What is Restless legs Syndrome?
Restless Legs Syndrome is a disorder characterized by disagreeable leg sensations, usually prior to sleep onset, that cause an almost irresistable urge to move the legs.
What Does Restless Legs Feel Like?
RLS sufferes say it feels like:
What Relieves the Symptoms?
The only thing that seems to relieve the discomfort is to move the legs. streching them or getting up and walking around on them. Unfortunately, this interrupts the sleep cycle, so people with RLS are often very tired from lack of sleep.
What Can Be Done to Help RLS Sufferers Sleep? First of all, a sleep study (polysomnogram) is done to determine the cause of sleepiness. Once RLS has been diagnosed, mediction can be prescribed to relieve the symptoms.
RLS SOURCES
Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation is a terrific source of information and referrals.
The RLS Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit agency dedicated to supporting as many as 12 million people who suffer from RLS and to educate the medical community that this disorder is physical and treatable.
Worldwide Education and Awareness for Movement Disorders
Mt. Sinai Center
One Gustave L. Levy Place
Box 1052
New York, NY 10029
Phone: (212) 241-8567
Fax: (212) 987-7363
E-mail: wemove@smtplink.mssm.edu
BOOKS ON RLS
Book review of Sleep Thief, Restless Legs Syndrome
LINKS TO MORE INFORMATION
Restless Legs, Sleepless Nights - ABC News
CNN Plus Online - Sleeping Conditions - RLS
Mayo Clinic - You May Have RLS
National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke (NINDS) - RLS Mini Fact Sheet
RLS - the Mental Health Source
Archives of Internal Medicine - RLS: A Metabolic Disorder?
National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) - RLS
The People's Pharmacy - Help for RLS
HealthWorld Online - RLS Abstract
The Journal of Family Practice studies RLS -- Do patients with restless legs syndrome (RLS) have clinical correlates that suggest classification into subgroups with differing prognosis? What are patients' preferences regarding pharmacological treatment?
Restless Legs Syndrome - Healthtouch
Profile, Evaluation and Treatment of RLS - Healthtouch
There are numerous comments and questions about RLS at the Bisleep Open Forum
When searching for information on RLS, an episode of the X-FILES came up. It is really BIZARRE, but I have included it, just for the heck of it. ScienceWeb watches TV - (War of the Coprohanges) The X-Files and RLS?
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