Restless legs syndrome is not an easy thing to live with, especially knowing how easy it can lead to depression and anxiety due to the difficult symptoms and the complications that they cause. It is estimated that around 10% of the US population is suffering from restless legs syndrome. Restless legs syndrome is usually treated with the use of medications. However, natural remedies can benefit the patient a great deal! In the following, we will discuss some of the best natural remedies for restless legs syndrome.

What is there to know about restless legs syndrome?

Restless legs syndrome (RLS), also referred to as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a medical condition that causes uncomfortable sensations to develop in the legs. Patients report feeling crawling, tingling in the legs which cause an overwhelming urge to move the affected limbs. There are two types of RLS – primary and secondary. Unfortunately, it is unknown what exactly causes the primary RLS to develop. On the other hand, secondary RLS is known to be caused by pregnancy, iron deficiency, chronic kidney failure, etc. The symptoms usually occur while the patient is sitting and most commonly while the patient is sleeping. When RLS occurs during sleep, it causes periodic limb movements of sleep to develop which usually leads to severe sleep problems, especially insomnia to occur. RLS symptoms are usually mild, but they can worsen over time and become more severe. The treatment focuses on easing the existing symptoms. The use of medications and natural remedies are what usually helps patients to achieve symptoms relief.

How to treat restless legs syndrome with the use of natural remedies?

Restless legs syndrome is normally treated with the use of proper medications, prescribed by a doctor. However, in most cases, patients are encouraged to using natural remedies as well. This, of course, does not mean that the patient should not take his/her prescribed medications and rely only on natural remedies. In this case, the natural remedies are only a helping hand in the situation.

• Change your lifestyle – Caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol are known triggers for the symptoms of the RLS. We advise our readers to think about changing their lifestyle to the better by avoiding smoking, excessive drinking and drinking too much caffeine. One coffee a day will not do much harm, but anything above that should be reconsidered. Smoking and excessive drinking are bringing to much health risks as it is, and apparently, they do not stop at restless legs syndrome.
• Establish a good sleep schedule – Make sure that you go to bed and wake up each morning so that you have slept through at least 8 hours throughout the night. Fatigue is another known trigger for restless legs syndrome symptoms, which is why you should consider getting enough rest throughout the night.
• Start exercising – Exercising has so many health benefits that they are almost impossible to count! Well, add symptoms relief to the list as well, when it comes to the RLS. In fact, a study back in 2006 revealed that 23 RLS patients have found exercising beneficial for their RLS symptoms after they have practiced aerobic exercise and lower body resistance training for 12 weeks, three times a week.
• Try yoga – Not only will you reduce your stress, speed up your metabolism, improve your sleep and feel more calm and relaxed, among other health benefits, yoga will also help you reduce your RLS symptoms, according to scientific research published in Sleep Medicine Reviews.
• Using supplements – Since iron deficiency is a known cause for secondary RLS, we encourage our readers to move towards using a quality iron supplement to combat the deficiency in their treatment for RLS. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, and Vitamin D supplements can also be used as a part of the treatment since their deficiency in the human body have been commonly linked to the occurrence of severe RLS symptoms.
• Hot and cold therapy – Another great natural remedy that you can use at home is hot and cold therapy. In order to do so, all that you have to do is apply hot and cold compresses on the affected areas. You can also try taking warm and cold baths to achieve the same effects. Your symptoms will reduce, your blood flow will improve, and you will feel better in no time with the simple use of hot and cold therapy.

Final Thoughts

RLS is not a difficult condition to manage, if you stick to your prescribed therapy and use some of the best natural remedies, that is. We advise our readers to believe in the healing powers that something as simple as vitamin and iron supplements, hot and cold therapy, yoga and regular exercise have. Gain the health benefits that these natural remedies have to offer you and get some great RLS symptoms relief in between!