RLS: confused/June

[Guest guest]

Actually, June, there's physical involvement and there's mental

involvement....both are recognized therapies to stop or get through an RLS

episode. Physical involvements can also involve concentration. That's true.

But there is also a legitimate therapy of mental concentration that does

NOT involve any physical movement at all. Obviously, not everyone can make

it work, for one reason or another. It might be that they need more work

at it, but it also might be that the conditions which cause their RLS (and

their other medical conditions) just might not respond well to JUST

concentration.

I just wanted to clarify that some of us are definitely talking about using

concentration that does NOT involved physical movement. We're talking

about things like laying down to go to sleep, feeling the RLS start and

then concentrating so hard on something that we don't pay attention to the

RLS at all, and find ourselves asleep before we have to wiggle our legs.

It doesn't ALWAYS work, but in my own experience, for example, it's working

about 90% of the time. I get the same terrible RLS attacks I've had for

years....probably more often than I used to get them....but these days, I'm

able to concentrate on dance steps and I'm asleep before I work through one

complete dance.

One thing that I've observed in the last month, is that it's best if I

concentrate on something where I'm thinking about my legs moving. I

realized this after reading someone else's email where he described

concentrating on a marching band going by...looking at everyone's legs

moving...like HIS wanted to move. So, I switched my own thoughts until I

found something (my clogging steps) that I could think about that involved

thinking about moving my legs. It's the best subject matter I've found, yet.

What I CAN'T seem to do, is to use concentration when there are other

distractions. I was at a movie, Saturday night and didn't have a single

twinge. Then Sunday night, I went to another movie, and had major RLS

through 3/4 of the movie. I couldn't watch the movie, follow the plot

(Shakespeare in Love) and also concentrate on anything. And stupid me,

after having no problems the night before, I didn't bring a sucker!!!! And

I ended up in a sheer panic and forgot I had jasmine oil in my purse. The

panic over took an sense of reason. Gotta work on that. It was NOT a fun

time at the movies.

Anyhow...please understand I'm not saying everyone should be able to sit

still and concentrate. I'm just trying to clarify your confusion, by

explaining that some of us definitely use concentration without physical

movement, successfully.

Good luck in your continued search for effective therapies,

Jill, 46

Payson, AZ

http://www.netzone.com/~gunzel/rls.html

[Guest guest]

Something I have found lately to help get my mind off of RLS, is reading.

I have a mare that is green broke (you can't just get on her and go like

you can a horse that has had lots of training.) Anyway, I have gotten a

book written by a Native American and how he trains his horses, it's alot

like the horse whisper's methods. Anyway, when I go to bed, I

concentrate on training her, I'm not great at visulization, so I really

have to work at it. It seems to work for ME. I try to keep my mind busy

with something, ie training the horse. Before I know it, I am asleep, I

still wake up around 2:00am and again around 4:00am, why I don't know,

I'm not aware of anything waking me up, perhaps my legs are kicking and

that does it, I don't know. But I am always able to go back to sleep

within a few minutes if I don't get up. I don't know if this would help

you or not June, it doesn't work with just a novel, for me it has to be

something sort of technical that I have to work at with my mind.

I think I have mentioned that at night when I am watching TV and my legs

start up I do bead work, there is a pattern you have to follow and count

how many beads, what colors etc. This really helps to get my mind off of

my legs. I also was trying to come up with patterns in my head at night,

as I said I'm not very good at visulization, so again I had to really

concentrate on it. I hope you can find something to help you. I know

these techniques will not work for everyone, I have cut back on the xanax

and I am hoping to get off of it all together in the near future. This

maybe why I wake up a couple of times a night. I may have to switch to

something else, only time will tell. I don't think the advil is as

effective on my PLMD as it used to be, so I may end up taking something

for that as it is more of a problem to me than the RLS.

Happy Days and Nights....

Debbie

, Ca. Love this weather, 21 at night, but mid to high 50's during

the day....

41 and holding

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