Do you move legs unknowingly? Read this!  

Had you also encountered a strong irresistible urge to move your leg or you wake up in the night due to involuntary movement of your leg? If your answer is “Yes”, then you are in the right place to know about your issue. If you are having such problems, you may be suffering from the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), RLS also known as Willis-Ekbom disease is a nervous system disorder that causes an uncontrolled urge to move your legs, usually because of uncomfortable sensation. It normally happens in the night time when you are sitting or lying down. Moving eases the unpleasant feeling temporarily.

RLS can begin at any age but generally worsen when you get older. It can disrupt your sleep in night which can affect your daily performance.

Image source: Asterccinic

What causes Restless leg syndrome(RLS)?

Even though the exact cause of RLS is not known, Doctors thinks genes might play a role as nearly half of the people with RLS also have a family member with the condition.

Beside the unknown genetic cause, there are some established causes of RLS which includes:

• Chronic diseases: Conditions like Iron deficiency, Parkinson’s disease, Kidney failure, diabetes and peripheral neuropathy can also lead to RLS.
• Medicines: Some medicine anti-nausea medicine, antipsychotic, antidepressant, cold and allergy medicine that have antihistamine can also potentiate the RLS.
• Pregnancy: Some women have RLS during pregnancy, especially in the last trimester. Symptoms usually go away with in a month after delivery.
• Lifestyle:  Use of alcohol, tobacco and caffeine is also associated with RLS. A lack of sleep or another sleep disorder like apnea can trigger the symptom.

Image source: Neurosciencenews

What are the symptoms of Restless legs syndrome?

The major symptom of RLS is an urge to move the legs. Some common accompanying characteristics of RLS includes:

• Sensation that begin at rest: The sensation typically begins after you have been sitting calm for a long time, such as in a car, Movie Theater or sleeping.
• Relief with movement: The sensation of RLS lessen with movement, such as stretching, Juggling, or walking.
• Worsening of symptom in the night: As we sleep in the night and our body is at complete rest condition, the symptom may increase its intensity in night.
• Night time leg twitching: RLS may be associated with another, more common condition called periodic limb movement of sleep, which causes your legs to twitch and kick, possibly throughout the night while you sleep.

Beside these, the movement happens in the both side of the body. Patient often explain the feeling of RLS as unpleasant. The sensation which generally occurs within the limb rather than on the skin, are described as: Crawling, creeping, pulling, Throbbing, Aching, or itching.

When to see a Doctor?

Some people never try to approach doctor as they think their problem will not be taken seriously by the doctor. But RLS can interfere with your sleep and cause day time drowsiness and affect your quality of life. Talk with your doctor fearlessly if you think you may have RLS.