Restless Leg Syndrome?

(Troy John) #1

Is RLS a keto thing due to lack of something? I take my quota of electrolytes but am having trouble with RLS. Anyone experience this and can share what you did to overcome it?

(Michael - When reality fails to meet expectations, the problem is not reality.) #2

Don’t I wish I had that instead of what I actually have! :pleading_face:

Yes, it probably results from a deficiency of somthing(s). But what exactly remains to be determined. Plus, it’s not just keto. There are proffered ‘remedies’ for RLS, night cramps and just about anything else you can imagine out there aimed at not just the keto market. None of these problems is caused by keto per se. Although, I will say that if your keto diet is not well-planned and nutritionally balanced it may result in accentuating issues you may not have noticed previously.

The most likely suspects of ‘muscle spasm’ issues is the balance of calcium, potassium, magnesium and ‘factor x’. ‘Factor x’ being something specific and intrinsic to you based on… who knows?

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #3

I suspect that your chances of getting more of whatever-it-is, or of needing less of it, would be enhanced on a well-formulated ketogenic diet of natural, whole foods.

Avoid anything manufactured, even if it claims to be keto-friendly. Avoid ketofied substitutes for familiar foods. Stick to meat, poultry, fish, green vegetables, cheese and other fermented dairy products (assuming you can tolerate them); avoid sugar, refined grains, and starches.

I find that my cramps and restless leg problems have gone away over time on a ketogenic diet. I take no supplements, merely ensuring that my salt intake is adequate.

(Robin) #4

I struggled with RLS and awful leg/foot cramps for several weeks after going keto. Now I drink large glass of water with a heaping helping of magnesium carbonate powder and some salt every evening. Pretty much took care of it for me. (Knock on wood.)

(Naseredin Aramnejad) #5

Hello,
I started my keto diet 7 days ago and I had RLS since childhood but within past 2-3 days, it became a lot worse.
Specially at night and even in the midnight.

(Polly) #6

Sorry to hear you are suffering. I recommend you try the remedies suggested above and report back what effects you notice.

#7

funny thing is my few times with restless legs always could be accounted back to my days doing less moving but pumped with energy and at night when I ‘kinda knew to go to sleep’ but really didn’t wanna, my legs would just wanna do their own thing. I truly never put it against mag. or potass. or anything like that, I correlated it to ‘me personally’ about my daily activity thru the day and how I moved out my energy levels.

I know that is a bit off kilter with everyone wanting it to be all vit/mineral related fixes, but I found my few times with this issue, and it stinks truly, was moving. Less I moved and better I ate for my health, if I didn’t release great energy thru the day with my movement, I could have a tendency to have RLS. And for me, when I got that and wanted it gone I moved my legs. I walked, swung legs, jiggled legs and just kept moving them like in any fashion, cause at 3 am I ain’t gonna put on an exercise video in my living room LOL but more I moved the syndrome would lessen and be controlled to go to sleep and make it all more ok for me.

but this is not something I ever had alot of cause I move all day long truly.

Again, just me and my correlation to it as I experienced it and more rarely experience it now.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #8

This is what stopped mine. I think it would work for just about anyone.

(John) #9

I have suffered RLS for a long time. I found that increasing my Magnesium intake works best for me.
Hope you find what works for you. It is a pain in the neck (and legs) to put up with!

(Tina) #10

I have the same thing!! WTH?!?!?

(Robin) #11

Magnesium, salt, water. ready, go!

(Karen) #12

I get RLS in bed at night if I have eaten too much cheese before bed. Especially a strong cheese. I have managed to cut it out of my Carnie woe recently but it took some doing as it was my go to food. Not had any cheese for a good 4 weeks now and not had RLS either. Cant really think of any other foods that do that to me for now. Used to drive me insane.

(Robin) #13

Do you get the same issues with cream cheese? It’s the one I can best tolerate. And heavy whipping cream is the only dairy I can use without problems. Not complaining. Love them both.

(Karen) #14

Generally, if I am recalling correctly, coloured cheeses. I didn’t eat a lot of cream cheese except goats cheese and that was usually semi soft and I didn’t have any problems with that. Reason i stopped eating cheese was because I was getting addicted to it and was eating way too much

(PJ) #15

I read that the chronic need to move the leg (like jiggling it), or cramps, are low magnesium, and the sudden massive ‘jerks’ of the leg, are low potassium. No idea if this is true or not.

Some minerals if taken in volume will trigger the drop of other minerals. For example a sudden big bolus of sodium (like in bacon) for me will trigger a drop of calcium (which can cause tingling and easy ‘sleep’ in my extremities). Sometimes if a food causes an issue it’s not what it has, but what is affected by what it has.

I would not have known that about sodium and calcium except twice, at the end of a keto shift (having lost, in one case, 44# of water in 16 days), it put me in ER, hypocalcemic to the extreme, lucky it didn’t kill me, but I was having a slow muscle seizure body-wide. Terrifying.

I do find that getting more exercise in the day, before bed if needed, and a multi-mineral late in the day, help to reduce or remove these things for me. I have diuretics for a heart valve issue, as well as going in and out of keto, so I am constantly fighting mineral loss due to water fluctuations… so this is a constant thing for me.