If you suffer from restless legs syndrome like I have for years and years, you're willing to try almost anything to get relief from your symptoms. Did you know that you can actually get temporary relief from a medical disorder like Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) - just by focusing intensely on something that you really enjoy doing?

There's nothing magical about blogging per say, but it is very true that you can experience temporary RLS relief when you're mentally focused on something other than your creepy, crawly RLS sensations.

One thing I've noticed is that if my attention is diverted by something I really enjoy doing (like blogging), or by an emergency, then my symptoms go away - at least temporarily. For example, lets say my RLS is in high gear and one of my children fall down the stairs, or I hear a loud bang outside the house in the middle of the night. While I rush to take care of the situation or try to figure out what happened outside, my mental energies are completely distracted from my RLS symptoms... and I realize after the fact that my RLS symptoms are relieved (at least temporarily, but long enough to be a noticeable phenomenon).

I started writing this at 4:15 a.m. this morning - not because I like to get up hours before most normal people, but because my legs are suffering from RLS jolts every few seconds.

I've tried Magnesium pills, which may have helped temporarily (though I now believe that was more mental than actually helpful). And I've tried exercise, which in some cases has actually made it worse - such as after a very hard workout.

I've tried Sinemet and Requip, with much better results from Requip. However, I'm now at the point where even Requip is failing me and I'm experiencing symptoms in the early mornings.

Symptoms throughout the day are much more severe now as well. My legs are starting to jerk uncontrollably while working on my computer, or in an office meeting (very embarrassing).

I have learned to keep my legs still when it's a burning/ticking sensation (the commonly reported "creep-crawly" feeling). But when my leg suddenly jerks forward with no warning, there's nothing I can do.

In an alarming article published by Medscape.com titled "Restless Legs Syndrome Highlights From the Associated Professional Sleep Societies 19th Annual Meeting", I discovered that 35% of MS (multiple sclerosis) patients also had RLS.

From the article: "In all, 29 of 82 (MS) patients were found to be affected by RLS (prevalence rate, 35.4%)." And even more alarming for me was that "In 7 patients (8.5%), RLS preceded the onset of clinical MS; for 22 patients (24.4%), onset of RLS followed or was simultaneous with the clinical MS onset."

There's clearly a relationship between the two disorders, although not necessarily a causal relationship.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (brain, spinal cord, and the optic nerves). It affects the ability of the nerves to conduct electrical impulses to and from the brain.

It's common knowledge that magnesium helps nerve and muscle function, but I've never tried it for RLS relief until today.

I was contacted by a colleague from another forum whose father practices wholistic approaches to medical problems. He recommends using magnesium to relieve RLS symptoms. My symptoms are getting worse each month, and I figure it won't hurt to give it a try.

From the bottle of Nature Made magnesium I bought today: "Magnesium is also essential in formation of bones and teeth and in converting blood suger into energy". Those sound like good things, but the hope of RLS relief was what really motivated the purchase.

I'm going to try to gradually take each dose of my medicine one hour later than normal each day, and see what kind of effect I get from the magnesium.

I'll post my results, and please comment on this post if you've experienced relief from magnesium, if it hasn't done a thing, and lastly if it had some harmful or uncomfortable side affects.

I started taking Claritin a couple months ago for allergies, but it wasn't helping so my doctor prescribed Allegra-D 2 weeks ago. It cleared up my sinuses, but my RLS symptoms have increased dramatically! Not a good trade.

I quit taking Allegra yesterday and I'm hoping my RLS symptoms will chill out over the next few days.

Here are four commonly described symptoms of RLS:

1. You have a strong urge to move your legs which you may not be able to resist. The need to move is accompanied by uncomfortable tickling, creeping, itching, burning, creepy-crawly, tugging or gnawing sensations. These sensations will build up in your legs until you feel you have to move them. They may also climb up into your arms in severe cases.

2. Your RLS symptoms start or become worse when you are resting. The longer you are resting, the greater the chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be. This includes sitting in a chair - a very common situation as jobs become more and more computer oriented.

3. Your RLS symptoms are temporarily relieved when you move your legs, although relief persists only as long as your legs continue to move. In more severe cases, you may only experience relief for a few seconds of leg movement and will likely need some form of medication or treatment for continued relief. You may also not be able to continually move your legs (e.g. sitting in a meeting or being stuck on a long plane trip).

4. Your RLS symptoms worsen in the evening especially when you are lying down or resting. Restful activities that bother you at night might not bother you during the day, but you may not be able to get to sleep without some form of medication or treatment.

When my doctor first suspected that I was suffering from RLS about 4 years ago, he suggested I try a small dose of Sinemet to see if it masked my symptoms. The results were immediate and staggering - my symptoms were completely gone, and side affects were only some minor motor control impacts that I quickly adjusted to. But after two years of Sinemet, augmentation forced me to switch to Requip (experiencing symptoms earlier and earlier in the morning).

I started out with 0.5 mg of Requip three times a day and it was once again like a miracle drug. Now, another two years later, I'm up to 6 mg a day (yes, SIX - that's what someone with mid-level Parkinson's would be taking!) and augmentation is hitting hard.

This morning on the way to work at 7:30 a.m. I was hit with RLS "jolts" every 5 to 10 seconds. I was stuck in rush-hour traffic so I just had to endure it and tried to keep my foot light on the gas pedal. The jolts were a combination of a tickling/burning sensation and mild cramps... yes, very uncomfortable.

A friend of mine said he knew an acupuncturist who claimed she has had very good results with RLS patients. I'm almost willing to try anything at this point, but I don't see how acupunture could help at all with this.

In 2006, a small study found that a combination of moderate aerobic exercise and lower-body resistance training three days a week reduced symptom severity by about 50%. The study found that it took six weeks to see maximum benefit from the exercise program. Generally, people with RLS have reported that moderate exercise seems helpful and that strenuous exercise may worsen their RLS.

Last week I bought a Fuji Roubaix RC racing bike and hooked up with a few buddies in my community who like to ride about 25 - 30 miles at a time. The rides are vigorous and they give my leg muscles a great burn.

I am hoping that the exercise will help with my RLS symptoms, and will post replies to this post indicating the affects of exercise on my RLS symptoms. Even if there is no affect, I should be able to lose some weight and improve my cardiovascular capacity along the way

If you're reading this post, will you please take a quick minute to reply and indicate whether exercise has improved, worsened, or had no affect on your RLS symptoms?

I'm the author of this website and have severe Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) that moves from my legs up into my arms, fingers... sometimes into my whole upper torso. Without medication, I get an uncomfortable tickling/crawling/burning sensation every 5 to 10 seconds in one or more of my limbs.

For me it's truly a Restless Limbs Syndrome and not just Restless Legs. I'm amazed at how many people I meet who have some form of RLS, or know someone who does. Perhaps that's because we're all more connected via the Internet and TV, so that we hear about it more often. Perhaps it's because it's becoming more of a widespread problem.

Currently, 10% of Americans suffer from various levels of RLS! And sadly, there is no cure for RLS. Please post an introduction in the forum and participate as much as possible in the various discussion topics.

I greatly appreciate your help in raising awareness of the problem to the world. I hope that together we can learn better ways of managing our symptoms, and help the world someday find a cure!