Fifty Plus (50+) - Legs twitchy at night

Go ahead and laugh....

A few weeks ago I began waking up briefly on some nights with the feeling that my legs are full of energy. Around that same time I began adding more evening rides after work, and our weekend rides are getting longer. We are not over-doing it, I always stretch, warm up, cool down, drink plenty of water, and my diet is excellent.

I should say that I do officially have restless leg syndrome (RLS) (yes, it is real and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy) but I have the milder type that sets in just as I am relaxing for the evening, when I sit down around 8:00 pm to read or watch TV or visit with guests. That's when the RLS "creepy crawly" feeling begins. But once I go to bed, it stops and it has never bothered me during the night. And, this twitchy feeling doesn't feel exactly the same as the itchy/creepy/crawly sensation.

It happened again last night when I awoke at 1:00 am. This morning my husband in kidding said "maybe it's your fast-twitch muscles". :) We went for an easy ride last night for 1 hour (HR around 110).

Do I need to take B vitamins? Stretch longer and more often? Has anyone else experienced this when you began riding or increased the frequency?

Go ahead and laugh....

A few weeks ago I began waking up briefly on some nights with the feeling that my legs are full of energy. Around that same time I began adding more evening rides after work, and our weekend rides are getting longer. We are not over-doing it, I always stretch, warm up, cool down, drink plenty of water, and my diet is excellent.

I should say that I do officially have restless leg syndrome (RLS) (yes, it is real and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy) but I have the milder type that sets in just as I am relaxing for the evening, when I sit down around 8:00 pm to read or watch TV or visit with guests. That's when the RLS "creepy crawly" feeling begins. But once I go to bed, it stops and it has never bothered me during the night. And, this twitchy feeling doesn't feel exactly the same as the itchy/creepy/crawly sensation.

It happened again last night when I awoke at 1:00 am. This morning my husband in kidding said "maybe it's your fast-twitch muscles". :) We went for an easy ride last night for 1 hour (HR around 110).

Do I need to take B vitamins? Stretch longer and more often? Has anyone else experienced this when you began riding or increased the frequency?


Perhaps its time to find a 5 mile circular route round your area and go out and "Over Do It". Not too much and make certain you have nothing planned for the next day but you have the fitness- and the Stamina- so get out and do just that one more circuit.

That sounds like fun. Are you saying that my legs are "itching" to get out and ride like crazy? :)

Go ahead and laugh....



I know it's a deeply cynical crowd around here but I can't imagine anyone finding any humor in your misfortune.

Especially since we're all old enough to develop it at any time.

Now if I were 20 I'd probably get a chuckle out of it.

I have no personal experience, but maybe this article will help. Scroll down to fine links to additional info

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Restless_legs_syndrome

Do I need to take B vitamins? Stretch longer and more often? Has anyone else experienced this when you began riding or increased the frequency?

I used to get twitching and occasional leg cramps after "hard" rides. Try a little potassium, the pills are cheap. May not be a solution but nothing to lose in trying.

The potassium sounds like a good idea. I started to have the same problem, my doc said to try eating a couple bananas (I are a gud spelor) after a hard ride, and that seemed to help.

Wait a minute...I just noticed I am now listed as a "Senior Member." How did this happen??? Inside my helmet, it's still 25!!

+1 to the potassium pill and try some
tonic water containing quinine; as
quinine is suppose to help cramps.

Could it be the HOT weather causing/affecting your symptoms?
I use this stuff in hot (above 85 F) weather with great satisfaction:

http://www.bikeworld.com/products/2015/1667/eLoad-Heat-Endurance-Formula-Bulk-Sports-Drink-Powder.html

I supplement the "Heat Endurance" drink with eLoad "Zone" electrolyte sustainer capsules during 90 to 100 degree temps. No cramping, burning/aching, and "out of gas" muscle weakness feeling.

I don't know much about this, but I've occasionally had symptoms that I thought might be RLS related.

When my legs feel like that, I've tried stretching for 10-15 minutes before bed and found it helpful. Maybe it would help you, too. :)

Wait a minute...I just noticed I am now listed as a "Senior Member." How did this happen??? Inside my helmet, it's still 25!!50 posts makes you a "Senior Member, I think. At least, that's when I noticed that I had been labeled that.

+1 on the potassium, but take it the fun way: bananas.

+1 on the potassium, but take it the fun way: bananas.

Would a banana daquiri work?

For some reason when I read the title of this thread that song "You Make Me Feel Like Dancin..." popped into my head. Maybe you should dance a few dances before retiring and that might help? I mean if you believe there might be a teensy little chance that psychic friends network and all that jazz has it going on, what if I got a message here?

I never lift wights in the evening, because it sets all my muscles on edge. I really can't sleep too well. I don't think it is uncommon for exertion in the evening or later at night to cause muscle stimulation and jumpiness.

