We all know that a good night’s sleep is paramount for many aspects of better health. It provides the body the chance to rest, recuperate and rejuvenate. Without consistent quality sleep, your senior loved one runs the risk of increasing her chances of developing heart problems, immune issues, and mental health concerns. 24-hour home care is one solution that can help seniors with all kinds of care and attention around the clock to feel safer and more secure.
Sleep does a body good, but what happens when the legs don’t want to sleep?
What is Restless Leg Syndrome?
While Restless Leg Syndrome can occur to anyone at any point in life, it is more common in women who are elderly. It is defined as a health condition in which the legs have a large urge to move (and usually is most noticeable when someone is resting or trying to sleep). While awake, simply getting up and moving around a bit can ease the discomfort but when trying to sleep, it can continually disrupt an entire night’s rest.
What are Restless Leg Syndrome Symptoms?
The chief symptom is an almost uncontrollable urge to move the legs. Those who have it describe the feeling as tingling, throbbing, crawling, or aching. For many, they can’t describe how their legs feel; they just feel like they must move them.
Some other common occurrences that happen with restless leg syndrome are:
- The symptoms almost always occur at night.
- It begins after a person has rested for a while, whether lying in a bed or reclining on a chair. Some people get restless leg syndrome attacks when sitting longer, such as during a movie, a car ride, or a flight.
- Moving almost immediately alleviates the symptoms.
- Some people experience nighttime twitching or kicking with their symptoms, but not always.
How to Manage Restless Leg Syndrome at Home
If your loved one struggles with restless leg syndrome, helping her find techniques to stave off attacks as well as the best ways to find relief will help her be able to rest better at night and get the sleep she needs.
Your loved one might find having a 24-hour home care staff member with her while she gets ready for bed and there to help her if she does wake up in the middle of the night a great resource to help her manage her symptoms. A 24-hour home care team can work directly with your loved one so she gets a better night’s sleep despite having restless leg syndrome.
Tips for the Daytime to Reduce RLS
- Avoid caffeine. For the elderly, caffeine tends to stay in the body longer than younger individuals and may cause RLS to flare at night.
- Get regular exercise during the day, not at night. Regular daytime exercise is great at helping RLS, but intense exercise late at night might make it worse. Have your loved one’s 24-hour home care team encourage your loved one to go out and exercise each day, but plan to relax in the evening.
- Maintain a regular bedtime. Being overly exhausted or trying to go to sleep before she’s tired can both make the symptoms worse.
- Reduce stress. Stress can trigger RLS symptoms.
Tips for Night
- Try a warm bath before bedtime to calm down and soothe the leg muscles.
- Stretch out the legs before bed.
- A calf massage before bedtime from a trained 24-hour home care provider can help prevent overnight episodes.
- If it happens, she shouldn’t just lie there. She should get up, stretch, pace, and try to go back to sleep as soon as possible.
If you or an aging loved one are considering 24-Hour Home Care in Tempe, AZ, please contact the caring staff at Legacy Home Care today. Call (480) 777-0070
Legacy Home Care is a top provider of home care services in Mesa, Tempe, Scottsdale, Sun Lakes, Chandler, Gilbert, Apache Junction, Queen Creek, Phoenix, and surrounding areas.
Legacy Home Care has been serving the valley since 2007. We are family owned and operated with over 75 caregivers. We offer a customized care plan that includes services such as: Hourly Senior Home Care, 24-Hour Home Care, Dementia Care, Personal Care and Companion Care. Also ask us about our Veterans' Home Care program.
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