Restless Legs Syndrome

Restless Legs Syndrome is one of the most common causes of sleep disorders.

Often there is a feeling of unexplained discomfort in the legs and the need to move the legs. These unpleasant, uncomfortable sensations can be in the form of burning, stinging, cramp-like pain.

Complaints usually begin or increase in resting situations such as sitting or lying down. When the person moves, his/her complaints decrease or go away completely.

Restlessness in the limbs is often more pronounced in the evening or at night. In the advanced stages of the disease, complaints can also be seen during the day. It can be on one leg, on both legs, or sometimes on the arms. It is very rare for it to happen only on the arms. Restless legs symptoms may be due to anxiety, stress, sleep disturbance, mental, physical, social, occupational or behavioral disorder, or a medical illness. It often occurs with unknown cause (idiopathic).

In some cases, it may be caused by other factors; some of these are iron deficiency, some vitamin and mineral deficiencies (B12, folic acid, magnesium deficiencies, etc.), alcoholism, diabetes, kidney failure, neuropathy, genetic predisposition, some drugs (antidepressants, antipsychotics, etc.), some rheumatic diseases, dopaminergic dysfunction conditions such as Parkinson's Disease and pregnancy.

In these cases, the underlying cause of the disease should be determined and medical treatment should be planned to eliminate this problem.