Restless Legs Syndrome

 

Hello everyone, this Friday I am looking at restless leg syndrome or RSL. This is a condition that both Tim and Tasha suffer from, me I have more a restless body as it isn’t just in my legs and often more in my upper body.

The most prominent symptom of RLS is the overwhelming urge to move your legs, especially when you’re sitting still or lying in bed. You might also feel unusual sensations like a tingling, crawling, or pulling sensation in your legs. Movement may relieve these sensations.

If you have mild RLS, symptoms may not occur every night. And you might attribute these movements to restlessness, nervousness, or stress.

A more severe case of RLS is challenging to ignore. It can complicate the simplest activities, like going to the movies. A long plane ride can also be difficult.

People with RLS are likely to have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep because symptoms are worse at night. Daytime sleepiness, fatigue, and sleep deprivation can harm your physical and mental health.

Symptoms usually affect both sides of the body, but some people have them on only one side. In mild cases, symptoms may come and go. RLS can also affect other parts of the body, including your arms and head. For most people with RLS, symptoms worsen with age.

People with RLS often use movement as a way to relieve symptoms. That might mean pacing the floor or tossing and turning in bed. If you sleep with a partner, it may well be disturbing their sleep as well.

More often than not, the cause of RLS is a mystery. There may be a genetic predisposition and an environmental trigger.

More than 40 percent of people with RLS have some family history of the condition. In fact, there are five gene variants associated with RLS. When it runs in the family, symptoms usually start before age 40.

There may be a connection between RLS and low levels of iron in the brain, even when blood tests show that your iron level is normal.

RLS may be linked to a disruption in the dopamine pathways in the brain. Parkinson’s disease is also related to dopamine. That may explain why many people with Parkinson’s also have RLS. Some of the same medications are used to treat both conditions.

It’s possible that certain substances like caffeine or alcohol can trigger or intensify symptoms.