Tips for Dealing with Restless Legs Syndrome

CLEVELAND - Do you feel like you constantly need to move your legs when lying down?

You could be dealing with restless legs syndrome. 

Reports show it affects roughly 30 million people here in the United States.

“Restless legs syndrome can be a terrible disorder and really interfere with your ability to fall asleep. It's a clinical diagnosis. It's defined as the sensation of restlessness, or maybe itchiness, or pain, usually in your legs. And it usually happens at nighttime or when you're at rest, like when you're trying to go to sleep. And it can interfere, again, with your ability to fall asleep,” explained Brian Chen, MD, sleep specialist at Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. Chen said restless legs syndrome can be caused by a number of different factors, including having low levels of iron. 

He explains that sometimes our guts don’t absorb iron properly, or in some cases, we may not be getting enough iron from our diets. 

Iron can be found in foods like beef, chicken, eggs, fish and dark leafy greens. 

Dr. Chen said treatment for restless legs syndrome can vary and may be something as simple as taking an iron supplement. 

However, medication may also be necessary.

“There are also less common medications that are a little bit more cutting edge for restless legs that are really hard to treat, including some light opiates in a controlled state. There are even devices that are used to control restless legs. There’s a device on the market that you wear around your knee and then it stimulates the leg to make it feel like it's moving so you don't have to move it, and that way you're able to fall asleep,” he said.

Dr. Chen adds that restless legs syndrome can also happen in children. 

If you notice your child is tossing and turning more than normal in bed, it’s important to let their pediatrician know.