Restless legs syndrome was first described in seventeenth century medical writings—and it’s been plaguing people ever since! So what is restless legs syndrome anyway?

Video Transcription

Male: Besiege by an uncontrollable edge to move your legs at nighttime, feel like insects are crawling around your couch you may have restless legs syndrome. Female: Restless legs syndrome RLS is quite common affecting 012 million Americans. RLS is generally characterized by unpleasant sensations in the muscles of the lower legs following periods of inactivity. The conditions get its name from the agitated phasing and leg giggling of suffers. The English Physician Sir Thomas Willis first described RLS in 1672. He wrote about people who experience leaping and contractions of the legs, according to Sir Willis these people are no more able to sleep that if they were in a place of the greatest torture. Although centuries have passed since the time of these observations, people who experience RLS often due feel tortured. The unpleasant sensation of restless legs have been describe as creeping and crawling or a deep seated burning in the muscles. RLS is unique and that people suffering from it can often eased their discomfort but only by engaging in constant movement when movement ceases so does relief. The symptoms of RLS range from mildly annoying to incredibly painful some suffers experience only occasional bouts of discomfort while in sever cases patients can have symptoms daily. Despite this range of symptoms severity however the patterns of RLS are fairly predictable generally discomfort is worst at night particularly during the unset of sleep. Other periods of an activity that may trigger restless legs include traveling in a car or plane, sitting in a movie theater or being a mobilized in a cast. Four out of five people with RLS find that their symptoms are exacerbated by another condition called periodic limb movements of sleep or PLMS. PLMS is characterized by involuntarily flexing and extending legs while sleeping without having any knowledge of doing so the combination of RLS and PLMS can severely disrupts sleep and prevent suffers from getting the required seven to nine hours nightly. For this reason RLS is often referred to as a sleep disorder. Sleep deprivation is a serious problem leading to 56,000 car crashes each year in the United States alone. It can also result in severe reduction in a persons ability to concentrate and focus leading to impaired performance at work or at school in addition in adequate restful sleep can intensify the symptoms of other diseases such as Alzheimer’s and parkinsonism that is bad news because this conditions often occur in conjunction with RLS. There was currently no cure for RLS however suffers may find relief from lifestyle changes such as smoking sensation or a change in sleep patterns and with time honored home remedies like hot baths. In addition recently develop medication options like reequip may help severe suffers find a reprieve. Some researchers theorized that restless legs syndrome affects 10% of the population if you feel that you maybe among them or have concerns about RLS please make an appointment to speak with your Doctor. Female: Want to learn check out other videos and sources on this site for more information.