Friday Afternoon Trivia

Guess I’m not all that freaky afterall: “the most common medical condition you've never heard of: Restless Legs Syndrome.” Finally, a possible explanation for what I’ve been calling “the creepy-crawlies” in my legs since I"ve been prego. Snip:

“Tending to be more pronounced at nights, symptoms range from unpleasant sensations in the legs that come and go, to involuntary twitching. In some of the more severe cases, Kryger says patients describe feeling as if insects are crawling under their skin when they try to sleep. RLS can wake patients up several times during the night, leaving them exhausted and drowsy the next day. “It can really have a significant impact on their quality of life,” adds Kushida.

But researchers have found that people with iron deficiencies are more susceptible to RLS—particularly women. And Kryger says pregnant women are two to three times more likely to have RLS than other women in part because the fetus tends to take iron for its own use. RLS symptoms can also be alleviated by stretching, using hot or cold packs, taking a bath or exercising."

I've already been doing the bath/ exercising thing (well - the bath thing and lame attempts at exercising). Guess it's time to start the iron supplements in addition to the iron in my prenatal vitamin.