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| Restless Legs Syndrome |
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Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes a strong urge to move your legs. This urge to move often occurs with strange and unpleasant feelings in your legs. Moving your legs relieves the urge and the unpleasant feelings. People who have RLS describe the unpleasant feelings as creeping, crawling, pulling, itching, tingling, burning, aching or electric shocks. Sometimes, the feelings also occur in the arms. The urge to move and unpleasant feelings occur when you’re resting and inactive. They tend to be worse in the evening and at night and are temporarily relieved in the morning. |
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| RLS can make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. It may make you feel tired and sleepy during the day. This can make it hard to learn, work and do your normal routine. Not getting enough sleep also can cause depression, mood swings or other health problems. |
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| RLS can range from mild to severe based on: |
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- The strength of your symptoms and how often they occur
- How easily moving around relieves your symptoms
- How much your symptoms disturb your sleep
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| What Causes Restless Legs Syndrome? |
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| Faulty Use or Lack of Iron |
| Research suggests that restless legs syndrome (RLS) is mainly due to the faulty use or lack of iron in the brain. The brain uses iron to make the chemical dopamine and to control other brain activities. Dopamine works in the parts of the brain that control movement. |
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| A number of conditions can affect how much iron is in the brain or how it’s used. These conditions include kidney failure, Parkinson disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, pregnancy and iron deficiency. All of these conditions increase the risk of having RLS. |
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| People whose family members have RLS also are more likely to develop the disorder. This suggests that genetics may contribute to the faulty use or lack of iron in the brain that triggers RLS. |
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| Nerve Damage |
| Nerve damage in the legs or feet and sometimes in the arms or hands may cause or worsen RLS. Several conditions can cause such nerve damage, including diabetes. |
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| Medicines and Substances |
Certain medicines may trigger RLS. These include some:
- Anti nausea medicines (used to treat upset stomach)
- Antidepressants (used to treat depression)
- Anti psychotics (used to treat certain mental health disorders)
- Cold and allergy medicines that contain antihistamines
- Calcium channel blockers (used to treat heart problems and high blood pressure)
RLS symptoms usually get better or may even go away if the medicine is stopped. |
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| Certain substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, also can trigger or worsen RLS symptoms. Symptoms may get better or go away if the substances are stopped. |
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| Periodic Limb Movement |
| Most people who have RLS also have a condition called periodic limb movement in sleep (PLMS). PLMS causes your legs or arms to twitch or jerk about every 10 to 60 seconds during sleep. These movements cause you to wake up often and get less sleep. |
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| PLMS usually affects the legs, but it also can affect the arms. Not everyone who has PLMS also has RLS. |
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| Related Sleep Problems |
| The symptoms of RLS can make it hard to fall or stay asleep. If RLS disturbs your sleep, you may feel very tired during the day. |
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| Lack of sleep may make it hard for you to concentrate at school or work. Not enough sleep also can cause depression, mood swings or other health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure. |
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| Tests |
| Currently, no test can diagnose RLS. Still, your provider will likely order blood tests to measure your iron levels. He or she also may order muscle or nerve tests. These tests can show whether you have a condition that may worsen RLS or that has symptoms similar to those of RLS. |
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| Sometime, sleep studies are used to diagnose RLS. A sleep study measures how much and how well you sleep. Although RLS can cause a lack of sleep, this sign isn’t specific enough to diagnose RLS. |
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| How Is Restless Legs Syndrome Treated? |
| Restless legs syndrome (RLS) has no cure. If a condition or medicine triggers RLS, it may go away or get better if the trigger is relieved or stopped. |
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RLS can be treated. The goals of treatment are to:
- Prevent or relieve symptoms
- Increase the amount and improve the quality of your sleep
- Treat or correct any underlying condition that may trigger or worsen RLS
Mild cases of RLS often are treated with lifestyle changes and sometimes with periodic use of medicines. More severe RLS usually is treated with daily medicines. |
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| Lifestyle Changes |
| Lifestyle changes can prevent or relieve the symptoms of RLS. For mild RLS, lifestyle changes may be the only treatment needed |
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| Preventing Symptoms |
| Many common substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, can trigger RLS symptoms. Avoiding these substances can limit or prevent symptoms. |
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Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines can cause or worsen RLS symptoms. Tell your doctor about all of the medicines you’re taking. He or she can tell you whether you should stop or change certain medicines. |
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Adopting good sleep habits can help you fall asleep and stay asleep—a problem for many people who have RLS. Good sleep habits include:
- Keeping the area where you sleep cool, quiet, comfortable and as dark as possible.
- Making your bedroom sleep-friendly. Remove things that can interfere with sleep, such as a TV, computer or phone.
- Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day. Some people who have RLS find it helpful to go to bed later in the evening and get up later in the morning.
- Avoiding staying in bed awake for any long period in the evening or during the night.
Doing a challenging activity before bedtime, such as solving a crossword puzzle, may ease your RLS symptoms. This distraction may make it easier for you to fall asleep. Focusing on your breathing and using other relaxation techniques also may help you fall asleep. |
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| Regular, moderate physical activity also may help limit or prevent RLS symptoms. Often, people who have RLS find that if they increase their activity during the day, they have fewer symptoms |
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| Relieving Symptoms |
Certain activities can relieve RLS symptoms. These include:
- Walking or stretching
- Taking a hot or cold bath
- Massaging the affected limb(s)
- Using heat or ice packs on the affected limb(s)
- Doing mentally challenging tasks
Choose an aisle seat at the movies or on airplanes and trains so you can move around, if necessary. |
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| Medicines |
| You may need medicines to treat RLS if lifestyle changes can’t control symptoms. Many medicines can relieve or prevent RLS symptoms, including many new medicines. |
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| No single medicine works for all people who have RLS. It may take several changes in medicines and dosages to find the best approach. Sometimes, a medicine will work for a while and then stop working. |
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| Some of the effective medicines used to treat RLS also are used to treat Parkinson disease. These medicines make dopamine or act like it in the parts of the brain that control movement. (Dopamine is a chemical that helps you move properly.) |
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| If medicines for Parkinson disease don’t prevent or relieve your symptoms, your doctor may prescribe other medicines. You may have to take more than one medicine to treat your RLS. |
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| Always talk with your doctor before taking any medicines. He or she can tell you the side effects of each RLS medicine. Side effects may include nausea, headache and daytime sleepiness. |
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| In some cases, RLS medicines may worsen problems controlling excessive gambling, shopping or sexual activity. Sometimes, continued use of RLS medicines may make your RLS symptoms worse. |
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