Hi! Today I'm going to be talking about restless legs. I had a really bad case of restless leg
syndrome during pregnancy and it drove me absolutely crazy! I found it really hard to
relax and I constantly felt the need to fidget and jiggle my legs. At night time, I found it
really hard to switch off and fall asleep because I felt like I had to move my legs
all the time :( Thankfully, when I was about seven months pregnant, I found some simple but really
effective ways to deal with restless leg syndrome so I'm going to share my top tips with you now!
If we haven't already met, my name's Anja and I'm an antenatal class teacher specialising in
hypnobirthing. On my YouTube channel you'll find birth preparation videos as well as pregnancy
relaxation audios for you to enjoy. I upload new videos to my channel every single week
so don't forget to subscribe and click the bell icon so you don't miss any of my upcoming videos!
Let me now delve into my top tips for dealing with restless leg syndrome during pregnancy.
My first tip is to do some exercise every day. It doesn't have to be anything strenuous or intense.
You could go for a walk outside, maybe go swimming, dance around your kitchen, do some prenatal yoga
or pilates. When I started to do more exercise during pregnancy, I experienced fewer episodes
of restless legs and I found pregnancy yoga especially beneficial for backache as well.
My second tip is to drink some apple cider vinegar each day. Restless leg syndrome can
be caused by nutrient or vitamin deficiencies and apple cider vinegar balances the PH of your body
and this improves nutrient absorption from the food that you eat. Apple cider vinegar is quite
strong and tangy tasting so it's best taken in a diluted form so it's easier for you to swallow.
Simply add a few tablespoons of the vinegar to a glass of water and sip it slowly over a few hours
before bed. You could also rub some apple cider vinegar on your legs with a cotton pad before you
go to sleep and it will help to ease any fidgety muscles. My third tip is to avoid caffeine. In
pregnancy, you're not meant to have much caffeine anyway but caffeine can make you extra fidgety
so try and replace any caffeinated beverages with non-caffeinated alternatives like
decaf coffee or fruit teas. My fourth tip is to up your intake of magnesium, potassium, iron, vitamin
D and vitamin B12. Restless legs can be caused by a deficiency in those vitamins and minerals.
Blood tests can reveal whether you're running low on certain nutrients however you can combat
restless legs by adding certain foods to your daily diet. For example, every day I would make sure
I ate a banana, a handful of cashew nuts, an avocado, a bit of meat an egg and some fortified cereal. I
also took extra iron in the form of a supplement and I used a vitamin D oral spray. I also found it
really relaxing to have a warm bath a few times a week with Epsom salts added in. I would dissolve
one cup of the salts in the bath water and stay in there for about 20 minutes. Epsom salts contain
magnesium which can reduce restless leg syndrome and soothe your muscles. Lavender has quite a
potent smell and you may find it overpowering in pregnancy as your sense of smell is heightened.
However, if you don't mind the smell, you could diffuse some lavender oil into the room you're in
or rub a few drops onto the soles of your feet at nigh. Lavender oil will calm your mind and body
which will relax your legs and help you to rest and sleep more deeply. My seventh tip is to use
peppermint. Peppermint contains high levels of menthol and menthol can actually numb the restless
sensations you're experiencing in your legs. You can drink a warm cup of peppermint tea an
hour before bed to encourage a more restful sleep. You can also drink it throughout the
day as well if you're always feeling fidgety. I experienced restless legs more at night after 8 pm.
I drank peppermint tea but I also rubbed some diluted peppermint oil onto my legs at night.
I would mix two drops of peppermint oil with some almond oil and I rubbed it into my calf muscles
and my thighs. Get your partner to do it for you if you want a little bit of a massage ladies! ;)
I hope this video has been useful and informative! I know how annoying restless leg syndrome can be.
Let me know in the comments section below which of my tips you're going to try first!
Thanks so much for supporting my YouTube channel, take care and see you again soon, bye :)