Forums >General Running>Leg unrest during sleep?
Interval Junkie --Nobby
After my hard-days my sleep is discomforted by unrest in my legs. I wouldn't call it pain. It's more like a compulsion that I should get up and run it out; that my legs are eager for some exercise.
Anyone get this? Solutions?
I guess I'll try foam-rolling my legs before going to sleep. Not sure if that will help at all.
2021 Goals: 50mpw 'cause there's nothing else to do
yes, sometimes this happens. Most times, it's related to either working out too late at night, or if I have a key day, if I didn't end my workout with enough easy running. Normally, if I end my key days with at least 2 easy miles, that's enough to "stabilize" my system.
This was a problem for me in the past. Like you said, not pain, but an uncomfortable feeling that I needed to get up and move around. I also started to sleep with my feet sticking out from the blanket; for some reason having them covered made it worse.
I still get it sometimes, but not as often. Maybe it goes away on its own as you adapt to a given volume//intensity level?
Could it be restless leg syndrome? It's a discomfort in your legs that compels you to move them. I notice that when I'm really tired, I would want to move my legs. Like mstuartm wrote, cooler temperature seems to alleviate the symptom.
I call it "running a shitload syndrome." Once you catch it, there's no cure.
Low iron levels in the blood not necessarily resulting in anemia can cause restless leg syndrome or RLS like symptoms. Make sure your diet is healthy and consider a vitamin supplement and see if that doesn't help or go have a blood test to rule out iron.
Cool Jump Suit
My neighbor has RLS. Terrible for her with the sleep. She is basically up until 3 am every night. I believe her iron is low too.
So bittersweet,This tragedyWon't ask for absolution;This melody,Inside of me,Still searches for solution.A twist of faith,A change of heart Cures my infatuation.A broken heart, Provides the sparkFor my determination.
not bad for mile 25
This prompted me to look it up on Wikipedia. Sounds really miserable. If I were a sufferer, I'd be a 400 mpw runner, except the low iron would probably put the kibosh on that.
Not sure it's RLS. I don't have it unless I ran hard recently.
I thought it might be a case of running too close to bed-time, one 18miler at 6am caused the problem the following evening. Odd -- then again, it was a particularly hard run.
Not sure it's RLS. I don't have it unless I ran hard recently. I thought it might be a case of running too close to bed-time, one 18miler at 6am caused the problem the following evening. Odd -- then again, it was a particularly hard run.
6 am or pm?
pm I could understand, but not am.
I used to have this overwhelming desire to get out of bed in the middle of the night and walk or run or ride my bike or anything to get my legs moving and me out of the house. Of course, I think it had less to do with RLS and more to do with the misdiagnosed bi-polar bitch I was living with at the time
6 am or pm? pm I could understand, but not am.
6am. Yeah, I don't get it either.
Why is it sideways?
I would be a little worried about restless sleep as a sign of overtraining. This is one of the first signs that I am pushing too hard.
Is it the legs causing the restless sleep or is it that you are restless and can't sleep and then you start thinking about running, which then gets the brain to send little signals down there... I know the feeling exactly that you are talking about. Total speculation, but it's probably an effect of nervous fatigue.
This is totally in my legs. Mind isn't racing about racing . . . or running or things that go bump in the night. Sometimes the legs prevent me from sleeping a bit. Mostly they wake me up and instead of just rolling over I need to get up and walk around a bit.
Might have been an early sign of over-training. I'm cutting back a bit; maybe it will go away.
In my mind the feeling is caused by nanites reconstructing my muscles while I'm sleeping.