January 10, 2007 - 6:01 PM

Restless Leg Syndrome

Have you heard of Restless Leg Syndrome? A disorder that affects 1 in 10 Americans, doctors and scientists don't really know what causes it, and they don't have a cure for it. It's not life-threatening, but it can be life-altering, and it certainly is life-annoying. And, I'm pretty sure that I have it.

What exactly is Restless Leg Syndrome? It's...how to describe it...it's this thing where some part of your body, usually your legs, gets an uncomfortable feeling inside of it, a feeling that causes the afflicted person to have to shake or move their leg to release it. For me, it feels like my leg is filling up with kinetic energy (if you're a comic book fan, think of it like Gambit charging up a playing card); the energy builds up to the bursting point, at which time my leg will involuntarily spasm and kick. Sometimes, as the energy builds up, I pre-emptively stop it by consciously shaking my leg out; this is only temporary relief however, as a minute later, that feeling begins again.

The thing that sucks about it is that it mostly lies dormant during the day, only cropping up in the late evening and early night, especially at times when I'm trying to relax or go to sleep. It happens sometimes when I'm sitting down and watching TV or on the computer, but it happens most frequently when my legs are stretched out and I'm reclining. I'll be cuddling with Liz, doing a crossword puzzle or reading our books, and then the twitching will begin. If I try to relax, it gets worse; if I'm falling asleep, it absolutely explodes. Liz has noted that within the first 5 minutes of me dozing off, my legs go apeshit. She's had to wake me up and make me go sleep on the couch several times because it's so disruptive.

Walking, doing leg exercises, stretching- these all help to relieve RLS for a time, longer certainly than the few minutes respite offered by the shaking out of the legs. But none of that has worked for more than 15 minutes. I even tried to tire my legs out by going to the gym and concentrating on only the leg muscles; when I got home, I was so pooped, I had to lie on the floor and sip orange juice for a half hour before I could go take a shower. But an hour later, trying to fall asleep, the RLS kicked in again.

Anxiety and stress might be kickstarters of RLS, as might be diet and nutrient imbalance. I know that the attacks come and go for me; this recent spate seems to have coincided with the commencement of my new job. And it doesn't wrack my legs everynight. I just don't know.

Does anyone else suffer from Restless Leg Syndrome?

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