Restless legs syndrome (RLS) can affect anyone at any age. In fact, around one in ten people are liable to suffer from this unpleasant disorder at some point in their lives. With symptoms ranging from mild to severe, sufferers experience an uncontrollable urge to move their legs to try and relieve the unpleasant tingling or aching sensations in their limbs. And while this in itself is not harmful, the knock-on effect of disrupted sleep can lead to excessive tiredness. Though there is no known cure for restless legs syndrome, certain foods are linked to the severity of symptoms and dietary changes can make a difference.


Track your Symptoms

Before making any alterations to your diet, it can be helpful to keep a diary tracking your eating and drinking habits. At the same time, make a note of the intensity of your RLS symptoms. This might give you an indication as to whether certain food or drink items are worsening your condition. If so, try cutting down or even eliminating some of the possible culprits and see if there's an improvement.

Foods to Avoid

Certain foods are known to worsen the effects of RLS. If your symptoms have become more severe or are lasting longer than usual, think about how much alcohol or caffeine you're consuming. Has it increased lately? Alcohol consumption is linked to worsening RLS symptoms in many people as is caffeine. Being a stimulant, caffeine should always be avoided before bed since it will be harder to get to sleep. Besides tea and coffee, quite a hefty amount of caffeine is found in many energy drinks and sodas as well as chocolate. Also check whether you're inadvertently taking any medication containing caffeine. Pain killers, for example, often have caffeine as an ingredient.

Foods That Help
Having an iron deficiency is known to worsen RLS symptoms and it's particularly common among women and children. If you think you could be anaemic, ask your doctor to check whether your iron levels are within the normal range. If they're too low, you should start by increasing your intake of iron rich foods. This includes lean red meat and offal such as kidneys. Also good are leafy green vegetables like broccoli and spinach, as well as nuts, eggs, oily fish, whole grains and fortified breakfast cereals like bran flakes. Eating more of these foods could not only help relieve your restless legs symptoms, they're all super healthy foods which should be included as part of a well balanced and nutritious diet.

Vitamins and Medication

If you have a vitamin B12 or iron deficiency and you find it difficult getting enough through diet alone, you may find it easier topping up with over the counter vitamins. However, before you stock up on pills, check with your doctor first, since some vitamins can impair the effectiveness of other minerals used by the body.

Some medication has the unfortunate side effect of worsening RLS symptoms. Possibilities include antidepressants, treatment for high blood pressure or heart conditions, as well as medication for allergies and colds or nausea. This includes over the counter remedies as well as those on prescription. If you're in any doubt, ask your doctor whether your medication is linked to restless legs syndrome.

Restless legs syndrome can be extremely unpleasant for the sufferer and difficult to treat. Since some foods are known to worsen RLS, by monitoring your food and drink intake together with your symptoms, you might find a connection and therefore be in a position to make adjustments to your diet. By taking control over the management of your condition you may be able to lessen or even eliminate your restless legs symptoms completely and finally achieve a good night's sleep.