Restless Leg Syndrome Treatment: Women, Heart Disease, and Stroke

Studies are showing that ongoing restless leg syndrome treatment may be essential for maintaining good heart and brain health.

And this restless leg syndrome treatment appears to be especially true for middle aged women.

The reason is because evidence is showing a link between symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS), heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure (hypertension).

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with almost 600,000 deaths per year. Strokes account for about 130,000 yearly deaths.

Hypertension, known as the "silent killer" because it often goes undetected, is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. In fact, estimates are that as many as 17 million Americans have elevated blood pressure and don't even know it.

Studies are showing that ongoing restless leg syndrome treatment may be essential for maintaining good heart and brain health.

Women with RLS are at risk

Now a new study has shown that middle-aged women with restless legs are at increased risk for developing high blood pressure.

The study evaluated 65,544 women, ages 41 to 58, who were participating in Nurses' Health Study II, one of the most thorough studies of women ever undertaken.

Results showed that women who reported restless leg symptoms most frequently had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings. Specifically:

  • The odds of hypertension increased by 26% for women who reported 5 to 14 incidences of RLS per month

  • These odds increased to 33% for women with more than 15 monthly restless leg symptoms

  • Women with no restless leg syndrome symptoms only had a prevalence of high blood pressure of 21%.

What should you do with this information?

First, understand there is an association between restless leg syndrome and high blood pressure in men also. Women, however, have a greater risk for developing RLS and more women do have restless leg syndrome symptoms. This is especially true for pregnant women.

Second, it may be that ongoing restless leg syndrome treatment may help to reduce the incidence of hypertension. This in turn may help reduce stroke and heart attack risks and the devastation that both of these diseases cause.

Clearly then, it's important for men and women to keep their RLS and blood pressure under control.

So what are your options for restless leg syndrome treatment?

Start by downloading the free e-book below called Natural Help for Restless Leg Syndrome. It gives you an overview of restless legs syndrome and options for treatment.

The e-book focuses on natural restless leg syndrome treatments rather than drugs.

Pharmaceuticals are way over prescribed for far too many health conditions. And they ALWAYS come with the risk of side effects, so first trying lifestyle changes is always a wise choice. Make no mistake however, I'm not against drugs; they do have their place in medicine.

Also, restless leg syndrome treatment varies widely from individual to individual. For mild to moderate cases, drugs may be unnecessary.

Therefore, I'm only focusing below on natural RLS treatment.

For natural restless leg syndrome treatment, try the following:

  • If you smoke tobacco, stop

  • Eliminate alcohol as it can aggravate restless leg symptoms

  • Gentle exercise may help; try yoga in the morning and evening

  • A daily walk can be helpful as a restless leg syndrome treatment

  • A healthy diet is essential

  • Several nutrients play a key role in helping to decrease restless leg syndrome symptoms. These are magnesium, B12, folic acid, vitamin D, iron (if you've been tested and blood levels are below 50mcg/L), and vitamin C.

    Premium health supplements can help fill out all the gaps in your diet where nutrients may be missing.

    Click here for the ultimate women's health supplement.

    Click here for the premium men's health supplement. (Both links open in a new window.)

  • Before sleep, gently massage your legs, starting at the ankles and working up

  • A bath, hot or cool, may help relieve some of the RLS symptoms.

  • Be aware of how caffeine effects you. Caffeine stays in the body a long time during the day, so if you must have caffeine, restrict it to before noon. A routine of a cup of coffee in the morning may or not be okay for you. It's best to remove caffeine from your diet though.

Speaking of routines...

Try to keep to a sleep routine that includes good sleep hygiene. See my articles on how to fall asleep for some suggestions.

Other things to consider are any medications you are taking for other health conditions you may have. Some of these are known to make restless leg symptoms worse. For example, drugs for depression, allergies, heart problems, and medicines with antihistamines can worsen RLS.

In addition, diphenhydramine is known to aggravate RLS. This is the main drug in most of the over the counter sleep aids.

These drugs are terrible and I've written two articles about them. Avoid them! They may even cause brain damage.

Ironically, drugs you may be taking for high blood pressure can also make your restless legs more agitated.

So in an upcoming article, I'll be writing about which natural high blood pressure supplements work to lower blood pressure. Be sure to subscribe to the orange RSS button to your left so you're alerted when I post the article.

One last unique—and profitable—restless leg syndrome treatment idea for you

When your legs get agitated when you're sitting, one study suggested that mental activity is a form of natural restless leg syndrome treatment. These activities are such things as reading, card games, and computer work.

That last one, computer work, really caught my eye when I read that study.

Here's why.

If you're going to occupy your mind on the computer, why not make money doing it!

Why not work on your own online money-making business rather than sitting and reading a book or surfing the Internet. Hundreds of thousands of people are running their own businesses on the Internet (including me!).

The best news is, they're helping each other out on how do it in an amazing community of sharing people. I'm telling you, there is nothing else like this anywhere.

It's fun, rewarding, work. Yes, it is hard work but what's wrong with that! For more information, click here for the best small business to start. (Link opens a new browser window.)

You're about to see some very happy and interesting people.

You're also going to be shocked how anyone can get going with an online business and totally change their lives. That means you! All the tools you need, all in one place. No need to go anywhere else and flounder around. The company that's been providing all of this since 1997 is Site Build It (SBI).

One small final thing...computer screens give off light that can keep you up at night. So don't work on your internet business late in the evening...even when you get addicted to your own online business!

Here Are More Articles You Will Find Helpful

What is Restless Leg Syndrome?

19 Restless Leg Syndrome Symptoms

Effects of Sleep Deprivation On High Blood Pressure

Return to Sleep Passport Home Page

References for Restless Leg Syndrome Treatment

  1. Restless Legs Syndrome and Hypertension in Middle-Aged Women. Hypertension. 2011; 58: 791-796

  2. National Center on Sleep Disorder Research, National Institutes of Health; Restless Legs Syndrome

  3. Prevalence of stroke in Restless Legs Syndrome: Initial Results Point to the Need for More Sophisticated Studies. The Open Neurology Journal, 2010, 4, 73-77.

  4. Review of the relationship of restless legs syndrome/periodic limb movements in sleep to hypertension, heart disease and stroke. Sleep 2009;32:589-97.

  5. Restless legs syndrome. Chest. 2006;130:1596–1604.

  6. Nondrug-related aspect of treating Ekbom disease, formerly known as restless legs syndrome. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 2011:7 251–257.

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