Restless legs syndrome - why you want to move your legs

Restless legs syndrome - what is it?

Restless legs syndrome is a neurological disorder that results in the need to keep your legs in constant motion when you are lying down in a resting position.

Described in the early 20th century by Carl Axel Ekb, the disease affects between 5 and 15% of the adult population and is more common in the elderly and in women between 30 and 50 years of age, although both men and children can be affected (with a predominance in childhood).

Although most cases involve the legs, sometimes the syndrome can affect the upper extremities.

What could be causing this?

Many people jerk their legs out of habit. It can appear from lack of rest or even as a result of stress. In fact, as therapist Cheryl Hassan explains, this movement is designed to calm us, the same way a person tries to calm himself when he is anxious and the mind is busy with some kind of work. So, if you occasionally jerk your leg, it can even be good - energy is released and you calm down a little.

But if this is your compulsive behavior, it may mean you need help. You may have a mild disorder called restless legs syndrome. People with this disorder experience discomfort in their legs (rarely in their arms) when their limbs are at rest. And especially in a dream. By pumping their leg, they get rid of this discomfort.

Richard P. Allen, an expert on the disease, says people with the syndrome sometimes experience pain if their legs are resting. In acute conditions, these people may sit in front of the TV or in a work meeting and jerk their legs, which distracts others and causes them some discomfort.

Thus, patients with this disorder are unable to rest well at night.

Scientists believe that 7 to 10% of Americans suffer from restless legs syndrome (RLS), and women are twice as likely to suffer from it than men.

Diagnostic criteria and pathological types

To be considered restless legs syndrome, four diagnostic criteria :

An uncontrollable need to move the legs, which may be associated with the presence of paresthesia, i.e. changes in sensitivity and tingling sensation in the legs.
Instant relief of symptoms when moving the limbs. The relief, however, does not last very long, and the patient almost immediately feels the need to move his legs again.
Worsening of symptoms at rest, even during the day.
Worsening of symptoms in the evening or at night, between 22:00 pm and 5:00 am.

Additionally, there are two different types of restless legs syndrome , which have the following characteristics:

Primitive form : This type is also called idiopathic i.e. has no specific cause, although researchers associate it with a genetic-hereditary mechanism. It occurs before the age of 45, sometimes in childhood, but the symptoms are often so vague that the subject does not realize that he is suffering from restless syndrome, and months or even years pass before the symptoms become obvious. This pathology is progressive, that is, symptoms worsen with age.
Secondary form . Associated with the use of drugs or specific clinicopathological or physiological conditions, it occurs, usually after age 45, in an acute form: in other words, symptoms appear suddenly and do not tend to worsen over time.

What happens when you have RLS?

One of the main negative factors is that you do not get rest at night, as a result, your body is exhausted and you constantly feel the urge to sleep during the day. This, in turn, can greatly affect concentration, mood, success at work and school, and personal relationships. Your memory deteriorates, you are unable to complete normal tasks during the day, and you are unable to cope with your tasks. Scientists estimate that RLS reduces productivity by 20% and can cause depression and anxiety.

Researchers believe there may be several causes for the syndrome. This is a genetic disease for which there is no cure, but there are some factors that enhance it: a lack of iron in the body and an excess of caffeine.

What are the causes of restless legs syndrome?

The exact causes of restless legs syndrome are currently unknown , although researchers suggest that it is associated with disturbances in the metabolism of iron and dopamine, i.e. a neurotransmitter involved in the control of movement and coordination.

Main risk factors

Among the risk factors leading to the development of restless legs syndrome, the most common are:

Inheritance: About 60% of cases of restless legs syndrome are thought to be genetic in origin. It has not yet been possible to accurately identify the gene or mutation that leads to the development of the disease, but it is believed that the disease is transmitted according to an autosomal dominant pattern.
Iron deficiency: People with dietary iron deficiency are more likely to experience restless legs. Iron is necessary for the formation of the substance L-dopa, which is a precursor to dopamine. Iron deficiency is observed in 20% of cases of restless legs syndrome, and ferritin levels are less than 20-50 mcg/l.
Pregnancy: Restless legs syndrome often occurs in women during the first trimester of pregnancy, occurring in 25-40% of cases. Symptoms usually subside immediately after childbirth, but sometimes persist for several years. Additionally, a woman who suffers from restless legs syndrome during pregnancy has a 4 times greater risk of experiencing the problem again in old age.
Medications: Some medications may temporarily cause restless leg syndrome, including antidepressants, calcium channel blockers, antiemetics, antipsychotics, and antihistamines.
Surgical interventions: Sometimes the syndrome appears or worsens immediately after surgery, probably due to severe stress.

Some medical conditions also predispose you to the disorder. Although the correlation between these diseases and restless legs syndrome is ambiguous, we can identify Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis (the risk is doubled), some autoimmune diseases (for example, celiac disease, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjögren's syndrome), fibromyalgia, diabetes diabetes, chronic renal failure, venous insufficiency and thyroid pathologies.

Why do some people shake their legs when they sit?

I found an article on this matter that is largely right.

In Turkey, and in general and not only in it, sometimes you can see this phenomenon. Especially on public transport.

This phenomenon is more common in men, although recently it has been observed in women and even children. These are not just dangling legs while sitting on a chair with nothing to do, but rather rhythmic sporadic movements with a clearly defined amplitude of vertical or horizontal direction. They can be intermittent or long-lasting. Shaking occurs when a person is at rest, in a sitting position, although this kind can occasionally be observed in standing and lying positions, then such movements are more reminiscent of stamping while standing or turning the feet in different directions in a lying position.

