Do you struggle with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)? 🦵 You know that jittery feeling in your legs, especially at night time, that makes you want to constantly move/pace the lounge room!? People with RLS (myself included) feel the irresistible urge to move their legs, which can also be accompanied by other uncomfortable sensations. The sensations are often described as a dull or intense aching, throbbing, pulling, a strong desire to stretch and lengthen the legs and more. The sensations can range in severity from uncomfortable/annoying to painful. Typically moving or massaging the legs relieves the discomfort. As RLS typically occurs/worsens at night, this constant desire and need to move can drastically affect an individual’s sleep (not cool).
Why so restless!? In clinic (and from personal experience 🙋♀️), I find restless legs are generally caused by these 2 main things;
1. Iron deficiency
2. Sleep deprivation/fatigue (could be from low iron!)
There are other potential causes of restless legs too, such as certain medications, pregnancy (low iron could be involved here too), excess caffeine/alcohol and nerve damage. However, time and time again, I see the repeat offender is LOW IRON. For myself, when my RLS comes back, I know my iron has dropped (and I have probably been slack with taking my iron supplements or keeping up my red meat intake!)
So any patient of mine that walks in the door and struggles with restless legs, first things first, I want to get a blood test done to check their iron levels.
What is iron? Iron is the building block required to produce haemoglobin, a component of our red blood cells. Red blood cells and haemoglobin operate as tiny vehicles that transport oxygen from our lungs to the rest of our body! In turn, our cells produce carbon dioxide, which the red blood cells return to the lungs, where it can be exhaled. Pretty cool huh!? Apart from RLS, other signs of iron deficiency or anaemia include;
😴Fatigue/tiredness
😲Easy shortness of breath/excess yawning
😴Overall weakness
👋🦶Cold hands and feet
🥴Dizziness
🚶♂️Pale skin
❤Fast or irregular heartbeats
Some factors that can play a role in iron deficiency/anaemia include; being vegan/vegetarian, heavy menstrual periods, pregnancy, a compromised gut and other nutritional deficiencies which help with the absorption and utilisation of iron such as B12, Vit A, Vit C and B2.
Rich food sources of iron include; red meat (most absorbable form), pork, chicken, fish, eggs, green leafy vegetables, lentils and some nuts and seeds. It’s important to note that if you have iron deficiency, diet alone may not be enough to restore your levels, but it can certainly help to maintain them once they are back to normal! Yet, before taking any supplementation, always consult your healthcare practitioner first.
Do you suspect you might be low in iron and/or do you suffer from restless legs? I am right here to help!
Nutmeg xx
