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← Return to RLS and the Nidra bands
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For those who can’t or may have trouble getting a prescription for the Nidra bands, this might help. I wear compression sleeves during the day because I have some nerve problems in my right leg due to spinal issues...long story, doesn’t matter. The compression sleeve helps support that leg that has nerve damage. However, I wear them on both legs during the day, for balance. I discovered that when I get restless legs at night, which ironically, I only get in my right leg now since having a hip replacement for my left hip, if I put a compression sleeve on the right leg, it helps immensely. I continue to wear it through the night. Compression sleeves obviously don’t deliver electrical stimulation to the nerves in the legs like the Nidra bands do, but for me, it seems to give pushback, for lack of a better word, to the impulses in the leg. They don’t cure it, but they subdue the impulses.
I like the Blitzu brand as they are thicker, supportive but not restrictive, easy to put on (they send a card showing how to do it the easy way). A good winter weight although I haven’t found a comparable summer weight and often just go without wearing them in the summer because I find them too hot during the day. I do have short legs so although for some reason the white and black versions aren’t too long, the other colors are. I snip the lower part of those, up to the “cuff line” with scissors and then turn the cuff up. Snipping them to the cuff line does not make them run. I throw them in the wash as usual but I hang them up to dry. I have 7 pair in all colors and I’m on my third year of using them so the wear is good as long as you don’t throw them in the dryer.. I get mine from Amazon and right now they’re on sale for $8.99 a pair.
I do joke about asking if Medicare would pay for a hip replacement for my right hip to cure the RLS in that leg too. I have no idea why I no longer get RLS in my left leg after hip replacement but I’ll take it. My right hip is in good shape though so the compression sleeve it is for now. I will ask my doctor about the Nidra device next time I see her. It looks like you may have to have a doctor who knows how to use them however, looking at the Nidra page.
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@kildaren96 That is very interesting, Nanci. Before medication and before the Nidra bands (and before I knew it was RLS) I used a large, heavy massager on my leg at night and for years that helped stop the symptoms (until it didn't). Initially, my RLS symptoms were almost always just in my left leg--on much worse on my left leg. I had just injured that leg's tendon (running back of calf down through the arch of my foot) before I developed RLS. I swear that injury is somehow connected with how I experience RLS. I don't think it was causative. But, I do think "other things" affecting our legs plays a part in how the RLS symptoms are expressed. My RLS doctor said the Nidra's impulses were designed to replicate walking. The other thing--besides treating each episode of RLS effectively--is that use of the bands (over some time) decrease the frequency of having symptoms. I read this and thought "oh, sure" but honestly that happened. I went from only a symptom-free night every 6 to 8 weeks (never something I could replicate) to now symptom-free about 1/2 the nights. (Last night was the fourth in a row without RLS symptoms). Unlike Laura 1970, my device was totally paid for by medicare and my supplemental (April 2025). Maybe, her insurance is different than mine or maybe my RLS expert doctor wrote the justification differently. I spoke with someone at the Noctrix Company and was told insurance would cover completely--and it did. I am still subject to horrible RLS nights if I over-stretch or over-exercise (but I'm working on this, carefully). The Noctrix website has a list of doctors who understand how to prescribe (in almost every state--there are a couple states--I think--where you can't get one, at all). The company both arranges for you to meet someone who "activates" the device in person AND someone else who emails every week for the first ?couple months to ask if there are any questions/need any help. You can also talk to this person on the phone. The company doesn't just provide the device--it provides fabulous support. The devise was carefully engineered to be comfortable as well as effective. You just need to be careful with the velcro (I bet this will be improved in the next generation of Nidra's). I had a hair stuck in the velcro and it didn't stick until I removed the hair. The "work" of arranging to get a Nidra is a small price for nights with no symptoms, I think. For me--I had to travel to a different state to pick mine up--I can't stress enough how helpful it has been--it gave me back my life. My RLS was so bad. I was so sleep-deprived. And : ) now I'm not. ---Best to you! Let me know if you decide to pursue getting one and how it works for you!