If you observe this in yourself, your child or a loved one, then I can congratulate you on the fact that now you know what astheno-neurotic syndrome or simply neurasthenia looks like. Just as I am typing this article, representatives of the shaking legs are sitting in the subway car on both sides of me, and if you analyze their behavior, the shaking reaches its peak at the moment when a new portion of passengers enters the subway car and practically disappears after about a minute after the start train movement through the tunnel.

Confirming this diagnosis at home is quite simple based on external manifestations, although to make an accurate diagnosis it is necessary to undergo diagnostic testing by a specialist. A person begins to shake his leg or legs under two conditions:

1) being at rest;

2) in uncomfortable conditions. Uncomfortable conditions for such a person can be: loneliness, a serious conversation, waiting for something to start, be it a conversation with you or a new episode of a series.

Those whose loved ones make such movements with their legs were able to understand what was going on without additional observations.

So, what is astheno-neurotic syndrome?! This is a kind of attempt by the human psyche to compensate for the very strong stress caused by an increased level of anxiety. That is, under other conditions a person behaved extremely aggressively, but for certain reasons the inability to show aggression in response to increased anxiety leads to this type of behavior. As a rule, people suffering from this disease are often impulsive; conversations, especially in private, can be accompanied by outbursts of anger and even rage. This is due to the fact that a person feels driven into a corner, at a dead end, is afraid of seeming stupid or ignorant of the issue, and so on, but in fact these are the skins under which the main cause of anxiety is hidden - the reason to be rejected or rejected.

This problem leads to partial, rarely complete, social maladaptation of a person, namely, the inability to interact normally with the outside world, leads to a decrease in social contacts, closing a person from the outside world and immersion in states of artificial relaxation, which is frequent sex or masturbation, disappearance for playing computer games, immersion in religious and other communities with a clear leader-mentor and clear rules of behavior.

In addition to shaking your legs, you can observe other variations, namely, fiddling with keys in your hands, nervously fingering your rosary in your hands or something that can replace them, irregular but frequent stamping of your feet, active movement around the room during a telephone conversation or communication from a corner in a corner like a prisoner, accompanying the conversation with active gestures.

Along with outbursts of anger and aggression, a person also experiences a decrease in mood, apathy, manifestations of depression, procrastination, problems with concentration, memory, general weakness and pain, and fatigue. And this is not surprising, because it takes a lot of strength and energy to suppress feelings of anxiety and contain the aggression caused by this, so there is no strength left for the rest of life.

If you notice similar symptoms in a loved one, contact a specialist for advice. This syndrome does not go away on its own and at home, like a cold, you will not get rid of it, and there are no books that you need to read in order to be cured. Timely treatment, as well as psychological prevention, help to get rid of the problem or prevent it as quickly and painlessly as possible. Your health is in your hands!

Symptoms and consequences of restless legs syndrome

As mentioned, restless legs syndrome comes with very specific symptoms such as:

Having to move your legs to get relief.
Tingling and numbness.
Itching , tickling and burning in the legs.
More or less intense pain , sharp and involuntary contractions of the leg muscles.
Nocturnal myoclonus , i.e. unconscious movements of the legs during sleep.
Uncontrolled leg movements that occur every 15-40 seconds, in the form of jerks.

The presence of such symptoms predisposes the patient to important consequences that limit or interfere with the performance of daily tasks.

Among them we have:

Sleep disorders , such as insomnia associated with a constant need to move the legs. This results in poor sleep quality and frequent episodes of daytime sleepiness.
Irritability and mood swings associated with both lack of sleep at night and the urgent need to move the limbs. If these symptoms persist for a long time, they can lead to actual anxiety and depression.
Constant fatigue due to poor quality of sleep.

How to get rid of restless legs syndrome

There is no specific therapy for the treatment of restless legs syndrome; you can only resort to natural remedies, medications and lifestyle changes.

Usually the syndrome is treated in specialized centers for sleep disorders or neurology.

Natural Remedies for Restless Legs Syndrome

Among the main natural remedies for the treatment of restless legs syndrome are medicinal plants:

Drug treatment for restless legs syndrome

There is currently no standardized drug treatment for restless legs syndrome. Therefore, doctors choose medications based on individual case scores to combat symptoms:

Dopamine agonists. These are medications that act as dopamine, thereby reducing the level of the neurotransmitter in the body. The most commonly used are rotigotine, ropinirole, pramipexole, carbidopa and levodopa.
Benzodiazepines are used to treat sleep disorders caused by pathology, among them clonazepam is most often used.
Antiepileptic drugs: used in low doses, significantly reduces motor symptoms such as spasms and cramps in the legs. The most useful is gabapentin.
New is the treatment of patients with a combination of oxycodone and naloxone. This pharmacological “association” may help relieve more severe symptoms, but research is still ongoing.

Changing lifestyle and diet

Other remedies (nutritional and behavioral) can be used to treat restless legs syndrome, including:

Psychological support to manage the effects of the syndrome, such as depression, anxiety, irritability and mood swings.
A diet rich in mineral salts and vitamins for efficient neuronal function and compensation for any mineral deficiencies.
Supplementation of magnesium, iron, folic acid and vitamin B12 to compensate for any iron deficiencies or regulate neuronal excitability.
Quit smoking and alcohol as they worsen symptoms.
To promote relaxation and eliminate tension, it is recommended to take a class in Pilates , yoga or autogenic training , which can improve muscle health.
Walking or running, stretching, and massaging may be helpful to relieve symptoms .

Restless legs syndrome is a fairly serious pathology that can cause many harmful consequences for both physical and psychological health.

If you encounter such a problem, then share your “experience”!