Definition
“Restless Legs” (RLS) is an English expression which literally means “restless legs”. In this disease, there is an almost uncontrollable urge to move and also sensory disturbances in the legs. There are estimates that between 5-8 million people suffer from Restless Legs Syndrome.
However, it should be emphasized that in well over 2/3 of the patients, the symptoms are only weakly pronounced and therefore do not require treatment. Overall, it is assumed that 4-6% of people over 30 years of age suffer from RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome). In the over 60-year-olds it is probably even more than 11%.
Women are slightly more frequently affected than men. It is now assumed that the disorder is hereditary. Almost 1/6 of all severe sleep disorders are probably caused by restless legs.
Especially in phases of relaxation and rest, a variety of sensations (tingling, pulling, formication, tearing, etc.) occur. As a result, patients develop a tremendous urge to move their legs (= restless legs) in order to make the discomfort disappear through muscle tension.
(In rare cases, the arms may also be affected by this urge to move). This can lead to problems in relationships, for example, because a “kicking” bed neighbor or partner naturally needs a lot of space in bed. Patients sometimes feel as if they are “out of their skin”.
Non-affected persons often cannot really understand the complaints because they are not easy to describe. This lack of understanding can lead to patients isolating themselves with their suffering because “nobody wants to listen or help anyway”. Patients with restless legs often get the “psycho- or malingerer’s stamp”.
Since the classic relaxation situation of the day is nightly sleep, this is exactly where the problem occurs more frequently, which means that severe sleep disturbances occur regularly. Patients with restless legs often suffer from involuntary twitches in their legs. These occur mainly during sleep and have the unattractive side effect that they can wake the patient up for a short time, which intensifies the previously mentioned sleep disorder.
As consequence of such a Restless Legs disturbance thus as already mentioned frequently a chronic sleep disturbance arises, which can lead for their part to further symptoms. It comes to a physical exhaustion, fast exhaustion, listlessness, concentration disturbance and occasionally even to the development of a depression. In addition, a pronounced RLS (Restless legs syndrome) can lead to loneliness (social isolation), as patients are no longer invited to go to the movies, for example, because it is not possible for them to bear a movie in silence or to sit in a restaurant.
It is not uncommon for patients to report an increase in leg restlessness following physical activity (sports, for example). Another symptom described by patients is a frequent and widespread feeling of “tightness”. Patients feel just as uncomfortable in cramped clothing as they do under a bedspread that is too tight.
