 supplement with food and add a magnesium glycinate if I feel I need it before bed since it can be taken on empty stomach and not cause diarrhea. You may want to also look into getting something called Calm and testing that out also. I take a potassium tablet every 4 to 7 days.
Magnesium, Vitamin E, Quinine
Posted by Adolphina (Merchantville, NJ) on 09/17/2013
★★★★★
I've had restless legs off and on since I was a child. I would get up and run around the block a few times when I was a child to relieve it. Later on I discover a remedy called Q-Rev for restless legs. They discontinued it unfortunately. But I remembered the ingredients, Vit. E & Magnesium and quinine. I take Vit. E & Magnesium as needed so the missing ingredient was quinine. You can drink a glass of Tonic Water before bedtime and it relieves the symptoms since Tonic Water has a tiny bit of quinine in it. Hope this helps.
Baking Soda
Posted by Tecumsehmo (Baltimore) on 10/06/2017
Antihistamines are known to exacerbate rls.
Iron
Posted by Jon (Australia) on 11/03/2014
★★★★★
Yes, I agree with what you have said here.
Low iron is a common cause of restless leg(RLS), dizziness, headaches and even anxiety.
It's important to test that iron isn't too high (because that can cause issues too) but I agree that for iron levels test - even when in the low range of normal - it can still cause these symptoms. I have read that Ferritin levels under 40 can cause low iron symptoms.
There is a differnce between bio-available iron and bio-UNavailable iron (RUST! ) , Bio-unavailable iron (oxidised iron/rust) can get stored in the liver and organs and cause issues.
Bio-UNavailable iron may also block avialable Iron from being absorbed.
So it may be beneficial to excrete any bio-Unavailable iron from your body. IP6 (extract from brown rice) is the best supplement to detox oxidised harmful iron.
Organic Unsulfered Molasses is the best iron supplement. 1 Tb morning and night.
This is my opinion
Poppy Seeds
Posted by Donna (Qld) on 07/31/2015
Some people are capable of having poppy seed tea in an evening without succumbing to such a painful lifestyle. That's like saying, for God sake be careful when you have a beer, you may end up a raging alcoholic homeless and roaming the streets with cheap wine in a brown paper bag. Your scenario, although possible is highly unlikely. Like all things, moderation is the key.
Poppy Seeds
Posted by Karsten (Canada) on 10/12/2013
★★★★★
Cold water extraction actually works better to extract from the seeds. My doc said that that's why I used to like it so much, because it helped my rls so well. That is at such a low dose, you have nothing to worry about!
A Bar of Soap
Posted by Carolyn (Fort Myers Fl) on 10/17/2013
I have been a sufferer of severe RLS for almost 10 years and have tried almost everything that is homiopathic and nothing has EVER worked. I also find it frustrationg when people say, try this, this worked for me... I HAVE tried. If you think about it, how is a bar of soap supposed to help nerves?? And magnesium isn't the solution either... Been taking it for a long time and nothing. Only thing that has worked is medication from my Dr.
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.
Magnesium
Posted by Marie (Burbank, Ca) on 01/28/2013
★★★★★
RLS is because of a deficiency of magnesium... Start drinking [an ionic magnesium powder]... You can find it in Whole Foods and other natural remedy stores... Drink it everyday... Especially before bedtime... It's bitter so cut it with some sweet tea...
Avoid Sugar
Posted by Kathleen (Pitt Meadows, B.c. Canada) on 11/26/2012
★★★★★
RLS - I find I get this awful sensation in my legs within 1 hour of consuming anything with sugar if I'm not active. Usually it hits in the evening while I'm sitting around and then in the night.
Even one candy is enough to trigger it so try to find something else to snack on in the evening and see if it helps.
Bach Flower Remedies
Posted by Tweetylynn (Richardson, Tx, Usa) on 11/20/2012
★★★★★
Bach's Rescue Remedy works like a charm. Two sprays in the mouth at night and I'm asleep before my horrible restless legs start up. Five nights in a row so far and no RLS.
Quinine
Posted by Bess (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) on 07/30/2012
★★★★★
Hi Jo from Surrey - I'm not Dolly, but my Dad uses tonic water for restless leg syndrome. He uses either Schweppes or Canada Dry tonic water - 4 ounces at noon and 4 ounces about one hour before bed. You may not need as much (his is quite severe). You also may want to check out magnesium (most people are deficient in magnesium). I have RLS to a lesser extent (not as severe as Dad's) and I find that taking magnesium citrate (about 1 teaspoon in 2 or 3 ounces of water) nightly helps. I use a magnesium citrate powder called "Calm" but there are other good products available in health food stores. I find powder or liquid is better than a tablet because it gets into the bloodstream faster. Transdermal magnesium also helps (60% magnesium chloride to 40% water) rubbed into the legs before bed. It does tend to leave an oily film on the sheets though if you don't rub it in thoroughly. Good luck! Bess
Trigger Point Therapy
Posted by Trish (Tri Cities, Washington) on 05/06/2012
★★★★★
I've had RLS for quite awhile and have started using Trigger Point Therapy for the last couple of years. I sometimes have to work at it a little while, but I eventually find the trigger Point that is causing the symptoms in that particular leg. After I have massaged it the RLS symptoms slowly go away and my leg quits twitching. I know I have found the right spot because it will trigger the twitch in my leg untill it is massaged. I seem to mostly find the trigger points are in my hips and/or lower back. You can find the books and videos online that can show you how. Hope this helps it sure has me.
A Bar of Soap
Posted by Piper (Nashua, Nh) on 01/29/2012
★★★★★
I've had RSL for over five years now... Beginning when I turned 45. No remedies have worked until I heard from a visiting neighbor's friend that putting an unwrapped bar of soap under the top sheet at the foot of the bed reduces the episodes and for some people, even eliminates it. I tried it with a bar of goat's milk soap (no reason) and NO kicking! I don't know why it works; perhaps, it's the aroma of certain ingredients - I don't know, but I'm glad I finally found something other than drugs!
