What is restless legs syndrome?

Sleep is essential to rest the mind, allowing it to function efficiently and creatively during the day. And sleep is just as important for the body, giving muscles and joints time to recover from an active day and regroup for another go at the world. But for at least 12 million Americans, it doesn’t work that way. When they settle down for a good night’s sleep, their repose is shattered by an irresistible urge to move their legs. The result is a miserable night of fragmented sleep, daytime sleepiness, personality changes, and often a grumpy spouse. The problem is restless legs syndrome (RLS).

Leg discomfort is the first symptom of RLS. It’s usually described not as pain but as a tingling, pricking, bubbling, tearing, or burning sensation like “ants crawling up my legs” or “soda pop in my veins.” Most often, the discomfort is centered deep inside the calves, but it can also occur in the thighs or feet. In most cases, both legs are equally affected, but touching the skin or pressing on the muscles does not increase the discomfort; in fact, some patients report temporary relief from massaging their restless legs. In severe RLS, symptoms can also develop in the arms.

Most types of leg pain are triggered by activity and relieved by rest, but in RLS, it’s the reverse. The symptoms begin during rest and are most intense when the sufferer is — or should be — the most comfortable. RLS typically begins in bed at night, but it can also develop when people settle into a comfortable chair. The symptoms usually begin shortly after bedtime. As RLS becomes more severe, the discomfort begins earlier and earlier in the day but always intensifies at bedtime.

The only way people with RLS can stop the ants crawling through their legs is to move about. They fidget, adjust their legs, and toss and turn in bed. The urge to move is irresistible. In severe RLS, patients have to get out of bed and pace the floor to get relief.

The result is a truly bad night’s sleep, causing morning headaches, fatigue, or exhaustion, afternoon somnolence, poor concentration, impaired memory and productivity, and personality changes ranging from grumpiness to depression and even bizarre or inappropriate behavior.

 Have you had RLS? What kinds of symptoms have you experienced?

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