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  RESTLESS LEG SYNDROM

 It is often overlooked but (RLS) is fairly common, it is a disorder that affects the movement and sleep pattern. This condition can have unpleasant sensations which causes and overwhelming urge in their legs to move.
 
Going back over the ages (RLS) was recognised as early as the 17th century, but in the 1940’s a Dr Karl Axel Ekbom first described what restless leg syndrome was, and so the condition has from time to time be called Ekbon syndrome.

Over 1.5 million people in the U.K. suffer from (RLS) which is 3% of the adult population, but that could be a lot higher. Women can be more likely to suffer (RLS), but it usually tends to affect most people as they get older.
 
Restless leg syndrome can be caused by inactivity, which leads to an uncomfortable sensation, but by moving it can improve. It is usually in the evening when (RLS) is more noticeable which can cause you to loose sleep.

Not every body has the same level of (RLS) it can vary from person to person, to some people it is just uncomfortable or irritating, while to other people it can be more severe which can cause distress or disabling, (RLS) is not life threatening but it can have cause a severe impact on your life from day to day.
 
Some symptoms of (RLS) include:-

An controllable urge to move the legs.

Sensations that is uncomfortable deep in the legs. 

Your sleep is disturbed or you have difficulty getting to sleep.

Where your leg movements are involuntary (jumping legs) that happen through the night.

Restless leg syndrome is where you have this uncontrollable urge to move the legs and you get an uncomfortable feeling which can be tingling or a pricking sensation in the legs, it has been said that it is like an electric current sensation or bones that are itching. These symptoms only usually occur when you are resting either by, sitting, sleeping or just laying down, and by moving your legs the relief is only temporary. It is at early evening when (RLS) usually begins and can get worse during the night.

 Up to 85% of the people with (RLS) may have what is called Periodic Movement Disorder; this is where there is jerky leg movements in the lower leg (calves) and the feet, again these only usually occur at night time

People with mild (RLS) symptoms they may occur just occasionally and cause you minimal sleep interruption and very little distress. However, in severe cases of (RLS) you can get repeat symptoms up to 2 to 3 times a week, were your sleep is disrupted severely which in turn can lead to you being tired during the day. It is not only you that suffers; it can also have an affect on your partner if you suffer from (RLS) during the night, which can have an impact on your day- to-day life, for example working or your personal life.
  
What causes Restless Leg Syndrome is not known, but test suggest that it could be related to an imbalance of a chemical in the brain called dopamine. Dopamine is a substance that occurs naturally and it affects movement. At night our levels of dopamine fall and this could explain why the symptoms of (RLS) are more often worse in the evening and during the night.

Restless Leg Syndrome could also be caused by the lack of iron that is very essential in the production of dopamine.

There are classes of RLS one is primary and the other secondary.
  
PRIMARY RLS
  
This occurs naturally and can start at any age, most of the time it starts in our early adult life, giving us fairly mild and occasional symptoms. As we get older however the symptoms can get more frequent and a lot more severe, which leads to a badly disturbed sleep, this usually occurs beyond 50 years of age.</p>

Primary RLS can run in families this is backed up by research, in one case it was found that people aged under 45 who developed (RLS), half of the immediate family were also known to have the condition, but, people who were over 45 years of age only 10% of their relatives were affect with restless leg syndrome.

SECONDARY RLS
  
If you think you may have (RLS) then the secondary can occur, this is a complication of another condition.
  
Do you have any of the following symptoms?

An urge to move your legs, this can be accompanied by or caused by very unpleasant or uncomfortable sensations?

Does resting bring the symptoms on, are the sensations getting worse when you rest or when you are not as active, lying or sitting down?

Getting up and moving around, when you walk or stretch your legs does this relieve the sensation? 

Are the evening and nights worse than those during the day, or does it only occur evenings and nighttime?

If your answer to the above questions was yes, there could a strong possibility that you could RLS. A visit to your GP will help with a diagnosis, he will look at your medical history and ask questions, don’t be embarrassed in discussing your symptoms with him, it will help in the end to know for sure if you have RLS and whether it is mild or how severe the conditions is, he is there to help.

CHANGE TO YOUR LIFESTYLE. 

There are a number of thing you could do to help ease the symptoms.

Try to cut down your intake of caffeine, tobacco and alcohol. 

 Stopping smoking will help a lot.

Having daily exercise walking, maybe riding a bike etc.

Trying to get a regular sleep pattern will help, going to bed and getting up the same time every day, try not to have a sleep in the afternoons, set some time aside to relax before you go to bed, avoid such stimulants as caffeine etc. before bedtime.

If you are taking medication that you think might be triggering RLS, continue but make an appointment with your GP.

Methods to help with RLS. 

Try stretching the legs then massaging the legs to give relief.

A hot or a cold compress directly to the muscles will help.

A hot bath in the evening or before bedtime will relax the muscles. 

Distracting your mind by reading a good book, magazine or just watching something good on the television.
 
RLS due to IRON DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA

If this is the case then by taking iron tablets it could help to reduce the symptoms, if you’re RLS is caused by being pregnant then usually the symptoms of RLS will disappear within one month of giving birth.

You should also try to have a good sleep pattern this should help to reduce the disruption that is caused by restless leg syndrome during night time. 

A quiet and comfortable sleeping environment is a must. 

Try to avoid late nights and to go to sleep and wake up the same times every day.

Don’t exercise before bedtime.

Try not to eat late at night or drink anything which contains caffeine late at night.

Don’t give in to naps during the day.-

Relax as much as possible before bedtime either by having a warm relaxing bath or a nice hot milky drink.

Products in our range that have been developed specially to help with this distressing condition are the creams containing essential oils and herbs, follow this link Restless Legs to accesss this page.

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