Restless Leg Syndrome is a ailment of the part of the nervous system that affects movements of the legs. Since it usually interferes with sleep, it also is considered a sleep ailment.
Individuals with RLS have bizarre feelings in their legs (and sometimes arms) and an irresistible urge to move their legs to relieve the sensations.
The feelings are tricky to describe: they are not painful, but an uncomfortable, "itchy," "pins and needles," or "creepy crawly" feeling deep in the legs. The feelings are typically worse at rest, especially when lying in bed. The sensations lead to walking uneasiness, sleep deprivation, and anxiety. Restless Leg Syndrome affects about 8-10% of the US population. Men and women are affected uniformly. It may begin at any age, even in infants and young children. Most individuals who are affected severely are middle-aged or older.
The severity of Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms ranges from mild to unbearable. Symptoms get gradually worse over time in about two thirds of people with the condition and may be serious enough to be disabling. The symptoms are in general worse in the evening and night and less acute in the morning. While the symptoms are usually quite mild in young adults, by age 50 the symptoms cause serious nightly sleep disruption that leads to decreased alertness in the daytime.
RLS is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed. In many people the condition is not diagnosed until 10-20 years after symptoms begin. Once properly diagnosed, RLS can often be treated effectively
The cause of restless legs syndrome (RLS) is not known.
Restless Leg Syndrome was once thought to be due to sickness in the blood vessels of the legs or in the nerves in the legs that control leg movement and feeling. Both of those suggestions have been discarded. Restless Leg Syndrome may be linked to abnormalities in brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that help control muscle actions, or to abnormalities in the part of the central nervous system that controls routine movements. Research is still being done in these areas.
RLS can be primary or secondary. Secondary Restless Leg Syndrome is caused by an underlying medical condition. Primary (idiopathic) Restless Leg Syndrome has no known underlying cause. Primary RLS is far more common than secondary RLS. Many different health conditions can cause secondary Restless Leg Syndrome. The two most common conditions are iron-deficiency anemia and peripheral neuropathy.
Iron-deficiency anemia ("low blood") means low levels of hemoglobin, the stuff in the blood that carries oxygen and makes the blood come out red.
Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves of the arms and legs. Peripheral neuropathy has many causes. Diabetes is a common cause of peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy causes numbness or lack of sensation, tingling, and pain in the affected areas. As many as 40% of pregnant women experience Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms. The symptoms typically weaken within a few weeks after delivery.
Certain medications or substances can cause RLS. Alcohol, caffeine, anticonvulsant drugs (eg, methsuximide, phenytoin), antidepressant drugs (eg, amitriptyline, paroxetine), beta-blockers, H2 blockers, lithium, and neuroleptics (antipsychotics) may cause RLS. Retraction from vasodilator drugs, sedatives, or imipramine can cause Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms. Cigarette smoking is also linked to Restless Leg Syndrome.
Additional secondary causes include magnesium deficiency, vitamin B-12 deficiency, acute kidney disease (especially if dialysis is required), amyloidosis, Lyme sickness, damage to the spinal nerves, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, and uremia (kidney failure causing build up of toxins within the body).
The causes of primary RLS are unknown, but some of the risk factors are known. In 25-75% of cases, primary Restless Leg Syndrome appears to run in families. Such genetic cases of Restless Leg Syndrome tend to start earlier in life and get worse more slowly than added cases.
So what do you do if you think you have Restless Leg Syndrome? The best and most effectual way to treat Restless Leg Syndrome is with a natural holistic program. There are quite a lot of programs on the web that are spefically designed to treat this condition naturally.
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