6 Most Common Signs of Restless Leg Syndrome
1.
Uncomfortable Sensations
People with RLS are often prompted to shake or stretch their legs out to help relieve
unpleasant and sometimes unusual feelings that those without the problem can’t relate
to.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says these sensations “are often
difficult to define” but can include aching, throbbing, itching, crawling, or “creeping.”
The source notes the same sensations can sometimes affect the arms, and in rare instances, the
chest or head.
The feelings can range in severity from patient to patient, from being annoying to outright
painful, it adds.
2.
Urge to Move Around
You should get up and walk around periodically when you have a desk job, but those with RLS
will be prompted to do so when the feelings in their legs become too much to ignore.
Moving the legs will usually curb the urge, at least for a little while.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says those with RLS will often find themselves
“jiggling” their legs, pacing, walking, stretching, flexing, tossing and turning,
or even rubbing their limbs for relief.
3.
Moving Provides Relief
An important thing to keep in mind is that those with RLS will usually get relief immediately
by giving in to the urge to move around, notes the Cleveland Clinic.
If you don’t get relief by moving, then it may be something else you’re dealing
with.
The problem can be particularly troublesome for those with desk jobs, or who are on a
long car ride or sitting in a movie theatre.
As we’ll get more into next, the problem can worsen as the day approaches night.
4.
Symptoms Get Worse Later in Day
Health.com points out that while you probably experience RLS during the daytime (sometimes
severely), it becomes most bothersome in the evening.
In fact, “Symptoms worsening in the evening is another one of the criteria necessary for
an RLS diagnosis,” it adds.
It adds that if your RLS is not at its worse in the later hours, then it might not be RLS
at all.
These symptoms can continue to worsen, even when you’re trying to relax and get ready
to fall asleep – which we’ll discuss next…
5.
Discomfort Continues During Rest
Those with RLS often feel the worse symptoms when they’re inactive for periods of time,
including when they’re sleeping.
WebMD explains periodic limb movement disorder that’s often linked to RLS is a “repetitive
cramping or jerking of the legs during sleep.”
The source says the movements can occur every 20-seconds or so (which may also be an annoyance
to a co-sleeping partner).
These movements can disrupt sleep, and those with this particular condition often feel
tired during the day, adds the source.
Of note is that while 80-percent of people with RLM have the periodic limb movement disorder,
the same is not true in reverse, adds WebMD.
6.
Iron Deficiency May be Related
The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that up to 33-percent of patients with
RLS may have low iron levels, “even at a level too mild to cause anemia.”
It may not be from not consuming enough iron-rich foods, either – the source explains there’s
research that suggests “that RLS in some people may be due to a problem with getting
iron into cells that regulate dopamine in the brain.”
Meanwhile, treatments for RLS often include iron supplements if that problem has been
identified (by a doctor), it adds.
There are other remedies, such as prescription anti-seizure medications that have been shown
to provide relief (but with possible side effects of sleepiness and dizziness), it adds.