Health Care

By Linda A.

Restless Legs Syndrome is a common disorder that causes insomnia. It is particularly a problem for women because it frequently comes on during pregnancy and may be related to the blood loss of menstrual cycles, which lowers iron levels. The abnormal and excessive movements of restless legs syndrome can interfere with normal sleep. It has been called the most common medical problem you have never heard of. It is the second most common sleep disorder and affects as many as 12 million Americans, yet doctors hardly ever diagnose it. It is much more common among older people affecting 30-40 percent of people as they age. Sometimes restless legs may be caused by other medical conditions, including iron deficiency, but in many cases the cause is never found.

Restless legs produce an unpleasant feeling in the lower limbs that often has a tendency to spread and may even rise to involve the trunk and arms. The nature of the feeling is difficult to pin down descriptively. It is an achy, expanding, unpleasant sensation which the sufferer, by experience, knows can be relieved by movement, thus giving to the name restless legs. There is an urge to move around in bed, get out of bed, walk around, stomp and shake the legs, and even run in place to undo the unpleasant sensations.

Although people complain that their symptoms are the most severe at bed-time, some people develop an irresistible urge to move their legs or to walk around when they are sedentary or in situations that require that they sit still. Maybe you go crazy if you have to sit as a passenger in a car, you might also find it difficult to sit still in a movie theater. Some people with RLS fall asleep at the wrong time and in the wrong places during the day because of severe daytime sleepiness, which can drastically impact their personal and professional life. Even when they fall asleep, the continuous disruptions and movements result in poor sleep quality and sleepiness the next day. And some people have the awful combination of being overwhelmingly sleepy and yet unable to sleep.

A related disorder is periodic leg movements which is jerking rhythmic movements, most of which occur in the legs every twenty to forty seconds across the night disrupting sleep. Each time the leg muscles twitch, brain changes, including wakefulness, occur. This is not the same as those leg cramps or twitches that happen at sleep onset. Periodic limb movement and restless legs syndrome should not be confused with nocturnal leg cramps. Although leg cramps can be quite painful, they rarely indicate a serious medical problem. They usually are a delayed reaction to strenuous daytime activity level one way or the other. Daily calf-stretching exercises just before bed-time can help prevent leg cramps. If you experience a cramp, try to interrupt it immediately by stretching your leg out straight and bending your toes back toward your head.

It would be worth a try to see if any of these alternatives can provide you with some relief for restless legs syndrome so you can avoid medications and their side effects.

• Get regular exercise
• Stretch the muscles in the back of your legs
• Use a heating pad
• Use cold packs
• Massage the affected area
• Take aspirin or ibuprofen
• Wear long socks or stockings
• Avoid all forms of caffeine, certain medications, stimulants, and certain pain relievers