That unbearably twitchy feeling known as restless legs syndrome (RLS) disrupts sleep for nearly a third of us nightly. Yet 75 percent of RLS cases go undiagnosed. Good news: These fixes calm your legs for deeper sleep.
Savor strawberry crisp
Indulge in warm strawberry crisp, and you’ll tramp down the odds of RLS with fisetin, a compound that works similarly to a class of drugs called “dopamine agonists,” which research in American Family Physician finds reduces RLS symptoms up to 50%. Restless legs syndrome is caused by a shortage of dopamine in the brain, but fisetin mimics the feel-good hormone your body is low on, calming restless legs in the process. For extra insurance: Supplement with fisetin at least two hours before bed. Try: Life Extension Bio-Fisetin which you can purchase from LifeExtension.com.
A recipe for warm strawberry crisp:
- Mix oatmeal, flour, and brown sugar. Add nuts. Cut in butter until crumbly.
- In another bowl, mix strawberries and sugar.
- Grease an 8-inch square pan. Spread half the crumb mixture on the bottom. Cover with strawberries. Spread the remaining crumb mixture over the top.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Serve with warm or cold whipped cream.
Those of you who are regular readers of the blog will know that I’m against consuming stuff like sugar and flour. So, find good substitutes like a good quality honey. Better still just purchase Bio-Fisetin and take it 2 hours before bed.
Snooze with soap
This sounds a bit weird but sleeping with a bar of soap near the foot of the bed calms symptoms by 42 percent. Experts suspect credit goes to soap’s magnesium which remains in close contact with skin as you sleep. Indeed, German scientists say the natural muscle relaxant calms excessive neurological firing that causes jumpiness, curbing RLS symptoms by 41 percent.
Tip: Use lavender soap. “Research shows inhaling the scent of lavender for 10 minutes calms the nervous system,” says Michelle Schoffro, Ph.D. Just tuck the lavender soap containing magnesium sulfate into a sachet and place it under the covers, by your legs, before bed.
“Squeeze” your feet
Slipping on compression socks before bed eases the “got to move” feeling 140 percent better than standard drug treatments. Research in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association found that wrapping feet was so effective, it helped people sleep 82 percent more soundly. Putting pressure on two key muscles in the foot calms the nervous system and deactivates the body’s uncontrollable impulse to move the legs.
That’s it for now my friends; see you all the next time.
