Blogpost 5: Sleeping Disorder: Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS)

Imagine not being able to sleep through the night, being tired in the morning, going to a ton of doctors, and not getting any answers for years. What this is a creepy, unnerving, tugging, and crawling sensation in your legs. Some ways to relieve yourself of such pain is to walk around, massage your limbs, or to take a bath. 

Restless Leg Syndrome is a disorder of the part of the nervous system that affects the legs and causes an urge to move them.It was also a neurological disorder characterized by throbbing, pulling, creeping, or other unpleasant sensations in the legs and an uncontrollable, and sometimes overwhelming, urge to move them.

So I read an article entitled "Restless Legs Syndrome Center" in webmd.com. According to the article, RLS occurs in both men and women.Additional, restless leg syndrome run in families. Also, poor venous circulation of the legs (such as with varicose veins) can cause restless leg syndrome.


Although the incidence is about twice as high in women. It may begin at any age. They say that many individuals who are severely affected are middle-aged or older, and the symptoms typically become more frequent and last longer with age.

The webMD quoted that "For some people, symptoms may cause severe nightly sleep disruption that can significantly impair a person's quality of life." 

The accumulated sleep loss from restless legs syndrome can make you excessively sleepy during the daytime, cause you to be irritable and make concentration difficult. This may have a major impact on your professional and personal life. People with restless legs syndrome are more likely to have depression or anxiety.

As I read further another article entitled "Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS)" in helpguide.org. According to to the article, some drugs and medications have been associated with restless leg.

As an additional info., most research on the disease mechanism of restless legs syndrome has focused on the dopamine and iron system. These hypotheses are based on the observation that iron and levadopa, a  pro drug of dopamine that can cross the blood brain barrier and is metabolized in the brain into dopamine can be used to treat RLS.

The article quoted that "Experts believe that restless legs syndrome is caused by an imbalance of dopamine, a chemical that transmits signals between nerve cells in the brain."

It can make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep which can lead to a variety of other issues. Since sufferers may feel tired and sleepy during the day, they can have difficulty at school, work, and completing other daily activities. Driving can also become extremely dangerous. A lack of sleep can also cause depression, mood swings, or other health problems.