Kick the habit of twitchy nights

[Guest guest]

(This may be of interest to those with CMT and Restless Leg Syndrome - GG)

Kick the habit of twitchy nights

From Perth Sunday Times

http://www.sundaytimes.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,7034,10949344%255E950,00.\

html

RESTLESS legs syndrome may sound like a charter for whingers, unless you

happen to suffer from it yourself. We can all get twitchy legs

occasionally, especially in bed at night, but the full-blown syndrome

can ruin your sleep and drive you to distraction.

Up to 10 per cent of us are thought to be bothered by an irresistible

urge to move our legs, pins and needles, and a restlessness which gets

better after exercise and worse after sitting or lying still.

Like most symptoms, it's worse at night and can seriously disturb your

sleep, not to mention your partner's. Like most conditions, it becomes

more common as you get older. Children can have RLS, too, but it's not often

taken seriously unless they have particularly attentive parents. According to

Shneerson,director of Papworth Hospital Sleep Centre in Cambridge, children

with restless legs may be misdiagnosed as having growing pains or even

attention deficit disorder.

RSL sufferers sometimes describe their symptoms in graphic terms – " like

bugs crawling under the skin " , or " electric current-like " . It can make

them get up and pace around for hours or toss and turn violently to try

to alleviate the sensations. Anything that disturbs your sleep can

seriously affect your life, so it's not surprising to find reports of

RLS ruining careers and relationships.

RLS was first described nearly 70 years ago but is gaining greater

medical attention, with Britain's first medical conference on the

affliction in London this month.

Despite medical and pharmaceutical interest, it can be difficult to get

your GP to take it seriously and few sufferers are referred to a

neurologist. It's quite possible that many GPs dismiss restless legs as

a cry for attention, a hallmark of depression or anxiety.

But it is a recognised neurological disorder, thought to be due to

malfunction in the part of the brain responsible for movement. It tends

to run in families, suggesting that a gene is responsible. Sometimes,

though rarely, there's an underlying cause, such as iron deficiency,

pregnancy, diabetes, a slipped disc or kidney failure.

Occasionally restless legs are a side-effect of an antidepressant. But

in most cases the tests will come back normal and your doctor will be at

a loss. Dr Shneerson advises cutting down on caffeine, which often makes

symptoms worse. " Ask yourself if you've started any new drugs which

might be responsible, " he said. " Antihistamines as well as

antidepressants can make it worse. "

Other useful advice is to keep your feet cool in the evenings by going

barefoot or training a fan on your feet in bed. Stretching, massaging

and exercising your legs can help the restlessness but the symptoms

often come back. Because it is a movement disorder, drugs used in

Parkinson's disease can be helpful.