Bed time. You’re comfortably knackered. And happily snoozy. And cosying up to a cat. It doesn’t take long before….you…zzzzzzzz….zzz…
DING! Wide awake. Some selfish shit has decided to throw a party. FFS!
There’s no music though. Or people. But a shed load of compulsive dancing. Coming from your own damn legs.
Not again.
Restless legs. It’s been pretty consistent recently. It’s a tricky one to describe (and to imagine if you’ve never experienced it, although, sadly, many people have).
I get drawn into this cosy state, forgetting that it almost always waits until I’m least expecting it. It’s like a sneaky snake, waiting until I’m practically unconscious before pouncing and injecting its poison.
My legs are swimming with the toxins of a bad batch of the latest party drug. At least that’s how they feel. It reminds me of the stupidity of too much vodka and Red Bull. I used to down a load of that stuff in my younger years. I’d get home, my body would be worn out and ready to shut off but my brain would be whizzing with taurine. Restless legs is kind of the opposite, at least that’s how it feels. Although I think, in reality, it all comes from one place. The brain.
I’m bloody knackered writing this. Because I was awake for what felt like ages tossing and turning last night. Kicking my legs. My husband said it didn’t appear to be as bad as it has been. At least last night I didn’t have to head into the spare room. And that’s not because he gets angry with me, but because I am sure there is some psychological element to this as well. The fear of disturbing someone else’s sleep for me makes it worse. But I didn’t feel the need to go to the spare room last night. Hubby had his head phones plugged in to his mac watching Ultimate Fighting Championships til late. Which for some reason made me feel more relaxed.
So I am tired. But it’s one of those things isn’t it. Is it a sleep disorder that I just happen have? Is it a sleep disorder because my lazy thyroid is slacking off? Is it a sleep disorder because I’m lacking in vitamins? Because I stopped eating meat? Am I tired because of this or because of my thyroid? What came first?
It’s ridiculously complex. I feel sorry for people who have food intolerances and the only way of discovering the culprit is by cutting out each food group one at a time for like a month or something. Imagine giving up pizza for a month only to find out dairy and gluten were not the cause of your bloated stomach after all. Gutted!
I’ve tried dropping the taurine and loading up on quinine (disclaimer – a few glasses of tonic water’s fine but don’t go too far with the old quinine cure – my GP said too much can be toxic). I’ve tried putting a pillow between my legs. Getting a foot rub. Having a run. Having no alcohol. Dropping the caffeine levels. I think impatience is my problem here – I don’t give each of these things enough time. I imagine they all help but I need to keep the faith!
Frankly – it’s doing my head in! So I’m writing about it in the hope that there might be some sharing of tips and tricks to stop that late night party in my legs. Anyone?
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