Restless legs in pregnancy - any advice?

[ohnelly]

I am 8 weeks pregnant with second baby, and my restless legs are driving me mad! I had this with first pregnancy but only towards the end. It is worse at night and wakes me up and keeps me awake - not good as I work full time and have a 3 1/2 year old. I am already on Iron tablets as Im a vegetarian. Has anyone got any advice please? I cant cope with this for another 7 months!!!

[GracieGirl]

Me too! I'm 16 weeks. Its very annoying in the middle of the night. Sorry no advice, but at least we're in it together!

[brightonbleach]

oh god, I can't get rid of this either, its dreiving me and hubby mad! no sleep for hours... I've been told that it may be in part due to a potassium deficiancy and so to make sure i eat a banana every day, which I do but its not making any diff... 30weeks now any better suggestions welcome!!!!

[woodhj]

I am 18 weeks and it driving me mad, its like anxiety in your legs, finally get sat down at night, legs start and feel like i want to pull them off!!!

End up walking around half the night or trying to stretch it out then panicing that i have stretched to much. Hopefully it will go away

[mosschops30]

Try rubbing them up and down or side to side on the bed sheet, its the only thing thats worked for me, they start to buzz slightly and then I can try and sleep before the buzzing stops and twitching starts again.

Agree this is a real bastard, i drive dh nuts!!

[pippa251]

Excersize worked 4 me- run / walk then stretch out

[mogend77]

Exercise plenty - have a walk in the evening if you can, go up and down the stairs a few times in the night if you're having an attack.

Don't get dehydrated - drink plenty during the day & have a drink on hand in the night.

Make sure you have plenty potassium & magnesium in your diet (nuts, pine kernels, bananas for example).

It is a bastard - I have had it all my life, it just gets worse for me in pregnancy.

[The2ndMrsSantos]

Oh I really feel for you - def worse with 2nd pregnancy. I tried chiropractic, acupunture, exercise, lavender cream, Vicks Vaporub and then Deep Heat (check with your midwife tho as you need to be careful with those strong topical creams in preg esp first trimester). Tbh none of it worked for very long. My GP gave me Diazepam eventually in the 3rd tri and I was on strict instructions to take it only when desperate (I also had a toddler to take care of). I took one once a week but it is a sleeping tablet so not exactly ideal. It is awful, awful,awful - I get it even when not preg but very tired. I hope you find some relief but please check any remedies out with your midwife before trying

[ohnelly]

I live in a bungalow so got no stairs!! Lol. Ill try going for a walk this evening & see if that helps, and I got a load of bananas in too so hopefully will help! And I'll try the bedsheets one too if when I get it tonight. Let you all know 2moro how I get on! Thanks for tips!

[Knickers0nMaHead]

Eat a banana before bed and lay on the bed with your feet on the headboard/wall 10mins before you sleep. It doesnt cure it but sometimes it can ease it, abit. Sympathies though, I had it with both dcs from around 12weeks till birth.

[ohnelly]

Hi all, well I took the dog for a walk, ate 2 bananas before bed then read my book for 10 mins with my feet up the wall, and it was better. And I might have got a good nights sleep but DS1 woke me up at 3am crying and took ages to settle again. Typical! will try again tonight!

[mogend77]

Aint that just the way it goes?

Better luck for tonight.

[FlightofFancy]

I'm another one starting to get this at 18 weeks - not yet at night, but in the evenings as soon as I sit down to relax! Have taken to pacing up and down the living room - agree that getting decent exercise during the day helps. Will also try bananas...
It is slightly better if I sit on the floor with my legs stretched out rather than the comfy sofa.

[TotallyAndUtterlyPaninied]

I had this really bad with DS. It was actually my 1st pregnancy symptom with this pregnancy. Driving me insane- and I get SPD so no comfy sleeps for me. I cross my toes over and squeeze my feet together. Or get DH to rub my legs a little. Tensing them helps a bit. But I think really you're best to accept that you're going to be insane by 40 weeks.

[thedollshouse]

My left leg has a dull ache - Is this what you mean by restless legs?

[liahgen]

Tonic water makes a very little improvement.

Also using the shower spray, alternate hot and cold on each leg in turn before bed.

Also deep calf muscle rub when it wakes you, quite vigorously, then get into comfy position very quickly, and that's normally ~just enough for you to get back off.

HTH

[lise05]

I had this last night - the worst ever! It was the first night of my third trimester. instead of the usual urges, my legs were actually twitching and jerking by themselves each time I was falling asleep, only to bring me wide awake again! Diet definitely helps, but something else that sent me off to sleep without any delay was focusing on imagining some vivid memory that involves a totally different sense to the one bothering me - touch. So I chose sight. A student I taught that day had really really shiny long hair which I was so jealous of! So I focused on that rich memory and must have nodded off straight away as that's all I remember!
Hope this works for some of you twitchy itchy gals out there! X

[AmberLav]

I sometimes find that some slight squats help with me, but mine is normally focused in my knees, I also find that having a whole bed to myself helps, as I can press my knees into the duvet better...

[happygojo]

Last night I had a cool bath which helped. My OH is now in the spare room so I also move to the 'cold' side of the bed when i wake up. Trying to eat bananas and also have just bought some extra magnesium. I am 34+3 now so hopefully I won't have to deal with it for too much longer. It really sucks!

[lovelyredwine]

The only thing that works for me is exercise. I was running, but now just go for a brisk walk every night for 2-3 miles. Very annoying when it's freezing or pouring with rain, but it's the only way I get some sleep!

[Hing87]

Don't no if this will help anyone other than me but I get restless feet and legs at night, I put a hot water bottle (microwavable teddy beanbag one) in between my feet and it stops it allowing me to sleep must be the heat! Works every night without fail!

[Purplelilly]

I'm really struggling with this as well :( I've had restless leg pain at least a couple of nights a week ever since I was a teenager.

Since getting pregnant it is so much worse as I've been getting it in both legs every day and it's bad when I'm in a chair rather than just when in bed.

The only thing I find that helps me sleep is to keep my feet constantly moving over the edge of the bottom of the bed while bending back my foot and applying lots of pressure to the back of my knees/thigh.

I've found that the pain is worse when I'm very tired. Also being too warm or the sheets being cold makes it worse for me.

Definitely drink plenty of water as other posters have suggested, that makes a lot of difference.

[Kyliem88]

Rub Vicks on ur legs, sounds crazy but try it

[Jinglebellsandv0dka]

I used a heat pad - it helped.

Restless legs drive me over the fucking edge!

[reallyanotherone]

Are you taking general multivits? It is sometimes a different mineral rather than iron, magnesium for example.

[tiredmumrighthere]

Hi just came across this whilst I was browsing, I had this bad a couple of months ago it used to drive me mad!! I found what worked for me was sitting with my feet in a bowl of cold water whilst watching TV, and I know this sounds odd but id put a pair of socks in my freezer 2/3 hrs before bedtime and wore them in bed lol it really worked for me x