Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy
Open Access

Rest Less Syndrome (RLS) Symptoms, Causes and its Complication

Melissa Claura^{* *}Correspondence: Melissa Claura, Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, Email:

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Description

A disorder that often occurs in the evening or at night, disrupting sleep frequently, and is defined by the presence of uncomfortable leg sensations and the need to move them to relieve the sensations.

Symptoms

The impulse to move one's legs is the main symptom. The following characteristics of RLS conditions.

Feelings that start when you're sleeping. The sensation usually starts after you have been sitting or lying down for some time, like in a car, airline, or movie theatre.

Relief from motion. With movement, such as stretching, jiggling the legs, pacing, or walking, the RLS sensation reduces.

Symptoms getting worse in the evening. Most symptoms happen at night.

Leg twitching at night. RLS might be connected to another, more typical disorder called periodic limb movement of sleep, which causes the legs to twitch and kick, possibly throughout the night, while you sleep.

RLS symptoms are frequently described as prickling, uncomfortable feelings in the legs or feet. Typically, they affect both sides of the body. The symptoms less frequently afflict the arms.

The sensations are typically felt inside the limb as oppose to on the skin, and they are described as:

• Crawling
• Creeping
• Pulling
• Throbbing
• Aching
• Itching

Electric

Sometimes it can be challenging to convey the sensations. RLS sufferers typically don't characterize the ailment as a numbness or a cramp in their muscles. However, they continuously talk about wanting to move the legs.

Causes

RLS frequently has no identified cause. Dopamine is a brain molecule that transmits signals to control muscle movement, thus researchers believe that a deficiency in this chemical may be the origin of the disorder.

Heredity

RLS can run in families, especially if it develops before the age of 40. The sites on the chromosomes where the genes for RLS may exist have been identified by researchers.

Pregnancy

The signs and symptoms of RLS may get worse due to pregnancy or hormonal changes. RLS might occur for the first time in some pregnant women, especially in the final trimester. After birth, symptoms usually disappear after delivery.

RLS can start to present at any age, even in childhood. With age, the disorder becomes more prevalent, and women are more likely than males to have it.

RLS usually has no connection to a significant underlying medical condition. However, it occasionally goes together with other ailments, like:

Peripheral neuropathy: Chronic conditions like diabetes and alcoholism can sometimes cause this harm to the nerves in the hands and feet.

Iron deficiency can develop or increase RLS even in the absence of anemia. You may have iron deficiency if you frequently donate blood, have a history of stomach or intestinal bleeding, or have heavy menstrual cycles.

Renal failure: Iron deficiency, frequently accompanied by anemia, is a possibility if you have kidney failure. Whenever the kidneys aren't working properly, iron deficiency, often with anemia.

Iron levels in the blood can drop when the kidneys aren't working properly. RLS may be caused or aggravated by these and other alterations in body chemistry.

Spinal cord disorders: RLS has been connected to spinal cord lesions brought on by harm or injury. RLS is also more likely to develop after having spinal anesthesia, such as a spinal block.

Parkinson's disease: RLS risk is elevated in those with parkinson's disease who take specific drugs known as dopaminergic agonists.

Complications

RLS symptoms can range from slightly annoying to incapacitating, despite the fact that they don't cause other major illnesses. Many RLS sufferers have trouble falling or staying asleep.

The quality of life can be significantly impacted by severe RLS, which can result in depression. Insomnia may lead to excessive daytime drowsiness, but RLS may interfere with napping.