Have you ever felt an uncontrollable urge to move your legs while you’re trying to sit and relax, or at night when all you want to do is drift off to a peaceful sleep? Or do you awaken with your sheets all over the place, evidence of vigorous kicking while you were sleeping?
If these things sound familiar, you may be experiencing restless legs syndrome (RLS), which affects anywhere from 7-10% of Americans — and it can develop at any age. About twice as many women are diagnosed with RLS as men.
It’s thought that the movement disorder is associated with how well (or poorly) the part of your brain that controls movement — the basal ganglia — functions.
There are a wide range of uncomfortable symptoms that accompany RLS, so it’s not about the need to move your legs alone.
The superior care team at Houston Neurological Institute is dedicated to treating your RLS so that you can stop worrying about and experiencing its disruptive symptoms. Their approach is personalized to your specific symptoms and unique goals for treatment.
As we’ve noted, RLS causes more symptoms than just the unsettling need to move your legs. You may also experience:
RLS is also considered a type of sleep disorder, since it interferes with your ability to get a peaceful night’s sleep. Unfortunately, sleep disorders disturb much more than the quality of your Zzzs.
It’s challenging to try to settle down to read or fall asleep, only to find yourself getting up and pacing, kicking, or stretching your legs to ease your symptoms.
It’s easy to understand then, why people coping with RLS feel fatigued during the day, have problems staying focused, experience mood shifts, and often live with depression and anxiety. All these things combined make for a lower quality of life.
Although certain medications cause RLS, and it’s been linked to conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, anemia, and substance use disorder, as well as pregnancy, there’s another important link that’s been discovered — genetics.
We know that family history plays an important role in the development of many conditions, from heart disease and high blood pressure to diabetes and cancer, which is why your doctor wants to learn as much about your family health history as possible.
You can actually inherit RLS at conception. If just one of your biological parents has the RLS gene, you can develop it. An autosomal dominant gene is when you inherit a condition from one parent as opposed to both (autosomal recessive).
There are also two types of RLS that are classified according to when a person is diagnosed. Early-onset RLS is diagnosed before the age of 45, and late-onset RLS is diagnosed in people who are over 45. The symptoms of early-onset RLS tend to progress more slowly than late-onset RLS.
Experts believe there’s more likelihood that a genetic basis exists in people who are diagnosed with early-onset RLS, as compared to those who are diagnosed with the late-onset form.
Although a cure doesn’t exist yet for RLS, your Houston Neurological Institute provider can offer carefully considered treatments that bring relief and allow you to get better rest so you can feel and perform better during the day. They may recommend:
Most of these medications aren’t recommended if you’re pregnant, and opioids are typically only prescribed when RLS is quite severe.
Fortunately, there are also lifestyle changes that your doctor may encourage, including getting enough sleep, avoiding tech before bed, managing your stress well, and getting enough physical exercise — though it’s not a good idea to do it within several hours of bedtime.
Taking a warm bath before bed or using a heating pad on your legs can also help with RLS symptoms, and avoiding caffeine and alcohol are good strategies too.
If your life has been upended by RLS, talk to your trusted Houston Neurological Institute provider. They can put together a personalized treatment plan for you, and advise you about health habits you can adopt to get relief.
Call our Pasadena or Pearland office to schedule an appointment to discuss your RLS symptoms, or book one with us online.
