Irresistible urge to move
As long as you’re walking around you’ll be fine, but the problems don’t start until you’re sitting still. The itching, tingling and stinging sensation in your legs. You must move your legs. Recognizable? Then you may be suffering from Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).
You are just sitting comfortably and then your legs start to tingle. Some people liken the feeling to insects crawling up your legs. Moving helps, but not for long. A short walk relieves the symptoms, but as soon as you sit down again, it comes back. The longer you rest, the worse it gets.
It is therefore not surprising that restless legs cause sleeping problems. Especially people with severe RLS are kept awake by this uncomfortable feeling. They cannot sleep and are tired during the day. It can also be disruptive to their partners. They often notice that their bed partner often gets up and walks around at night.
Symptoms
You can recognize restless legs by the following four characteristics:
- You regularly get an annoying, creeping, burning and sometimes itchy or stinging feeling in your calves or legs. Some people also get this feeling in their arms.
- You usually get this unpleasant feeling when you are resting, sitting or lying down.
- Movement relieves this feeling for a while.
- You mainly suffer from it in the evening and at night, which disrupts your sleep rhythm
nervous system
It is still not entirely clear how RLS develops. Scientists suspect it is caused by an abnormality of dopamine in the brain. This substance affects your nerves that control the limbs. In people with RLS, something goes wrong with the messages from one nerve to another during sleep or rest. This causes this annoying, stinging sensation in the limbs.
Nearly 80 percent of RLS patients also suffer from periodic limb movements (PLMD). These are involuntary movements that jerk your legs or arms. This can be compared to the shock you can feel when you fall asleep.
Not recognized
RLS can start at any age. But it often worsens in middle age or later. About 5 to 10 percent of the population has RLS. Not everyone suffers the same. Why people get RLS is not entirely clear. Heredity seems to play an important role. You are at greater risk if one or more of your family members has RLS. It is also more common in people with arthritis, kidney failure, iron deficiency, and diabetes.
Doctors are beginning to recognize the symptoms, but previously it was often thought that the problems were caused by nervousness, ADHD, arthritis, muscle injuries or cramps, insomnia or aging. As a result, people often continue to walk around with it for years, while there are indeed treatments for it.
