Restless Leg Syndrome
According to the National Sleep Foundation approximately 12 million Americans have restless legs syndrome, a sleep and movement disorder characterized by unpleasant (tingling, crawling, creeping and/or pulling) feelings in the legs, which cause an urge to move in order to relieve the symptoms.
Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS) is a chronic, disruptive disorder where one feels an urge to move their legs to stop an unpleasant sensation such as pain, aching, itching or tickling in the muscles while lying down or trying to sleep. Many cases of RLS can be mild but in more severe cases the symptoms can often be intolerable.
Having a sleepless night now and then can be annoying. However, when you have restless legs syndrome (RLS), going without sleep night after night can make life miserable. You may be so tired that you just feel like crying.
On some sites, you will read that there is no cure for Restless Leg Syndrome; however, once diagnosed, your doctor will recommend a treatment plan to decrease symptoms, few of which will help.
Magnesium oil (chloride), when applied transdermally to the legs, is effective in relieving restless leg syndrome (RLS).
Restless leg syndrome symptoms and anxiety are related to each other and result in severe sleep disorders. Even a mild deficiency of magnesium can cause increased sensitivity to noise, nervousness, irritability, mental depression, confusion, twitching, trembling, apprehension, and insomnia.
Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a major role in the functioning of the muscular-skeletal system. Magnesium allows the muscles to relax providing a calming effect that allows for deeper relaxation and better sleep. Dr. Carolyn Dean says, “A hundred years ago we enjoyed a diet high in magnesium with a daily intake of 500 mg. Today we are lucky to get 200 mg. However, calcium in the diet has never been higher. This high-calcium, low-magnesium diet, when coupled with calcium supplementation, can give a calcium to magnesium imbalance of 10:1 or even higher — which constitutes a walking time bomb of impaired bone health and heart disease.”
According to government data, 68% of Americans do not consume the recommended intake of magnesium and 19% of Americans do not consume even half of the recommended intake. Yet sites like Healthline misinforms the public saying, “It’s rare to have a true magnesium deficiency, but certain conditions such as gastrointestinal disease, diabetes, and pancreatitis can upset the body’s magnesium balance.”
“I have had restless legs every night for the past 45 years. The severity has gradually increased over the years and has led to several visits to the doctor. I have been on 4 different medications, none of which helped. On a whim, I bought a bottle of magnesium spray oil from the chemist and have been using this twice a day on knees and calves. I have also started taking a magnesium supplement. My RLS symptoms have almost completely disappeared. I still feel twinges in the evenings but they do not last more than a few minutes. I apply the oil as needed. It stings a bit and dries the skin but the disappearance of this wretched condition more than makes up for any temporary discomfort.”