You may have heard of restless leg syndrome or you may even be one of the millions of unfortunate people who experience it. What is it exactly? Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is the urge or need to move the legs to stop unpleasant sensations. These sensations felt in the legs are often described as pulling, tugging, tickling or crawling. RLS most often occurs in middle aged people or older and happens almost twice as often in women than in men.
The causes of RLS are unknown and there are no distinct lab tests that can be performed to accurately diagnose it. In some cases kidney disease, diabetes or a neurological disorder can be the cause. Also, a deficiency in iron can sometimes cause Restless Leg Syndrome. If you are experiencong RLS, your doctor may begin by testing for these problems as treating the underlying problem may provide relief from the symptoms.
Restless Leg Syndrome may appear to be a relatively minor condition at first glance but can have a severe impact on the life of someone who experiences it. RLS can occur during the day, typically during long periods of sitting such as travelling or during meetings. Most often the RLS symptoms occur at night or during periods of rest. Walking around or moving the legs will temporarily relieve the symptoms and discomfort. This results in decreased quality of sleep or severe lack of sleep. As with any sleep disorder, this can lead to daytime sleepiness, lack of ability to concentrate, anxiety, depression, confusion and the inability to carry on day to day activities that you could normally do if you received adequate sleep at night.
One of the most frustrating things for someone suffering from RLS is the fact there is no known cure. There are several things that you can do to minimize the symptoms and help to increase the periods of restful sleep. These include stress relieving activities and muscle relaxing techniques such as warm baths, stretching and massage. Adding a moderate exercise program into your life has also been shown to help significantly. In extreme cases your doctor may prescribe an anti-Parkinson's medication.
Some other things you can do that may help to reduce symptoms are to reduce or eliminate caffeine, alcohol and tobacco from your life. Also, if blood work shows a deficiency in iron, magnesium or folate you may want to add foods rich in these vitamins or you may choose to supplement them through a multivitamin.
Research is still underway to find relief for people suffering with RLS. Hopefully a cure will be discovered soon. Until then, use the techniques listed above to work towards more symptom free days.
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