Menopause and Restless leg syndrome

This has to be by far one of the most frustrating, uncomfortable, annoying and unbearable things that is happening to me right now. I've had Restless legs periodically for most of my life, its been annoying but I thought nothing of it as it lasted a short while then nothing for many months. However, fast forward to today and its every single night!

Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is categorised by an overwhelming urge to move the legs. You literally feel the need to kick your legs and no matter how hard you try, you can't keep still.

This is my nemesis at the moment, it is driving me mad. Throughout the day I'm fine it seems as soon as I go to bed and try drift off to sleep my body has other ideas and decides to hold a rave in my legs and I'm the unlucky host.

The only thing that I find that helps me is to get up and walk around, do squats, jump up and down, stand on the cold tiles in the bathroom anything that keeps my legs moving, much to the annoyance of my husband I must add. However I call this payback for every sleepless night I have had over the last 25 years due to him snoring!

SO WHY DO WE GET RLS?

So doing my research and through my role as a nurse I knew that women were more likely than men to suffer with restless legs throughout their lifetime, and if you developed restless legs during pregnancy you were more likely to develop RLS during the menopause. So there is an obvious hormonal link here, and its not thought to be the amount of the hormone present but the fluctuations that can cause the problems.

As well as our delightful hormones there are other reasons why we could be suffering from this. There is a link with how our bodies manage our Dopamine levels. Dopamine is the chemical responsible for transmitting signals between brain cells, resulting in the co-ordination of body movements. Dopamine levels naturally drop at night which could explain why symptoms are worse when we are trying to sleep.

Iron deficiency can also have an effect on dopamine levels. Iron Is vital for normal brain development and in the making of neurotransmitters and chemicals in the brain. Dopamine being one of these chemicals and Iron like dopamine levels, dip at night. Many of us are Iron deficient, whether this is down to erratic heavy bleeding during the perimenopause, long standing heavy periods, poor diet or generally run on the low side, this could be a reason why RLS is taking over our lives.

Magnesium deficiency could also be a reason that we get RLS. Magnesium is needed by our bodies to function, it regulates certain biochemical reactions in our bodies, including nerve and muscle function and can also contribute to a healthy immune system. When magnesium levels are low we can develop muscle cramps and problems with nerve impulses and muscle contracting.

Magnesium supplements can be purchased over the counter and worth a try if you are suffering, I have started taking them and am now on week 2, so far I have not noticed any improvement, however literature does say it can take up to a month to see the effects, so fingers, toes and everything else crossed that they start to work.

I must stress though, if you have long standing medical problems please check with your GP or pharmacist prior to starting them and discuss your regular medication, as magnesium can interact with certain medication and slows down blood clotting. If you didn't want to take supplements you can always increase the amount of magnesium in your diet.

Magnesium rich foods:

• Bananas

• Beans & Lentils

• Avocado

• Fish (mackerel & tuna)

• Nuts & Seeds

• Whole Wheat

• Quinoa

• Dark Chocolate

• Tofu

• Cultured Yoghurt

• Dark Greens

• Whole Wheat

• Quinoa

• Dark Chocolate

• Tofu

• Cultured Yoghurt

What else can be done?

So there are things that we can all do to try and help the severity of our symptoms:-

• Keeping active is key, you don't have to be an avid gym member but just walking around the block or doing a home exercise routine on an evening can be helpful.

• Having a warm bath before bed to relax your muscles.

• Massaging your legs.

• Avoid caffeine, caffeine can actually reduce the absorption of magnesium in your intestines.

• stick to a bedtime routine.

So after reading this and you feel like you have tried everything and you are still symptomatic please see your Dr for a chat. You may need a blood test to check a few levels and "Hay Presto" the Dr can prescribe a magic cure. But if not, and you are like me and desperate for some sleep I really do feel your pain, its currently 04:48am as I'm writing this and I'm wide awake with my legs juddering all over the place!!