Along the same lines as others have mentioned, is it possible that you are taking medications that are known to deplete potassium, or perhaps there's an imbalance in your sports/energy drink, if any?

Or perhaps, if you formerly had several hours to relax before going to sleep, and now you're exercising longer hours, with shorter relaxation period before sleep, you're just not getting enough rest? (According to your legs, anyway). Hope you find a solution fast!

---------Ally

Yes, yes... very funny and oh-so-witty.

It might just be potassium or something, but this is possibly a neurological problem, and not related to riding bikes. I have it as well, although my symptoms are somewhat different. If you have not been checked out by a doctor you should consider doing this just to rule out something more serious (I am not a doctor and don't pretend to be but I am not going to be flip about this either). there are prescription drug for RLS but I have not tried it because I am not troubled enough to chance the side effects). Good luck!!

I don't have RLS, but my legs used to twitch after I went to sleep (confirmation from wife). I say "used to" because a trainer suggested using a core foam roller. It's a tube of plastic (urethane?). There are many stretching routines you can use. The one I use for my calfs is to roll each calf over the roller with the other leg on top (sitting down with your palms flat on the floor). Do this for about a minute for each calf. Haven't had any twitches since I started using it.

I have a friend that has a similar condition. He does 150 squats every night, right before he goes to bed. His legs are massive.

I found relief from RLS symptoms by cutting way down on food additives. Home made spaghetti sauce, okay. Jarred spaghetti sauce, twitchy symptoms. Anything that comes in a container, I read the ingredients. Too many chemicals, it stays on the shelf.

I do not have RLS but I do have nights after harder rides where my legs keep me up. Generally it is just due to more fatigue than usual and not being able to find a comfortable position, so I toss and turn a lot. This sounds a bit different from your problem though.

I added magnesium supplements to my diet and RLS disappeared. If it is a placebo effect it is an effective one. Be careful of Parkinson's related supplements for RLS. A partner at my wife's firm has been on TV describing a horror show she experienced. She was not advised that a fairly rare side effect is gambling addiction. About $350K later she was informed.

Potassium, any way you can get it (I'm not sure the banana daquiri has enough banana in it though).

There is a quinine product sold at w mart which works great for my wife. It is called leg cramps and sells for about $2. It is always best to go to the medical professionals and have all the required and sometimes life threatening test done but if you don't want to go this route then the above product might work for you.

Another possibility: It might just go away on its own. I had it briefly a few times last year and it came and went with no apparent cause. It is a b***c when you're trying to sleep, I know.

As my wife likes to say, "I just inhabit this body. It does what it wants."

Stretching, massaging, quinine, and bananas, at least, will do no harm. If one or more works, bingo!

I would hold off on the "expensive and life-threatening tests" for something that is most likely just another ideopathic* (of unknown cause) age-related pain in the tush unless it really causes major problems like frequent sleep deprivation.


---

* I just learned the word so I wanted to use it. :)

I've had similar experience, in that my legs will sometime twitch when I'm in a prone and extremely relaxed position. It never wakes me. It also seems to be directly related to the amount of riding I'm doing. During weeks when I've got high miles or pushed hard, the legs seem to do this more. I don't believe it RLS, and have found that stretching after riding reduces the frequency of this occurring.

Thanks everyone.

Come to think of it, what I think actually wakes me up is a full bladder :o then I notice my legs seem awfully fidgety. My sleep is otherwise very good (crossing my fingers it will stay that way.... it was horrible a couple of years ago, waking up every night and staying awake for a few hours) and I'm afraid to get up and walk around for fear that will wake me up so much I'll have trouble getting back to sleep. Last night I noticed it only briefly but while I was already awake. In addition to the RLS symptoms before bedtime, I have always been a very restless (and very sound) sleeper though it didn't wake me up.

I do not take any medications or any supplments. My diet consists of wholesome foods, extremely little processed foods or preservatives (I avoid them as much as possible), and it is very balanced. I eat a banana after every ride. I do have a history of leg cramps during the night, and my mother has osteoporosis, so there may be a cal-mag deficiency going on.

Before rushing off to the doctor for expensive tests (though I do appreciate the suggestions to see a doctor), I will try eating a banana for my late evening snack and adding a cal-mag supplement. I believe this correlates to an increase in exercise overall so I will also add an extra stretching routine before bedtime.

Thanks again for expressing interest and concern and for all the helpful suggestions. I hadn't thought of a possible potassium component.

Yen

The following does not constitute medical advise. this for entertainment purposes only. Always consult your doctor.

I read up on RLS on my computer data-base (best invention since the garage-door opener) and learned some interesting things.

1. 10-15% of the population report RLS symptoms from time to time. Only 1-2% have them so badly that they seek out medical attention.

