How to Use Vibration Plates for Restless Leg Syndrome

June 20, 2025

by Jackie Wicks

Medically reviewed by: Dr. Ronald Mochizuki, MD

Your shuteye determines the next day’s mood, whether you slept like a baby or tossed and turned all night. If you live with Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)—also known as Willis-Ekbom Disease—you know better than anyone how much your quality of sleep affects your quality of life.

Vibration plates are a simple and effective source of symptom relief you can try at home. Utilizing vibration plates for symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome helps you to find comfort through tiny but mighty vibrations that can naturally enhance circulation, activate nerves, and relax muscles.

You’ve come to the right place: Read on to understand RLS symptoms and the science behind how vibration plates can help put them to bed.

What is Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)?

RLS is a neurosensory disorder that causes a scratching sensation throughout the legs, stimulating an intense urge to move or stretch. Though the feeling is difficult to put into words, people with the condition also describe it as:,

Crawling
Throbbing
Itching
Pulling
Electricity

These physical sensations are most severe at night and often nonexistent in the mornings, though it varies depending on the person and the day. Moving the legs during one of these periods can bring temporary relief, but the effects of RLS last long beyond the sleepless night, which can alter overall well-being.

Living with RLS: Short- and Long-Term Effects

RLS can cause daily complications including fatigue, difficulty concentrating, mood changes, and a lack of motivation. It’s no wonder, since the condition can interfere with rest and relaxation every night.

These effects might lead to a long-term lack of productivity in work, school, or other day-to-day commitments. Not to mention, RLS can impair memory or be the source of anxiety and depression.

The first step to finding relief is understanding RLS and why it gets under some people’s skin.

Common Causes and Risk Factors for RLS

There is no obvious origin, but there are a few known correlations that put one at risk of developing RLS:,

Iron deficiency – Insufficient iron in the body—due to anemia and kidney failure in extreme cases—can lead to or intensify RLS.
Peripheral neuropathy – This condition causes nerve damage in the hands or feet through chronic diseases such as diabetes. Since RLS is a neurological disorder, damaged nerves make you more susceptible to developing it. Vibration Plates are effective in neuropathy management.
Lifestyle – Overconsumption of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and certain medications has been linked to RLS. Other possible factors include a lack of exercise or a surplus of stress.

RLS afflicts people from all age groups, but it’s most common in those above 50 years-old and often intensifies with age.

Relieve RLS Symptoms with Whole Body Vibration

No matter how young or old you are, trying out a vibration machine for restless legs might provide the symptom relief you’ve been looking for.

Take on your RLS symptoms one step—one day—at a time by stepping onto a vibration plate. Whole body vibration (WBV) with vibration plates is an accessible and body-forward approach to RLS symptom relief.

Short sessions on a vibration plate bring big results in relieving RLS symptoms. For instance, only 10, 30-second stints have shown an almost instant effect through increased blood flow and calmed muscle movement.

The Science Behind WBV and RLS

WBV with vibration plates causes a domino effect in the body, setting off a series of physiological processes that can provide RLS symptom relief like:

Increased oxygen release
Better muscular blood flow
Sharpened sensitivity in neural receptors
Higher nerve velocity

To put it simply, WBV enhances circulation, muscle relaxation, and nerve stimulation. Vibration plates not only create a ripple effect in overall health, but they have the power to tackle RLS symptoms from the very start of the session.

Circulation and Muscle Relaxation

Research suggests that people with RLS experience decreased peripheral or skin blood flow (SBF), causing oxygen deficiency in the leg tissues and nerves. This lack of oxygen is most likely behind the physical discomfort and the insatiable urge to move.

Fortunately, adopting vibration plates for Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms has been proven to increase peripheral blood flow and, in turn, relax muscles.

How exactly do vibration plates increase blood flow? Vibration plates augment nitric oxide (NO) concentration in the blood through WBV. NO is an impressive vasodilator (i.e. dilates blood vessels) that decreases vascular resistance and increases blood flow and volume.,

Vibration plate training can help you take back your REM cycles by relieving muscle tension and restoring SBF in the lower legs and feet.

Nerve Stimulation and Sensory Relief

Those living with RLS know that symptoms don’t always end at the legs. RLS can impact the brain, memory, and nervous system. Luckily, studies show that SBF increases fueled by WBV go hand in hand with an enhanced sensory nervous system.

Let’s break it down: the micro-vibrations from plates stimulate muscle spindles, which are sensory receptors that communicate with the brain. Through the information they send, the brain carefully calculates every movement, whether you’re reaching for a handful of popcorn or running through the airport to catch a flight.

RLS prevents these spindles from doing their jobs, and vibration plates can get them back to work.

How to Use a Vibration Plate for RLS Symptom Relief

Do vibration plate benefits sound like the solace you need from RLS symptoms? Luckily, these devices can fit seamlessly into your daily routine as seamlessly as they fit under your bed.

