Technology Distractions and RLS: Apple Owes Me Share Payments!

Technology. When my husband and I discuss what we will miss seeing in the future after we pass away, it is technology. In my current lifetime (excluding former ones, of course!), it has moved incredibly fast. In the last 30 years, it has progressed leaps and bounds.

Gadgets and gizmos to get through a bad night

As humans, it takes us hundreds of thousands of years to evolve. What will we evolve into? Suffering with restless legs syndrome (RLS), I am lucky enough to own Apple everything...just so I have enough gizmos to take me through a bad night. iPhone for social media, iPad for watching TV programmes and films, and Apple TV for when I finally decide to relocate myself from the bedroom to the lounge.

Technology distractions and blue light concerns

I would imagine our bodily evolvement and technology will be intertwined. Hopefully, neuro-blockers will come into play, where implants are placed into the areas needing help medically. Just think, if you could have a wire embedded into your head to put an end to your RLS symptoms, would you sign the paperwork?

With RLS, we deal with disturbed sleep a vast majority of the time. To distract ourselves, we end up plonked with some sort of wifi-hogging gadget keeping our attention away from creepy legs. This inevitably means we sit in front of a blue light screen, which could be one of the worst things you can do to disrupt your sleep.

'Old school' distractions do not work for me

How many of us go "old school" and read books, colour, or complete puzzle books? Do they hold your attention the same way as technology? Do they distract you from your RLS in the same way?

I tried colouring books for a while. This ended up with me self-diagnosing "attention span of a flea," as it kept me amused for about 10 minutes – another byproduct of technology.

A memorable trip, unplugged

Roughly a decade ago, whilst my children were still at home, we went on holiday to Scotland. The cabin we rented for 5 nights had a hot tub as well as a log-burning fire. The day we arrived, we all headed off to bed. We awoke to a blanket of snow, making the surroundings utterly stunning, also allowing a marathon dip in the tub.

Picture this. A forest covered in white, with only the hot tub lights bathing the area. Bubbling water at a balmy temperature, the ambient air temperature a chilly snowy blissful cool. Lying peacefully with a glass of wine in one hand and an uncharacteristic nothingness in both head and body. I would recommend it to any RLS sufferers out there!

My legs were so tired that holiday that they had nothing to complain about. Walking partway up a mountain, down to a meandering streaming that, when we next visited, had morphed into a raging torrent, showing the true power of water. After dunking my weary body into the tub every night, I slept like a log. Unfortunately, to buy one is thousands of pounds and equally as much in electricity to run it!!

Will will the future of technology hold?

RLS robs us of our night's sleep, the ability to sit on the sofa with a loved one and just be – to relax, without waiting for the tell-tale feeling of creepiness in your legs.

Maybe one day, technology will give it all back to us. That is my wish for us all for the future.