uneasy legs syndrome ( often call restless leg syndrome or RLS ) is a upset that causes an consuming itch to move the leg , usually to ease unpleasant sensations .
Also known as Willis - Ekbom disease , RLS takes place when the pegleg are at rest . It is typically most severe in the evening and night , potentially disrupting a mortal ’s eternal sleep and affect day-to-day activities .
Types of Restless Legs Syndrome
There are two types of uneasy branch syndrome : basal and secondary .
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Signs and Symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome
People with RLS experience uncomfortable touch sensation in their legs when sitting or lying down .
People with RLS often describe these feelings as :
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Some individuals feel symptom throughout the day , but the symptom will always be worse at nighttime .
In world-wide , getting up and walking will at once relieve the symptoms ; but they unremarkably return as before long as you settle back into a restful body politic .
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5 Triggers of Restless Legs Syndrome
Causes and Risk Factors of Restless Legs Syndrome
Dopamineis needed to bring about smooth , purposeful brawniness natural action and movement . commotion of these pathways frequently result in involuntary movements . Individuals withParkinson ’s disease , another disorder of the basal ganglia ’s dopamine pathways , have an increased luck of developing RLS .
When the cause is obscure , the upset is called primary RLS . When uneasy legs syndrome is because of another disease or condition , or is a side effect of sure medication , the disorder is known as secondary RLS .
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Medications that may exacerbate RLS symptom let in :
How Is Restless Legs Syndrome Diagnosed?
There are no medical tests to name RLS , but your doctor may perform blood tests and other test to decree out other upset .
Your doctor may also say blood tests to take care for underlying conditions that can cause RLS , such as diabetes or kidney disease .
In addition , your doctor may use a neurological and a strong-arm test , info from your medical and kin history , and a inclination of your current medications to make a diagnosis .
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Treatment and Medication Options for Restless Legs Syndrome
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Alternative and Complementary Therapies
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Prevention of Restless Legs Syndrome
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Lifestyle Changes for Restless Legs Syndrome
Symptoms of RLS also can be relieve by some lifestyle change . you may try the following :
Staying active throughout the day assist alleviate symptom for some . This give your muscles the fortune to exert the muscularity that they would otherwise release at night .
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Some people find that upright nap habits can also help with symptom of RLS .
These habits can admit :
If RLS symptoms are modest , do not produce important daylight uncomfortableness , or do not involve an individual ’s power to come down asleep , the condition does not have to be treated .
Restless Legs Syndrome Prognosis and Outlook
That said , current therapies can control the disorderliness , denigrate symptoms , and increase full stop of restful sleep .
In cases of lowly RLS , when your RLS is triggered by another disease or term , symptoms usually go away when the disease or experimental condition ameliorate .
In addition , if your uneasy legs syndrome is triggered by medications or the use of caffeine , nicotine , or alcohol , the condition commonly improves or go off once you stop using the medication or substances .
RLS as a upset is not unsafe or life - baleful , but it can be uncomfortable , cause it gruelling to sleep and affect your quality of spirit .
Complications of Restless Legs Syndrome
Research and Statistics: How Common Is Restless Legs Syndrome?
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RLS occurs in both men and womanhood , although fair sex are more likely to have it than men .
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Related Conditions of Restless Legs Syndrome
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The Takeaway
Resources We Trust
Abhinav Singh , MD , is a board - license sleep medication specialist and the medical director of the Indiana Sleep Center . He is also an associate clinical professor at Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine in Indianapolis , where he spring up and teach a sleep medicine rotation .
Dr. Singh ’s enquiry and clinical practice stress on eternal sleep disorders , including exuberant day sleepiness , narcolepsy , sopor apnea , insomnia , and sleep educational activity .
Singh is a equal reviewer for theJournal of Clinical Sleep Medicine , Sleep Health(from the National Sleep Foundation ) and theJournal of Sleep disorder : Treatment and Care , and is joint author of the bookSleep to Heal : 7 dim-witted Steps to Better Sleep . He has receive several Top Doctor recognitions and is the sleep specialist for the Indiana Pacers NBA team .
He lives in the Indianapolis area and revel music yield and racquet sport .
Barbara Kean has worked as a newsman , investigator , editor program , and author for a number of paper and magazines includingVogue , The New York Times Magazine , theBoston Herald , Martha Stewart Living , Rolling Stone , Vanity Fair , Health , Glamour , andSelf . After earning a bachelor ’s degree in English and Spanish from Tufts University and a professional ’s degree in English from University College London , this Boston native began her calling in journalism at theBoston Heraldnewspaper before go to New York .
She was previously the research director atVoguemagazine for many years . She has sour on several volume , includingThe End of Karma : Hope and Fury Among India ’s Young(Somini Sengupta),Grace : 30 Years of Fashion at Vogue(Grace Coddington),Vogue Living : Houses , Gardens , People(Hamish Bowles ) , andThe World in Vogue : the great unwashed , Parties , Places(Alexandra Kotur and Hamish Bowles ) .
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