RNS: Restless legs sending your partner to the other room? March 2006
TIME: 2:04
URL: http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2006/hmleg.htm
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Restless legs sending your partner to the other room?
This common, often under-diagnosed problem can keep sufferers from falling asleep and send bed-partners packing
Suggested lead: Restless leg syndrome can be attributed to nearly 1 in 10 Americans not getting a good night’s sleep. Fortunately, experts say there are several ways to reduce the symptoms of RLS to help improve you and your bed partner sleep. Here’s Andi McDonnell with more.
Forty-two-year-old Thomas Novak describes it as a creepy-crawly feeling that only went away when he moved his legs. His uncontrollable and often painful urges to kick and thrash his legs when trying to fall asleep not only wrecked havoc on his sleep, but also on his relationship with his wife.
It wasn’t until he sought help at the University of Michigan Health System that he was diagnosed as having restless leg syndrome, a common, yet under-diagnosed neurological disorder. With medication and lifestyle changes, his condition has improved. But Novak is one of few patients who seek medical treatment for the condition and receive an accurate diagnosis.
Dr. Raman Malhotra (M.D.), clinical lecturer in Neurology at the University of Michigan Medical School, explains…
“Most patients with restless leg syndrome do not get a diagnosis. May of them don’t seek medical attention either because it’s not bother them enough to see a doctor, or more likely, they feel like their symptoms won’t be taken seriously since there’s no objective signs, expect for their kind of description of what they feel. It’s also very difficult for physicians, mainly because it’s something we’re learning more and more about and a lot of physicians may miss the diagnosis, maybe attributing them to either nerve pain or muscle pain or joint pains instead of the restless leg syndrome.”
Fortunately, there is hope and treatment for the 1 in 10 Americans who suffer from restless leg syndrome. Typically, physicians initially prescribe non-medical treatments, and closely examine the over-the-counter medications or anti-depressants that may be aggravating the condition.
Malhotra says there are several simple steps people with restless leg syndrome can take to lessen symptoms, and there are other treatments available….
“…just getting a nice sleep, going to bed at the right time, waking up, getting about seven or eight hours of sleep a night can also help out with their symptoms. So we try to focus on what we call sleep hygiene initially. If these technique aren’t working, we have several medications available, most of which (the) purpose of is to increase the levels of dopamine in the system, so there are medicines that are actually used for Parkinson’s disease that also work for restless leg syndrome.”
Andi McDonnell, U-M Health System News. |
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