One of the more unpleasant experiences about long distance travel is feeling cramped and the strong urge to stretch our legs. When forced to stay seated in an aircraft for a long time, due to turbulent conditions for example, the need to get up and stretch can soon become overwhelming. Although it is certainly different from Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), remembering such an experience is probably the easiest way for someone without the condition to understand what it is like.
As a condition of the brain, Restless Legs Syndrome or Ekbom's Syndrome, as it is also known, is categorized as a form of sleep disturbance because the discomfort is mostly experienced when people are lying in bed, although it is sometimes felt when individuals are sitting. In bed, it can affect a person either when they are trying to fall asleep or it cause them to awaken, making regular sleep very difficult.
When the condition is not treated, it can have all the serious effects of insomnia including exhaustion, depression, anxiety and concentration difficulties. According to the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM), moderate to severe symptoms of the disorder can result in sufferers achieving less than 5 hours of sleep per night.
Another serious risk associated with the condition, found in a study by Harvard Medical School, was that people suffering with Restless Legs Syndrome were twice as likely to suffer from heart disease or to experience a stroke as compared to the rest of the population. The study did not indicate whether treating the condition could reduce these risks.
As far as symptoms go, the relation to cramped legs on a flight is only intended to give the general idea because the symptoms experienced by people with Restless Legs Syndrome are definitely different. The symptoms are often described as abnormal, unpleasant or even painful feelings in the legs. These can include tugging sensations, numbness, tingling sensations, burning feelings and even the feeling that something is crawling in the legs. Such sensations are most often experienced deep in the calves.
Depending on the source of research, Restless Legs Syndrome affects anywhere from 2 to 15% of the population. Women are affected 50% more often than men and the condition is more common in those of older age with an estimated 44% of those over 65 affected. As well, according to research from the University of Missouri, the condition is also 4 times more common in those not of African American descent. In particular, the condition is more common in those of Northern European Ancestry than in the rest of the population.
While more common in later age, Restless Legs Syndrome has been found to occur more frequently in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) than in other children. As well, in a study of UK children, researchers from the University of Illinois found that roughly 2% of children aged 8 to 17 were affected by the condition, making it more common than even diabetes.
With various individuals in the population affected, the condition has numerous causes and one important cause is genetics. In 2007, research led by Emory University found some genes responsible for the condition. Subsequently, research from the University of Montreal found that having a brother or sister with the disorder raises an individual's risk of developing the syndrome by more than 3.5 times. Having a parent with the disorder increases the child's risk of having the syndrome by 1.8 times.
In addition to genetics, other conditions can also lead to Restless Legs Syndrome. People suffering from Diabetes,
Rheumatoid Arthritis and
nerve pain all have a higher risk of developing the problem. As well, pregnant women also have higher rates of the disorder.
Yet another contributing cause of the disorder is
obesity. According to a research study by Harvard School of Public Health, those with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher had an almost 50% greater risk of Restless Legs Syndrome than those with with a BMI that was less than 30. Having a BMI of 30 is considered as being obese.
As well as in the case of these medical problems, individuals suffering from iron deficiencies are also at higher risk from Restless Legs Syndrome. Based on research published in the International Journal Of Transfusion Medicine, researchers found that in regular blood donors, more than 20% suffered from iron deficiencies and roughly 18% experienced Restless Legs Syndrome making for a strong relationship between iron deficiency and the condition.
This relationship between iron in the metabolism and Restless Legs Syndrome is strong enough that considerable ongoing research is under way to investigate the relationship between iron in the body and levels of the nerve transmitting chemical dopamine in the brain. So far, treatments that target these chemical message transmitters in the brain have been the most effective for minimizing symptoms although many people claim no benefit from medications.
Do you suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome or share a bed with someone who does? Share your experiences in the health forums.
Related Links:http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/156/3/243
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/prof/sleep/res_plan/section5/section5d.html
http://www.biospace.com/news_story.aspx?NewsEntityId=131819
http://news.illinois.edu/news/07/0822restless.html
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/12/rls_stroke.html
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/race-is-strong-predictor-for-restless-legs-syndrome-68600252.html
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp021288
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2635580/
http://www.acsm.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=About_ACSM&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=12000
http://whsc.emory.edu/press_releases2.cfm?announcement_id_seq=10944
http://www.nouvelles.umontreal.ca/udem-news/news/20100511-restless-legs-syndrome-french-canadian-families-at-higher-risk.html
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-04/aaon-bba033109.php
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1423-0410.2010.01368.x/abstract
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11435804
