Symptoms Of Restless Leg Syndrome

Tossing And Turning In Bed

Tossing and turning in affected individuals can cause problems with their quality and duration of sleep. Many individuals who experience these symptoms are also affected by a condition associated with restless leg syndrome referred to as periodic limb movement disorder. This condition causes a patient's legs to kick, twitch, and spasm throughout the night when they are sleeping. The mechanism that links these two conditions together is not clear but is thought to involve the deficiency of dopamine and other neurotransmitters that are important to muscle function in the peripherals. Restless leg syndrome symptoms tend to improve in patients who are treated for the underlying periodic limb movement disorder. Some individuals affected by restless leg syndrome have a subconscious response to the urges to move when they are sleeping that is not associated with periodic limb movement disorder.

Insomnia

Insomnia is a term used to characterize when an individual has problems with falling asleep or staying in a restful state of sleep. An individual is considered to have insomnia when they have sleep difficulties at a frequency of at least three times every week for at least three months. Restless leg syndrome can cause patients to have secondary insomnia because they constantly have the urge to move their legs, and this disrupts the process of falling asleep. An affected individual often wakes up in the morning and does not feel refreshed as they should. This lack of restful sleep can cause an affected individual to feel excessively sleepy during the day, be grumpy, have fatigue, experience memory problems, and have an inability to concentrate. The top two symptoms reported in restless leg syndrome patients are insomnia and sleep disturbances because they tend to disrupt an individual's everyday life the most.