Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder when the legs feel exceedingly uncomfortable while sitting or lying down, irresistibly urging the legs to move to stop these odd sensations. It pushes one to keep getting up and move around. This can also affect the arms or torso, but mostly affects the legs. While doing so, the unpleasant and irritating feeling of restless legs syndrome temporarily disappears, providing temporary relief.

RLS causes a sensation that can be explained by drawing a parallel to an itching, burning, or tickling feeling in the muscles. It can happen to anyone, from either sex, and can begin at any age, only increasing as one gets older. It can disrupt sleep, lead to daytime sleepiness, and make travelling complicated.

Causes

Most of the times, there are no concrete reasons for the occurrence of restless legs syndrome. It is suspected that this might be due to an imbalance in the chemical, dopamine, in the brain. Dopamine is responsible for the sending of messages to control the movement of muscles. The causes of RLS could also be one or more of the following:

It could be heredity. Some genes for RLS have been identified as responsible for it to be a genetic phenomenon. If so, most people of the family are afflicted by RLS.

Stress also exacerbates symptoms of RLS. Hormonal changes may also increase RLS. Some women also get affected by RLS during pregnancy, which normally only lasts during the course of the pregnancy.

Mostly RLS isn’t connected with any serious medical issues. However, at times, it comes along with other conditions, such as; peripheral neuropathy, which damages the nerves in the limbs probably due to chronic illnesses such as diabetes, alcoholism etc.; iron deficiency; or kidney failure, which is normally accompanied by iron deficiency as well.

Symptoms

RLS has signs of having indescribable uncomfortable sensations in the feet, calves, thighs, or arms as creeping and crawling, aching and burning, jittery and tingling, deep-seated feelings. You might get such feelings, if you are inactive for long periods of time, or in the nighttime, when the legs twitch and kick involuntarily. This can lead to restless sleep, and thus insomnia. Relief can be achieved only through movement, and the symptoms usually worsen by evening.

Treatments

Treating an underlying condition, such as peripheral neuropathy or iron deficiency, can sometimes cure the restless legs syndrome, for e.g., taking iron supplements to correct the iron deficiency, only under medical supervision of course. Making some serious lifestyle changes, could also go a long way in lessening the symptoms, like taking pain killers, taking baths and massages to relax your muscles, doing meditation or yoga to reduce stress, to unwind and calm the body and mind, application of warm and cool packs whose use in alternation, cuts down the sensations in the limbs, trying to sleep well in a soothing setting, exercising, avoiding energy drinks, coffee, or other caffeine containing products as well as alcohol and cigarettes.

Although controversial, medications can also be prescribed if the RLS condition is very severe and should be administered only under medical supervision.

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