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Realize The Symptoms Causes And Remedies For Restless Leg Syndrome | Discover Your Options

By: harvey hine


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RLS is a disorder of the part of the nervous system that affects actions of the legs. Because it frequently interferes with sleep, it also is considered a sleep disorder.

People with Restless Leg Syndrome have strange feelings in their legs (and sometimes arms) and an uncontrollable urge to move their legs to relieve the feelings.

The feelings are difficult to describe: they are not painful, but an distressing, "itchy," "pins and needles," or "creepy crawly" feeling deep in the legs. The feelings are frequently worse at rest, especially when lying in bed. The sensations lead to walking discomfort, sleep deprivation, and anxiety. RLS affects about 8-10% of the US population. Men and women are affected evenly. It may begin at any age, even in infants and young children. Most individuals who are affected severely are middle-aged or older.

The severity of RLS symptoms ranges from mild to unbearable. Symptoms get regularly worse over time in about two thirds of people with the condition and may be severe enough to be disabling. The symptoms are in general worse in the evening and night and less severe in the morning. While the symptoms are frequently quite mild in young adults, by age 50 the symptoms cause serious nightly sleep disruption that leads to decreased alertness in the daytime.

Restless Leg Syndrome is often unrecognized or misdiagnosed. In many individuals the condition is not diagnosed until 10-20 years after symptoms begin. Once properly diagnosed, RLS can often be treated effectively

The cause of restless legs syndrome (Restless Leg Syndrome) is not known.

RLS was once thought to be due to sickness in the blood vessels of the legs or in the nerves in the legs that control leg movement and feeling. Both of those suggestions have been rejected. Restless Leg Syndrome may be linked to abnormalities in brain chemicals (neurotransmitters) that help regulate muscle actions, or to abnormalities in the part of the central nervous system that controls routine actions. Research is still being done in these areas.

Restless Leg Syndrome can be primary or secondary. Secondary Restless Leg Syndrome is caused by an underlying health condition. Primary (idiopathic) RLS has no known underlying cause. Primary RLS is far more common than secondary Restless Leg Syndrome. Many different health conditions can cause secondary Restless Leg Syndrome. The two most common conditions are iron-deficiency anemia and peripheral neuropathy.

Iron-deficiency anemia ("low blood") means low levels of hemoglobin, the stuff in the blood that carries oxygen and makes the blood appear red.
Peripheral neuropathy is damage to the nerves of the arms and legs. Peripheral neuropathy has many causes. Diabetes is a common cause of peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy causes numbness or lack of feeling, tingling, and pain in the affected areas. As many as 40% of pregnant women experience Restless Leg Syndrome symptoms. The symptoms typically fade within a few weeks after delivery.

Specific medications or substances can cause RLS. Alcohol, caffeine, anticonvulsant drugs (eg, methsuximide, phenytoin), antidepressant drugs (eg, amitriptyline, paroxetine), beta-blockers, H2 blockers, lithium, and neuroleptics (antipsychotics) may cause Restless Leg Syndrome. Withdrawal from vasodilator drugs, sedatives, or imipramine can cause RLS symptoms. Cigarette smoking is also linked to RLS.

Additional secondary causes include magnesium deficiency, vitamin B-12 deficiency, serious kidney disease (specially if dialysis is required), amyloidosis, Lyme disease, damage to the spinal nerves, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, and uremia (kidney failure causing build up of toxins within the body).

The causes of primary RLS are unknown, but some of the risk factors are known. In 25-75% of cases, primary Restless Leg Syndrome seems to run in families. Such hereditary cases of RLS tend to start earlier in life and get worse more slowly than additional cases.

So what do you do if you think you have RLS? The best and most successful way to treat RLS is with a natural holistic program. There are a number of programs online that are spefically designed to treat this condition naturally.

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Check out this blog more info on Natural Restless Leg Syndrome Treatments Another Great Article On Natural Restless Leg Syndrome

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