Restless Legs Syndrome During Pregnancy: What to Do?
How to stop restless legs immediately during pregnancy?
Since the beginning of your third trimester of pregnancy, your legs have been tingling, prickling, or even painful? Do you constantly feel the need to move them, especially at night? You may be suffering from restless legs syndrome. Our advice for dealing with these problems.
What is restless legs syndrome?
Also called "restless legs syndrome" or Willis-Ekbom syndrome, restless legs syndrome (or RLS) occurs most often during periods of inactivity. Some of the most common "symptoms" you may experience include:
- Difficulty (or even inability, as the syndrome can sometimes be uncontrollable) in remaining seated or lying down without constantly moving the legs.
- A discomfort in the legs that can manifest itself in different forms: from simple tingling to burning sensations and small electric shocks. Generally, these unpleasant sensations are more present in the evening or at night and can even, sometimes, interfere with falling asleep and staying asleep.
Restless Leg Syndrome Pain During Pregnancy.
Although it is not strictly speaking considered "dangerous", restless legs syndrome can nevertheless have a serious impact on the quality of life of pregnant women (and anyone else affected) who suffer from it.
Why? Because the unpleasant sensation conveyed by this syndrome only stops when the person suffering from it starts moving. And when it occurs at bedtime, or even during the night, it becomes almost impossible to fall asleep, or to sleep properly. It is therefore not for nothing that restless legs syndrome is classified as a sleep disorder.
Consequences? Difficulty falling asleep or finding a peaceful sleep, or even insomnia which can cause, during the day, feelings of fatigue, concentration problems, phases of drowsiness, irritability, etc.
What is the connection between restless legs syndrome and pregnancy?
Between 1 and 3 pregnant women out of 10 (depending on the study) suffer from restless legs syndrome. This most often appears during the last trimester of pregnancy and fortunately disappears rather quickly (around two weeks) after giving birth.
Although the link between pregnancy and impatience is not clearly established, specialists most often invoke hormonal variations as well as genetic predispositions specific to each individual. As for women who suffer from impatience before pregnancy, they may see their symptoms intensify once pregnant, unfortunately causing intense and daily discomfort.
How to relieve leg pain when pregnant?
If you suffer from restless legs syndrome during your pregnancy, be aware that the medications usually recommended to treat these disorders (dopaminergics) are contraindicated during pregnancy. But, fortunately, there are other simple measures that can effectively relieve you.
- Get up and take a few steps! This is definitely the first thing to do, because it will be the only thing that can relieve you in record time!
- Massage your legs or take the time to spray them with cool water, starting from your ankles and working up to your knees to stimulate blood circulation and relieve your tingling sensations.
- Eat a varied and balanced diet to cover your magnesium needs. Foods rich in magnesium include green vegetables, whole grains, pulses, the popular chocolate, oilseeds (such as almonds and walnuts), and also certain mineral waters. Note that obesity could also be a factor in the development of restless legs syndrome.
- Limit coffee or tea consumption (as well as any other stimulant foods or drinks) which could, unsurprisingly, make restless legs syndrome worse!
Restless Legs Syndrome While Pregnant: Talk to Your Practitioner!
Is restless legs syndrome weighing on you every day? You are not the only one, and above all, you are not alone! Don't hesitate to talk to your gynecologist or midwife as soon as possible. The specialist you have chosen will be able to do a complete assessment to identify a possible iron deficiency and/or magnesium needs. If he deems it necessary, he will then be able to prescribe the dietary supplement that is right for your deficiency! In which case, the symptoms should manage to calm down relatively quickly.