Where to Begin with WBV Training

You can seek out WBV training with vibration machines for restless legs in medical centers and in your own living room. Our Personal Power Plate is perfect for busy schedules, making immediate symptom relief within reach wherever life takes you.

Below are our recommended best practices when it comes to getting the most out of WBV training with your vibration plate.

Vibration Plate Positions and Exercises

Get off on the right foot with your vibration plate by starting with a few stretches, such as the butterfly stretch. To perform this stretch, sit on the plate with your soles together and your legs dropped in the shape of a butterfly.

Next, get your blood flowing with a quick 3-minute massage. Lay down with your back on the floor, and place one or both calves on the vibration plate.

Studies show that SBF levels remain higher than normal up to 10 minutes after the massage. You can move on to a few standing exercises to continue promoting circulation:,

Squat - With both feet on the platform, shoulder length apart, slowly lower yourself to the squat position by shifting your hips outward. Remember to keep your back straight, and hold your hands together to support your balance.
Calf raise – While standing on the platform, lift your body from the balls of your feet. This exercise will leave you on the tips of your toes and feeling the burn in your calves! Slowly lower your heels to complete one rep.
Reverse lunge – Start in a lunge position with your right foot on the vibration plate and the left one behind you. With your knees bent, you’ll want your right hip, knee, and ankle all aligned. To finish up a rep, push off your right heel to stand with both feet together off the vibration plate.

The movement of the vibration plate makes these exercises more challenging than they are on a stationary surface. Be mindful of this as you reap the rewards for remedying your RLS symptoms.

If you can’t find time for a full workout on a busy day, don’t worry. The beauty of vibration plates is that they can be used anytime, anywhere. Try sitting down on a chair with your legs resting on the plate to stimulate nerve endings while you’re working at your desk or watching the news. Plus, take the Power Plate Pulse or DualSphere with you on the go.

Optimal Hours to Use Vibration Plates for RLS Symptom Relief

RLS symptoms kick in during calm evenings or nights while sitting and lying down. The best bet to sleep through the night without itchy interruptions is to use your vibration plate right before hitting the hay.

Studies have shown definitive RLS symptom relief through vibration plate training, but we suggest consulting with your doctor before incorporating it into your everyday wellness care.

Supplemental Strategies for Managing RLS Symptoms

Along with our expert advice on vibration plates, explore additional natural ways to soothe your RLS symptoms:,

Take high- or low-temperature baths
Engage in mild-intensity exercise (biking, walking, yoga)
Control caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco consumption
Avoid stimuli before bed (like screens, books, or TV shows)

To ensure vibration machines for restless legs work their magic, remember to keep yourself healthy and hydrated.

Rescue Your Routine from RLS Symptoms with Power Plate

If you want to wake up on the right side of the bed but your RLS symptoms are holding you back, whole body vibration might be the missing piece.

Using a Power Plate vibration plate for your RLS symptoms can decrease their severity through improved circulation, muscle relaxation, and sensory relief. Our PrecisionWave Technology revives legs and muscles with effective, safe, and natural stimulation. With dozens of tri-planar vibrations per second, every tool in the Power Plate collection activates more muscles to bring you more relief.

Begin again by sleeping right, every night, with Power Plate.

Sources:

Cleveland Clinic. Restless Legs Syndrome. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9497-restless-legs-syndrome

Dovepress. Vibration and skin blood flow changes in subjects with restless leg syndrome. https://www.dovepress.com/vibration-and-skin-blood-flow-changes-in-subjects-with-restless-legs-s-peer-reviewed-fulltext-article-JPRLS

Healthline. Vibration Therapy: Uses, Benefits, and Side Effects. https://www.healthline.com/health/vibration-therapy

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. Decreased Symptoms without Augmented Skin Subjects with RLS/WED after Vibration Treatment. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.5920

Mayo Clinic. Restless legs syndrome. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/restless-legs-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20377168

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Restless Legs Syndrome. https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/restless-legs-syndrome

National Library of Medicine. The effect of vibration on the severity of restless legs syndrome in hemodialysis patients. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5423277/

National Library of Medicine. Medical devices for restless legs syndrome – clinical utility of the Relaxis pad. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4671777/

Neurological and Microvascular Function. Effect of Whole Body Vibration on Skin Blood Blow and Nitric Oxide Production. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0362/1139/2645/files/Effect_of_Whole_Body_Vibration_on_Skin_Blood_Flow_and_Nitric_Oxide_Production.pdf?v=1705069227

Power Plate. Regular Massage on a Power Plate Machine Can Help Improve Circulation. https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0362/1139/2645/files/regular-massage-on-a-power-plate-machine-can-help-improve-circulation-en-us.pdf?v=1586157199

WebMD. Vibration Plates: Benefits and Exercises. https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/vibration-plates

Women’s Health. The benefits of vibration plates and how to use one in a workout, according to trainers. https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/fitness/a63093891/vibration-plate-benefits/