Leg Massage Helps Reduce Pain and Restless Leg Syndrome

After a stressful day at work being on your feet all day your leg muscles may feel tired and overworked. After all, they have been carrying the full weight of your body around all day. The muscles in your legs are the largest and strongest in your body and they may have become tight and possibly painful. A relaxing leg massage is just what you need to loosen up and get your muscles back into working order.

It is said the legs, are the most well used parts of the body. A vast amount of the time is spent on your feet demanding extensive energy from our legs. Our body's posture, weight and locomotion are situated in leg area. It is amazing how a great leg massage can relieve the stress and tension in your legs, and help back pain, which can sometimes be traced to leg problems, by improving blood and lymph flow enhancing the well being in your whole body.

Leg problems

Restless leg syndrome is a condition in which often prevents you getting to sleep. The symptoms of this condition can include painful burning sensations, or you may think there are insects crawling under your skin. Getting up and walking around the room sometimes helps and cures the problem.

Massaging your calf muscles is another natural way to treat restless leg syndrome, which improves blood flow to the area and in turn gives relief to restless legs. Restless leg syndrome is helped by combining massage with regular exercise. However gradually increase the amount of exercise you do, as it has been shown that too much exercise taken too quickly can aggravate the condition.

Varicose veins

When massaging a person with varicose veins always ensure you work above the effected area and never on or below them. Ensure your strokes are gentle and never knead or inflict any pressure.

As a leg massage stimulates blood circulation and the lymphatic system it follows that if practiced regularly it can help prevent varicose veins appearing. Work up the leg towards the lymph nodes at the back of the knee and then to the groin using effleurage strokes. This will help any congestion that has built up. If legs are puffy or swollen always massage gently and use light pressure as you would over bony areas such as the shins and knees. However, you can massage firmly on the larger muscles of the thigh stimulating the lymphatic system and rejuvenate aching limbs.

Benefits

* Warms and soothes tired legs, improving blood circulation and lymphatic drainage

* Reduces any swelling or puffiness in legs or ankles

* Softens tightness and cramp and relieves muscle spasm in calves

* Stretches and strengthens muscle fibres

* Helps to break down fatty deposits and reduces cellulite

* Disperses metabolic waste products after exercise

* Improves muscle tone and reduces fatigue

* Loosens joints

* Reduces strain on lower back

* Loosens muscles before and after strenuous exercise as it flushes the lactic acid build up.

* Can break down old scar tissue

Caution

* Do not massage if have a thrombosis

* Skin infection

* Swollen areas

* Recent scars

* Do not massage over varicose veins

* Work more lightly over bony areas of the shin and knees

After a stimulating leg massage you will feel less tired, any pain, strain or tension in your legs will have been relieved and your whole well being of your body will feel improved.

Trevor Hunt Massage Therapist with over 40 years experience in UK.
See my ebook: 'Marvellous Massage Secrets' at http://www.marvellousmassagesecrets.com which includes YouTube links to demonstration videos. Therapy website http://www.body-work.biz

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10 Pregnancy Sleeping Tips

While pregnant, it can be very difficult to be uninterrupted by sleeping disturbances. During pregnancy, a woman is plagued with stress, hormonal changes, anxiety, and physical discomfort. Throughout the term of pregnancy many women find that they have to awake multiple times during the night to urinate.

Fortunately, there are plenty of tips that can be used to make your pregnancy an easier one for sleeping.

Stay Hydrated
Be sure to drink plenty of water during the day. Just be sure to drink less directly before bedtime in order to minimize the amount of times you wake up to urinate.

Move Move Move
It is important to keep up with exercise. This will improve your circulation as well as promote optimum health. In result you will have less cramping in the legs. Do not exercise too close to your bed time as exercising releases adrenaline which will keep you awake during the night.

No More Stress
Anxiety and stress can play a large role in preventing you from getting a great night's rest. Simply worrying and keeping those worries to yourself is not going to help you. Be sure to have a person to confide in about your stresses and worries. Either a friend or a professional can help you and listen to you if you are experiencing issues in life that are leading to stress and anxiety.

Nightly Routine
Get into a night-time routine. Be sore that it is a comforting routine that allows you to drift off into slumber easily. Try drinking a cup of tea with no caffeine, or a cup of hot milk with a dab of honey for flavoring. Read a chapter of your favorite book. Take a bath or warm shower using a scented soap. Ask somebody to give you a shoulder massage or to brush your hair.

Proper Positioning
Sleep on your left side during the third trimester in order to bring the best blood flow to the fetus, uterus, and kidneys. Try not to lie flat on your back for any long period of time.

