Dollieh Sanctuary

So I don't complain a lot about stuff I can't help. I have Restless Leg Syndrome, which sounds hilarious until it keeps you awake for three hours every night.

It's been getting worse the last few months, and a couple nights ago nearly drove me insane. So I do a Google search, and...

There on WebMD and many very respected medical sites I kept coming across pages and pages of people saying:

"Put an unwrapped bar of soap under your bottom sheet where your feet or legs can touch it. Leg cramps, RLS, and fibro pain go away."

Crazy right? No way it should work. I mean, I have a B.Sci. in Biology and there is no freaking mechanism for that to work. And even if it is placebo effect, I thought....never happen. Not a chance. Placebos do not work on me, ever, no matter how badly I want them to, even when I don't know I have been given a placebo.

On the other hand, I have bars of soap. And I would put a giraffe in my bed if it would let me sleep.

So I tried it.

Best night of sleep in months. And I could actually feel the RLS start up, wiggled the soap in between my calves, and felt it cut out.

Last night, second night. Worked like a charm.

So. Soap's cheap. Free if you steal it from a hotel. What the heck, right? Some people suggest putting hotel soaps in socks on your feet instead of putting the soap under the sheet, and that would probably work too, provided you don't get up in the middle of the night.

Most people on the comment threads seem to think "anything but Dial." Some like Caress. Some swear by Lever 2000. Some only like herbal organic vegetarian soaps made from the milk of shamanistic virgin goats. Most seem to think anything will do and hotel soap of whatever ilk is just fine. Some people say the effect wears out after three-ish months and you need to replace, others don't have that happen.

Some are nurses who say "Not only does it work for me, but I have slipped soap into the beds of my patients, and it works for them without their ever knowing it's there." Which seems to rule out placebo.

All I know is, it works.

I wonder if that would work for my leg cramps. My calves feel like someone is squeezing them and the only relief I've found is to straiten my legs and pull my toes to my head.

We do have some bars around here somewhere...

I am fortunate enough that my RLS isn't terrible (I can go months between episodes), but I know when it hits that I'm willing to try anything and everything to make it stop so I'll keep this in mind - and I'll tell my daughter who already has it as bad as I ever did. I hope our Goat Milk Stuff soap works!

Third night, still works. Woke up twice as it began to start, thought "Huhnnn where's my soap?" fished for it with my feet and tucked it between my ankles, actually felt the damn stuff cut out again, and went back to sleep.

I'm using a nice rounded fancy schmancy gift soap I got in a basket years ago. I used to be able to go months between episodes, but in the last year or so it's been getting steadily worse.

I should tell my sister about this. I'm glad you posted it and I'm extra glad that it's working for you.

I have got to try this! I hate being awakened by leg cramps. Thank you so much for sharing this.

Fifth night still working.

Thank you so much! I slept last night and have less pain this morning. I think I want to try a Yardley Lavender Soap.

richila wrote:Thank you so much! I slept last night and have less pain this morning. I think I want to try a Yardley Lavender Soap.

Woohoo!

I have a fancy-schmancy lavendar scented gift soap in my bed, seems to work great.

In fact, last night was the big test. All the rain storms going through meant temp/humid/pressure changes and my RLS was hitting me even in the daytime. Went to bed with my soap...out like a light. No problems, all night. Insane.

I have to admit I'm glad I haven't had the opportunity to try this experiment yet. However, I did buy some hypoallergenic soap from Big Lots just for that purpose. It's smaller than regular size bars of soap and I didn't want to "waste" my Goat Milk Stuff soap (besides they are cut thicker and longer). So I'm prepared for when my RLS does strike!