Is soap answer to restless legs?

We’ll bet you have never heard of Willis-Ekbom disease. You may be more familiar with its common name: restless legs syndrome.

Neurologists renamed RLS to honor Dr. Karl-Axel Ekbom, a Swedish neurologist who devoted his career in the mid-20th century to studying restless legs syndrome. He wasn’t the first to describe the problem of an uncomfortable sensation in the legs that is relieved only by moving them. That honor goes to Thomas Willis, who wrote about it in the 17th century.

Millions of people suffer from RLS. They describe the sensations that make them move their legs as “creepy-crawly” or “herky-jerky.” Some people complain that RLS feels as if worms are crawling in their legs. Others experience achiness or pain. Many describe this condition as unbearable.

Usually these perceptions are stronger when sufferers are sitting or lying quietly, especially at night when they may be watching television or trying to sleep. Long trips in a car or airplane are agonizing. RLS disrupts the sleep of two people: the primary patient and that person’s bed partner.

The cause of restless legs has been mysterious. Some scientists blame it on an imbalance of the brain chemical dopamine. Others suggest that low iron levels may contribute to RLS. New research from Johns Hopkins indicates that people with RLS have increased excitability in the part of the brain that controls leg movements (Sleep Medicine, online, May 31, 2018).

The researchers point out that commonly prescribed drugs such as ropinirole (Requip) and pramipexole (Mirapex) can ease symptoms initially but may make the condition worse in the long run.

That is why we love it when home remedies work for this condition. We have heard from many people that putting a bar of soap under the bottom sheet near where the legs will rest eases the discomfort. Others report that putting soap chips in their socks can make trans-Atlantic flights bearable.

Here are a few of their experiences:

“My husband has leg cramps at night that wake him up. He eats a pickle and is able to go back to sleep without cramps.

“After I read about soap under the bedsheet, I mentioned it to him, and he was too skeptical to try it. Unbeknownst to him, I slipped a bar of soap under the sheet on MY side of the bed where he wouldn’t feel it with his toes. After three weeks of no cramps, I asked him if they were still bothering him – and he said no! I confessed what I’d done, and he was amazed that it had really worked. It wasn’t psychosomatic, because he didn’t even know the soap was there.

“Here’s a plus: I have suffered from restless legs for decades, and sometimes they keep me awake. I wasn’t bothered with them the entire three weeks. You can bet I’ll keep a bar of soap on hand from now on!”

Another reader wrote: “I thought soap was a crazy idea, but I got desperate enough to try it. Both Ivory and Dove helped, but only a bit. Then I read online that Marseilles soap has been used for restless legs for centuries. I have a stash of little soaps that people have given me and found a bar of Marseilles soap. I unwrapped it, stuck it under the sheet next to the Ivory, and was able to sleep all night.”

Soap under the bottom sheet is a very low-tech and inexpensive approach to this troublesome syndrome. It might help and, unlike the drugs prescribed for Willis-Ekbom disease, has few if any side effects.

Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist. Teresa Graedon holds a doctorate in medical anthropology and is a nutrition expert. In their column, the Graedons answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

2018 King Features Syndicate