During those 9 long months of building a baby, nothing is quite as uncomfortable as restless legs in pregnancy.
Restless legs at night are no fun at all, and I am absolutely sure anyone who has ever had to deal with it would agree. Many, many people suffer from this on an ongoing basis, and some only some of the time. While many also suffer just during pregnancy. For some unfortunate reason, restless legs and pregnancy can go just about hand in hand. Pregnancy being, well, less than comfortable as it is, finding natural and healthy relief for restless legs in pregnancy is a must!
What causes restless legs?
Restless Leg Syndrome or (RLS) is characterized by the uncontrollable urge to move one’s legs especially at night and is often connected with a magnesium deficiency. Being a deficiency the best thing we can do is to add foods high in magnesium into our diets. The problem we can run into is that much of the time our foods are low in the nutrients they should have. Many aspects of our current agricultural system and modern farming techniques have left our food void of nutritional value. That issue is one huge reason that led us to homestead (knowing what goes into your own food can really be a step forward for health).
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Killer healthy lemonade (favorite pregnancy drink)
Restless leg syndrome home remedies
Like many deficiencies finding the solution is simply finding a balance of what is out of balance. During pregnancy, our bodies go through a lot and giving them everything they need to properly carry a growing child is sometimes a difficult task. Understanding what our body needs and doesn’t need can help. When dealing with pregnancy restless leg there are a few simple steps to help you on your journey to a restful night sleep
- eliminating or reducing caffeine
- getting proper exercise and blood flow
- stretching
- massaging leg muscles
- increase magnesium intake
- make sure you are getting proper amounts of vitamins and minerals
Foods high in magnesium
Start with adding foods high in magnesium, and it is best first if you can grow some of your own, then next try organic, or farmers markets, where you can talk to the growers yourself. It is always best to add foods that are organic since they have been proven to have higher mineral and nutrient content, as well as having fewer chemicals and toxins.
- dark leafy greens
- seeds and nuts
- bananas
- avocados
- dried fruit
Here is a list of just a few that are easy to add to a healthy pregnancy diet. I talk a lot about eating raw foods and one of those is raw almond milk made with raw almonds and dates. Raw almonds and dates are both high in magnesium, making it a great thing to add to your diet, plus it’s just delicious.
Good quality prenatal vitamin
I always opt for raw and organic if and when I can. When it comes to vitamins I try to make sure they are not synthetic. They are from actual food sources and if at all possible raw, so to not lose the nutritional content. I wish we lived in a world where we got all our needed nutrients from our food, however that is just not a reality. In today’s world, fast-paced stressed filled, and nutrient lacking vitamins have become a very important role especially in a healthy pregnancy.
The absolutely best vitamin I have ever found came from the advice of a midwife. She was right. Mother Earth Labs (though not well known) makes an absolutely amazing vitamin. This vitamin not labeled as a prenatal has everything you need, and then some.
Magnesium oil
Toward the beginning of this current pregnancy, I noticed the restless leg thing start back up slightly, so I jumped all over trying magnesium oil. This is one magnesium oil I just LOVE, it is absolutely amazing, I will add it to bath water or mix it with body oil or moisturizer and rub it on my feet before bed, it works amazingly well. I trust what is in it, and I love that (this one comes in a glass bottle, which I also love).
Trace mineral drops
As we all know many, many people are now suffering from deficiencies. Much of the time we don’t notice and if we do, we think that a pill will cure it. Not so, my friends, we just need to help fix that deficiency. Trace mineral drops are amazing and it is another supplement, we use often. In fact, I use these drops in a lot like the Easy DIY Toothpaste recipe, it helps to remineralize teeth, and therefore avoid painful and expensive dental work, or worse mercury filled fillings! These drops tout an impressive 125% DV of magnesium. So consuming these drops in a glass full of water daily should help to fill any nutritional gaps or deficiencies.
Trace Minerals Research – Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops – 8oz
Pregnancy has many difficulties, especially with rest at night (let’s just be honest the bathroom trips are unreal). So letting restless legs keep you up, does not have to be one of them. Having alternatives, that do not include using Benadryl to get you to sleep because your legs are bothering you, is so much more helpful and healthy. Pregnancy can be a trying time, lord do I know! Fortunately, things like restless legs while we sleep do not have to be part of it. With a little extra attention to what goes in that baby-building body, we can find simple yet effective relief from restless legs in pregnancy ♡♡♡
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Beth is a mother of 6 living on a handful of acres in an old farmhouse in central Kansas. Beth has a background in the military and health and fitness however her passions come from her homestead life. Beth is an enthusiastic homeschooling mom, avid organic gardener, chicken & goat wrangler, who is obsessed with herbs and natural remedies and maintaining an all-around Do-It-Yourself lifestyle. Beth loves to share all she has learned about and sustainable living. While striving for a healthy, natural life, family-centered life.