Legs With a Mind of Their Own
For: When Sleep Won’t Come, the Whole
Night Through, September 2003
What’s going on? You wake up with—or are kept awake by—a fidgety sensation in your calves; only walking relieves it. You probably have restless leg syndrome (RLS)—a tingly, crawly, and/or achy sensation in one or both legs that is relieved by stretching or moving the legs. It can also happen while you’re sitting. People with RLS also sometimes have a condition called "periodic limb movement disorder," involuntary jerking of the legs.
Though there are theories, nobody really knows what causes RLS or involuntary movements of the legs during sleep. Some people develop the first symptoms as young adults. Family history plays a role. It’s worth talking to your doctor about RLS. It can accompany iron deficiency anemia, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, alcoholism, and a few other conditions. You may need medical tests to rule out such underlying problems. But if you’re healthy, as most people with RLS are, there’s not much your doctor can do. Tranquilizers (benzodiazepines) and a few other drugs may help temporarily, but there’s no FDA-approved medication.
Try these strategies:
• Massage the affected muscles before bedtime. Stretch your legs. Rotate your ankles.
• Apply a hot water bottle or cold compresses at bedtime.
• Soak in a warm bath before retiring.
• If you simply can’t sleep because of the symptoms, it’s just as well to get up and try to distract yourself. Do a few simple exercises. Walk around.
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine, particularly in the evening.
• If you smoke, stop.
• Try sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees.
• If self-help fails, see a doctor.
The Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation
(514 Daniels St., Box 314, Raleigh, North Carolina 27605) promotes
research for RLS and offers support. You
can write it for more information (enclose a SASE) or visit its website.
{http://www.rls.org}
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, September 2000
