Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a nervous system and sleep disorder that causes uncomfortable feelings in your legs (and other extremities) during the night. RLS usually causes enough discomfort to interfere with sleep (causing sleep deprivation) and so it is considered a sleep disorder as well.
Because it causes you to wake up to relieve the discomfort, the primary consequence associated with restless leg syndrome is sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation, in turn, worsens the symptoms of RLS, perpetuating a very vicious cycle.
Indirectly, another risk for people with mild or intermittent RLS is that it will go undetected or misdiagnosed. The problem here may be mild but can lead to chronic sleep deprivation.
Some of the symptoms include feeling the following on your legs at night:
The good news about RLS symptoms is that, as long as they are not mild, they are often easy to identify.
The symptoms of RLS all have one thing in common: discomfort in the legs (usually, though it can occur in other extremities). This discomfort can be mild, uncomfortable, and even intolerable. RLS symptoms may come and go over long periods of time, be chronic, or intermittent. When the discomfort is enough to keep you up or wake you up, it is considered a sleeping disorder.
If you notice these symptoms and live in Anchorage, you can consult with us or your healthcare provider to begin the road to treatment.
The causes of restless leg syndrome are not known for sure. Experts have shed some light on strong correlations between RLS and a number of other things, including:
In some cases, like RLS onset during pregnancy or after sleep deprivation, RLS may go away naturally. In other cases, RLS may be a chronic problem without treatment.
There is no direct treatment for RLS. Some treatments used in mild to moderate cases of RLS are targeted at lifestyle changes such as:
Non-lifestyle treatment methods include:
In some cases drugs may be used, but the effects may relieve or worsen your RLS (results are sporadic) and the effectiveness may lessen over time.
If you live in Alaska and are concerned that you may be struggling with RLS, consult with us to learn more information about what you are dealing with.