Thursday, 19 June 2014
Symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)
Restless Legs Syndrome is a neurological sleep
disorder characterized by a desire to move the legs or arms, usually associated
with uncomfortable sensations typically described as creeping, crawling,
tingling, burning or itching. Symptoms are worse when the individual is at
rest, and frequent movements of the legs occur in an effort to relieve the
uncomfortable sensations. For most people with RLS, symptoms are worse in the
evening or not; some individuals only have the symptoms in the evening or at
night.
The symptoms of RLS can delay going to sleep,
and it can awaken a person sound asleep. RLS can also impact the quality of a
person’s sleep. Because of these sleep problems, a person may have daytime
sleepiness.
The prevalence of RLS ranges from 2 to 7
percent in the population, with about 4.5 percent of the population
experiencing RLS about once a week.
Specific Symptoms of Restless Legs
Syndrome
1. An urge to move the legs, usually
accompanied by or in response to uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in the
legs, characterized by all of the following:
- The
urge to move the legs begins or worsens during periods of rest of
inactivity.
- The
urge to move the legs is partially or totally relieved by movement.
- The
urge to move the legs is worse in the evening or at night than during the
day, or occurs only in the evening or at night.
2. The above symptoms occur at least 3
times/week, and have persisted for at least 3 months.
3. The above symptoms are accompanied by
significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, educational,
academic, behavioral or other important areas of functioning.
4. The above symptoms are not attributable to
another mental disorder or medical condition (such as leg cramps, arthritis,
leg edema, etc.), and are not better explained by a behavioral condition (e.g.,
habitual foot tapping).
