Iron-deficiency anemia, varicose veins, diabetes, and lung disease can all cause RLS. If you have one of these conditions, getting appropriate medical treatment may also help to prevent RLS from occurring. Twenty-five percent of pregnant women experience RLS, but it usually goes away at the end of pregnancy. During pregnancy, there are lifestyle changes you can make to prevent or ease the symptoms. If any of your close family members have had RLS, your chances of having it may be increased. There’s nothing you can do to alter this risk factor, but you can make changes to prevent or lessen the symptoms. Being overweight or obese can predispose you to RLS more readily. Taking steps to lose weight may help prevent RLS.
Brisk walking four times a week for 30 minutes at a time has been shown to lessen the severity of RLS over a few months. Intense leg workouts can help. Try a week of daily intense leg exercises lasting around 20 to 30 minutes; cycling or fast walking are excellent choices. Swimming is a very gentle way to stretch leg muscles, especially if other forms of exercise cause you to cramp when stretching. Exercise not only helps to prevent RLS but can also help to reduce symptoms if they are already present.
You can buy arch inserts at many shoe stores. Wearing these inside your shoes will help to support your arches and can help to relieve your RLS symptoms. You may find it uncomfortable to walk on hard floors in bare feet; try wearing slippers around the house to soften your landing.
If you’re taking a medication that lists RLS as a side effect, talk to your doctor about other options.
Low iron (measured as ferritin in the blood) has been shown to be correlated with increased symptoms of RLS. Therefore, for people with low iron levels (as shown on blood tests), taking iron supplements can be helpful in the prevention of symptoms. However, doctors do not advise to take iron supplements by symptoms alone, without first getting a blood test confirming low values, as it can put you at risk of elevating your iron levels too much. Always talk to your doctor before proceeding with iron as a means of preventing RLS.
Sedatives (such as clonazepam and zaleplon) are helpful for those whose sleep is disrupted by RLS. Anticonvulsants (such as carbamazepine) are helpful for people who deal with daytime RLS symptoms. Pain relievers are prescribed to patients with severe RLS.
Consider scheduling yourself a massage or acupuncture treatment.
Waking up at the same time every day. Going to bed at a good hour that will allow you to wake up when your alarm goes off, and not to sleep in any longer. If you need more sleep, go to bed earlier, rather than waking up later as wake-up time is the most important factor in consistent sleep habits. Keep your wake-up time the same on weekends as on weekdays (for consistency). Avoid “screen time” (televisions, computer screens, and/or cell phones) right before bed as they wake your brain up with the radiation they emit, making it more difficult to fall asleep. Keep in mind that good sleep helps to prevent symptoms of RLS, both in the daytime and during subsequent nights. Therefore, the benefit is twofold - not only does “sleep hygiene” help you to fall asleep better (as a common symptom of RLS is trouble sleeping), it also diminishes and prevents the presence of symptoms in subsequent days. [17] X Research source
Try gentle forward bends, backward bends, spinal twists, chair pose, and warrior pose in a slow method putting attention on breath. [19] X Research source Yoga poses that contract the thigh muscles; stretch the calves, hamstrings, and gluteal muscles; or flex and extend the solar plexus and pelvis are beneficial.
If you can’t manage your stress effectively, make an appointment with a therapist. Some problems are difficult to solve without professional help, and it’s worth pursuing every resource when your health is on the line.
