Do You Have Primary RLS or Secondary Restless Leg Syndrome?
Some people have primary RLS, while others have secondary RLS, but do you know which type of Restless Leg Syndrome you’re suffering from? In fact, do you even know what RLS is and what you can be doing to ease your symptoms?
You should know that Restless Leg Syndrome is a central nervous system disorder which can inhibit the ability to rest or sleep. Many associate it as a sleep disorder as it often occurs at night. It involves involuntary movements of the legs, tingling, and urges to move frequently. Symptoms typically become worse when at rest and at night, but you might find that you suffer from it whenever you’re just sitting still.
If you suffer from these symptoms it can be quite disturbing. While this condition can become frustrating for many people, it is not life threatening, but it can be disruptive if your symptoms become severe.
Primary RLS or Secondary RLS
An easy way to know what type of RLS you have is if you have no other ailments such as diabetes or anemia, then you likely have Primary RLS. This can be affected by your diet, the amount of caffeine you consume, the amount of activity you get or if you have certain vitamin or mineral shortages, but is not caused from another condition.
If you have a condition such as diabetes, anemia, or other problems, however, and your RLS didn’t start until your other condition occurred, then it’s likely that you have secondary RLS and the symptoms may very well subside when your other conditions are under control.
How Did You Get RLS?
Primary RLS is widely thought to be hereditary for the most part. For instance, if you have a family history of this condition, then it’s likely that you will too. However, there may be other factors which are affecting whether or not you suffer from this condition, such as low iron, magnesium or B vitamins.
While the cause of primary RLS isn’t known, there are some factors which can affect how much you will suffer from this condition such as smoking, alcohol consumption, certain medications, your diet and hormonal imbalances. So it’s a good idea to talk to your health care professional about the many different ways that you can help to manage your RLS symptoms so that you can get a good nights sleep again and begin feeling normal and healthy with rested legs. RLS doesn’t have to control you, but you need to know what you can do to control your RLS symptoms.
If you find that you suffer from secondary RLS, you should know that the symptoms are often sudden and you may find that you begin to suffer with them when you begin taking a new medication or have an illness. For instance, certain allergy medications can cause you to suffer from secondary RLS, so in this case, you may have to do some investigative work to find out what’s really causing you to suffer from RLS.
A Few Restless Leg Syndrome FAQs
Restless Legs Syndrome or RLS has been around for a while and has some other names such as Wittmaack-Ekbom’s Syndrome and Ekbom’s Syndrome, but they are all the same thing. This condition causes discomfort in the people who have it and you can’t seem to get relief. There are some things you should know about RLS when you’re looking to treat and control this condition.
How Do You Know If You Have RLS?
How do you know if you have Restless Leg Syndrome? It seems as if it’s easy enough to diagnose, right? Well, it’s a neurological condition, so it’s not so easy to just give a blood test to find out. Instead, there is a series of questions which you should answer to see if you have this condition.
- Do any of your family members have a similar problem?
- Does movement help your symptoms?
- Is it hard to concentrate throughout your day?
- Does your jerking legs keep you from sleeping?
- Have you had medical tests which offer no physical causes for your symptoms?
- Do you ever suffer from involuntary leg movements when not sleeping?
- Is the feeling that you need to move your legs impossible to resist?
- Does it feel like you should be moving when you’re at rest?
- Do you want to move your legs when you’re sitting or lying down?
- Do words like crawly, creeping, gnawing, itching, jerky, jumpy, pulling, tingling and unpleasant describe your symptoms?
- Do you have these symptoms at night?
If you can answer yes to most of these questions, then you might have RLS.
Is Restless Leg Syndrome Common?
You might be surprised to find that about 10% of all Americans suffer from this condition, so you are not alone which is good news because since there is no cure for this problem. People with this condition need to be able to get their hands on lots of research to help them better deal with RLS.
Other FAQ You Might Be Asking
- Although Restless Legs Syndrome typically occurs in the legs, it can also occur in the arms and torso as well.
- RLS can be misdiagnosed, and frequently, the symptoms which occur with varicose veins are confused for those of RLS, so it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your body so you will be able to tell.
- PLMS or periodic limb movements of sleep can also look like RLS to many people, but with PLMS, you will find that you jerk about every 20 or 30 seconds throughout the night.
If you think that you have RLS, you should see your doctor to make sure that you don’t have another condition which is causing you to experience these symptoms. If not, you will likely find that your RLS is controllable, through diet and exercise and lifestyle changes. There are also natural RLS supplements that may help you too. It’s important to talk to your doctor about your symptoms and to determine if you have RLS so that you can determine a method of treatment that meets your needs.