Heartburn Prevention
Do not recline until about 2 hours after you have had a meal. Sleep with your head elevated on pillows if you are having trouble with heartburn. Be sure to avoid acidic, spicy, and fried foods. All of these foods will worsen your symptoms of heartburn.

Naps
If you are sure you are not getting enough rest during the night. Take naps during the day. Just find a quiet spot in the house and relax even if only for a short period of time. This can help to decrease the amount of fatigue you feel throughout the day.

Support
A Pregnancy Pillow can greatly increase the comfort you feel during sleep. Attempt sleeping on your side with one part of the pillow under your knee and another part of it under your belly.

Diet
If possible, eliminate caffeine from your diet. If you are having trouble with nausea, eat plenty of plain snacks like crackers and even bread. Avoid an empty stomach to keep the nausea down. Be sure to eat healthy for you and your baby. Absorbing all of the necessary nutrients is vital to your baby's health. This will also prevent you from awaking at night feeling the urge to munch on snacks.

Advice
Contact your doctor if your insomnia does not taper off.

Bed Rest Pillow admin@bedrestpillowonline.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anthony_DeDomenico

Medical Causes For Leg Cramps

Leg cramps, also known as charley horse, occur when muscles of the leg contract all of sudden with a force. Usually people experience the cramps in the calves, but you can also get them at the hamstrings or the quadriceps. These cramps do not last very long, usually under a minute. Some people regularly get leg cramps while sleeping in the night and this is mainly seen in seniors and middle aged people. Night leg cramps occur due to bad circulation to the lower limbs.

Usually the cause for legs cramps is not drinking sufficient amounts of water. Water helps to transport nutrients to all the parts of the body and if you do not drink enough water, then nutrients supply is hampered. Also, the muscles have to be properly hydrated in order to function normally.

Another reason for experiencing cramps in the legs is deficiency in minerals. Usually low levels of calcium, potassium and magnesium can cause cramps in the legs. If you are suffering from calcium deficiency, you will initially experience tremors and twitching in the muscles that will then progress to cramps. Potassium and magnesium help to maintain the electrolyte balance in the body and also aid in the controlling and building muscles. So, deficiency in potassium and magnesium can cause severe cramps in the legs. Sometimes, even over exercising or doing too may different exercises can lead to cramps in the legs.

Some of the other causes for experiencing legs cramps are dehydration, being overweight, having an imbalance in electrolytes, muscle fatigue, or taking medications like statins or prednisone.

If you are experiencing legs cramps, make sure that you eat foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals. Try to incorporate foods like bananas, potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, and citrus fruits in your daily diet. In addition, drink around 6 to 8 glasses of water and reduce your caffeine and sugar consumption. If you get a sudden attack of cramps, try massaging the area, doing some stretching movements or applying a hot compress. The massage should be in circular movements to loose the muscles in the affected region. If you regularly experience leg cramps in the night, drink a glass of warm water or take a warm bathe before retiring to bed.

About Author:
Kum Martin is an online leading expert in healthcare industry. He also offers top quality articles like:
Bronchial Pneumonia Symptoms, Who Discovered Mumps

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How Do You Deal With Leg Cramps

I will give you a new reason to drink your orange juice and eat your bananas, if you actually need a reason. Have you ever had leg cramps? Most of us have and they usually occur during the evening hours while you sleep. These cramps did not do much good for your sleep did they?

Well drinking your orange juice and eating your banana will give you some potassium and that potassium can help ease your muscle cramps. If you have ever had what I call a charlie horse which is a sharp tightening of a muscle in your calf, your foot or some other part of your leg, you do not have to be told how painful they can be. You know they interrupt your sleep and unfortunately these issues are more prevalent as you age.

Do you realize a few smart tweaks to your diet can help you immensely? That is because some of the key nutrients that your muscles depend on are called electrolytes and these minerals work in tandem to balance the acidity and alkalinity of your bodys fluids. So you should plan to get more calcium, more potassium, and more magnesium from your food.

This advice should also help relieve your restless legs syndrome (RLS) which may cause you some uncomfortable sensations in your legs that are relieved only by you moving. This particular RLS issue may even cause couples to sleep separately, not a nice situation.

The three minerals that you will want to balance are calcium, potassium and magnesium.

Having a steady supply of them in your body may help prevent your leg cramps that are caused by the imbalance of your electrolytes. Make sure you pay special attention to magnesium, without enough magnesium your muscles can not relax after they contract, and most of you do not get enough magnesium. When changing your diet always check your changes with your doctor. A nutritionist can put a diet together for you once you get your clearance from your doctor. And as always you must eat well to be well.

I think. I read. I care. I inform. I coach. This will really work, get back to me. To you health don george wellness is my game 1(603) 686-7186 donm@dimoteenterprise.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Don_George