The Walking Tired

I have recently been lucky enough to relocate to the most beautiful part of the country. Wide, open, majestic spaces, green as far as the eye can see, sometimes even a hint of sea thrown in for good measure.

The one and only downfall is that I now live in an apartment instead of a craftsman (bungalow in the UK). This, in itself, is not a problem; my neighbours seem like a lovely couple, with the rest of the block being very welcoming. My only problem is my waking hours. RLS is not conducive to 'normal' sleeping patterns!

Do my new neighbors think I'm one of the undead?

Coming to terms with having a new body in the building is something hundreds of thousands of tenants deal with on a daily basis. Living in a rental property usually brings a high turnover of removal companies and U-Haul trailers, with new voices and dialects heard regularly. But what about when you are the "newbie"?! Let alone a newbie with a medical condition that makes you seem like a member of the undead!

If you watch The Walking Dead, you will be familiar with the dulcet tones of the walkers groaning and shuffling along in their progress to acquire human flesh. Many of us will recognise that half-dead, monosyllabic creature in the mirror most mornings after a bad night with RLS! The similarities are uncanny!

Wondering how to explain my condition to others in my building

When you awake at "normal" o'clock to hear these same tones echoed from the new downstairs apartment tenant, it must be very shocking! I am unaware of this torment, as I am usually the groaning individual who has recently moved into the building!

Whilst tormenting myself during an attack of RLS in the wee small hours, my mind went through the choices as to how to break it to the other tenants that their new neighbour has a penchant for grey matter — whoops, no, that their new neighbour suffers from a neurological condition that often means she is awake whilst most others are asleep.

What I do in the small hours of the night

My initial thought was to pin a note on the building noticeboard. This seemed too general, as not all house numbers need to know about my 4 AM tea and toast-making exploits.

Secondly, my village has a Facebook page, but if a note was general, an Internet post was like splattering my news unnecessarily all over the place!

So, thirdly and finally, I decided to wait and see if they mentioned anything. It's not like I am throwing a rave every night; it's just the odd creaky floorboard and boiling kettle in the small hours of the night, sometimes twinned with a cackle of laughter as I watch a comedy programme through headphones.

Having consideration for my neighbors is still a must, even with RLS

Do your neighbours ever query you about your affinity for nighttime tasks when they are unaware of your diagnosis of RLS? Do some take advantage by asking you to complete jobs that are more conducive to the nighttime hours?

One thing is for sure: When you live in an apartment, having consideration for your surrounding neighbours is a must.