Restless Daytime

As sufferers of restless legs syndrome (RLS), we are used to dealing with symptoms on a nightly basis, but what do we do when those very symptoms creep into the daytime hours? The sensations occasionally push their way into the daylight hours, encroaching on what we consider to be our RLS-free times.

My usual frustrations and symptoms explode during car travel

Travelling has turned into an integral part of my life currently, leading to RLS becoming a determining factor in so many of my car-based meltdowns. Luckily, I am the passenger; unfortunately, my incessant moving has started to annoy the driver, causing my usual frustrations at my annoying condition to be exploded in the car, aimed in my poor husband’s direction.

Imagine spending 8 hours cooped up in a metal box, with only a 2-foot by 4-foot diameter recess to wriggle your legs around. When you suffer from RLS, the urge to move becomes overwhelming. The muscles in your knees start to tighten up, releasing unbearable pain down your calves. Pushing your feet into the footwell helps alleviate the pain briefly, so you try it again and again until you are repeatedly making that movement over and over again.

Taking brief walks and finding distractions

When time allows, you stop at the services. In the United Kingdom service areas range from plush, clean areas with food courts stocking some of the best fast foods available to a couple of beaten-up stores with bathrooms attached.

Walking around to alleviate the pressure pent up in your lower extremities is so much easier when you have items to distract your attention from your legs, not just people-watching from a bench.

Drinking coffee to stay awake in the wee hours of the morning

Caffeine can sometimes be the lesser of two evils or most definitely the worst. Traveling in the wee small hours can be preferred — as traffic is considerably less — until staying awake becomes an issue, leading to Costa Coffee taking possession of the contents of my bank account, my mouth running at 100 miles an hour to enable me to stay awake enough to continue the conversation that is keeping my driver awake!

Trying to choreograph the score of Riverdance whilst sitting in the passenger seat, fuelled by ‘The Bean’, is not an acceptable way to spend one-third of your day. Caffeine ramps up the movements your RLS-addled body wants to impart, leaving you practically close to tears while sitting in the car. You cannot control anything, leaving you as frustrated as the person sitting next to you is!

Turning your area of the car into a slice of heaven

Ultimately I turned to my medication to stop the pain in my legs. My pain tablets are on a 12-hour rotation to ensure I am permanently covered. This interacts with my RLS capsules, ensuring that once I have taken them I am fast asleep in approximately 30 minutes. Fingers crossed I will stay that way for the rest of the day.

Sleeping in the car is not an ideal experience, but throw in a pillow, a duvet for a little warmth if you are heading out in the winter, and a reclining seat, you can turn your area into a little slice of heaven.

Remember one thing: RLS does not rule us, we rule it!