2. The most common cause of secondary RLS is iron-defieciency. I did not know that. Folks with RLS need to have a serum ferritin level checked.

3. Under one very specific circumstance, they use EPO to treat RLS. This is very cool. My legs are a-twichin' now, and I'm going to my internist and get me some EPO so I can ride that metric century.....

... 3. Under one very specific circumstance, they use EPO to treat RLS. This is very cool. My legs are a-twichin' now, and I'm going to my internist and get me some EPO so I can ride that metric century.....

Cool! Maybe I won't need that faster bike after all. ;) (Just kidding.... I rarely even take an aspirin.)

I've researched RLS but didn't realize (or forgot) the anemia component. I have had CBCs done during routine physicals and my iron was OK. I am in the 98-99% group whose condition is mild enough to not seek out medical attention. The only time it is truly bothersome is when we are entertaining guests (or we are guests being entertained) late in the evening and I cannot keep my legs still while we sit and visit. Fortunately, at our ages, everyone else is starting to get tired anyway so I'm not driven completely crazy, but when I was a lot younger and stayed up much later it nearly drove me insane. But once I am in bed and asleep, I sleep through the night. Until my bladder wakes me up...... :cry:

Cool! Maybe I won't need that faster bike after all. ;) (Just kidding.... I rarely even take an aspirin.)

I've researched RLS but didn't realize (or forgot) the anemia component. I have had CBCs done during routine physicals and my iron was OK. I am in the 98-99% group whose condition is mild enough to not seek out medical attention. The only time it is truly bothersome is when we are entertaining guests (or we are guests being entertained) late in the evening and I cannot keep my legs still while we sit and visit. Fortunately, at our ages, everyone else is starting to get tired anyway so I'm not driven completely crazy, but when I was a lot younger and stayed up much later it nearly drove me insane. But once I am in bed and asleep, I sleep through the night. Until my bladder wakes me up...... :cry:

My source says that a normal CBC is not good enough. A ferritin level need be checked.

My source says that a normal CBC is not good enough. A ferritin level need be checked.
Thanks.... I'll ask for that at my next physical.
But if it was low, wouldn't I have other symptoms?

Thanks.... I'll ask for that at my next physical.
But if it was low, wouldn't I have other symptoms?

No, not if the ferritin was low but not the CBC. (Maybe pica [compulsive ice-chewing], but I'm not sure on that one). One has to deplete their iron stores before they develop iron-deficiency anema, so the ferritin can fall before it's reflected in the CBC. But if your CBC is normal you wouldn't notice any effects from that.

The above is not medical advise. Always consult your doctor.

Thank you.... I'll mention this next time I go.

The above is not medical advise. Always consult your doctor.

I realize it is not medical advise. But could it possibly be medical advice?:D

Where was RLS when I was a kid? Is it something new? Somehow we made it through the night???

I realize it is not medical advise. But could it possibly be medical advice?:D

Where was RLS when I was a kid? Is it something new? Somehow we made it through the night???

I don't make fun of your font colour, and you don't pick on me because of my lack of language skills. K?

;)

I realize it is not medical advise. But could it possibly be medical advice?:D

Where was RLS when I was a kid? Is it something new? Somehow we made it through the night???
It was there, but probably not yet defined. I had it as a kid too but kids don't sit around a lot so it wasn't noticeable at that age (though I was a very restless sleeper). Most people don't have it.... most people smile or laugh when I try to describe it, or they don't believe it's real. If you have it, you know it.............. VERY annoying, even the mild form.

It was there, but probably not yet defined. I had it as a kid too but kids don't sit around a lot so it wasn't noticeable at that age (though I was a very restless sleeper). Most people don't have it.... most people smile or laugh when I try to describe it, or they don't believe it's real. If you have it, you know it.............. VERY annoying, even the mild form.

OK, I believe you! Hope it gets better.

I also have this symptom and asked my bike mechanic about it. he recommened I drink 24-oz of recover drink after every ride, no matter how relaxed or strenuous. It did the trick! I only have the creepy-crawly feeling after pushing my endurance well past my last personal event, then the creepy-crawlies will last about four hours. Try Endurox R4, it works great for me! I don't know what's in it but it really works!

I usually pop an aspirin or two when I get that sensation. Works for me. YMMV.

Could be lack of potasium and/or magnesium.

Thanks for all the tips. I haven't noticed it the past few nights, so maybe it is related to harder rides, or not enough recovery after a hard ride.

But my legs are getting stronger. As I was out riding tonight I remembered the burning I felt in my quads when I was testing bikes in March. Just riding them around the parking lot!! :o I don't feel that now until I've continuously pedaled for a long while or climb up a hill, so that's progress.

Try more sex at bed time.