Do you have restless legs when you’re trying to sleep? Do your legs tense and cramp and generally keep you awake? If so, you know it’s frustrating, painful, and keeps you from the good night sleep you deserve. A recent homeopathic remedy for this ailment has been circulating on the internet, and you may be surprised at its simplicity:
Soap.
This may sound a bit wild, but there’s been a surge recently in reports and discussions that say putting soap in your bedsheets can help alleviate the nightly anguish of restless leg syndrome. The internet is full of stories of year-long suffering being interrupted by this simple solution, and while there hasn’t been a scientific study done on this phenomenon, anecdotal experience suggests there may be something to it. But what?
Whether it is the soothing fragrance in the soap (Lavender soap often performs better than others), the magnesium content, some unknown molecule, or simply the placebo effect, there seems to be something happening here. People who have tried this either report quick and complete relief, or no change at all—there are very few cases being reported of partial success, which is usually not the case for pharmaceutical remedies. Some people have even reported success when they didn’t know the soap was there, which suggests it may not be entirely placebo. The fact that some brands of soap seem to work better than others also implies that there could be something real at work with this strange solution to cramps.
Have you tried this folk cure for restless legs? If so, leave us a comment and tell us about it!
For a very in-depth analysis of why some research specialists thinks this method works, check out this People’s Pharmacy article.
