The feelings usually occur while the affected person is sitting or lying down and are worse at night. However, your doctor may want a sleep study to check for sleep apnea, which can worsen RLS, or to evaluate whether you have periodic limb movements during sleep. Restless legs syndrome (RLS) can be tricky to diagnose, largely because symptoms tend to be worse at night and less obvious in the doctor's office. The movement is triggered by strange or uncomfortable feelings, often described as crawling, pulling, or itching, deep within both legs. It typically happens in the evening or nighttime hours when you're sitting or lying down. Do you feel an itching in your legs when you lie down to go to sleep?
It provides data that are essential in evaluating sleep and sleep-related complaints and problems, such as identifying sleep stages, brain waves, eye movement, muscle tone, body position, blood oxygen levels, breathing events, snoring, heart rate and general sleep behavior.Leg movements are not generally assessed with a home sleep study.RLS is diagnosed based on clinical symptoms. "If you think you may have RLS, see a doctor for an exam.People with restless legs syndrome have unusual feelings in their legs (like itching, crawling, pulling, aching, throbbing, or pins and needles) and a powerful urge to move their legs to make the sensations go away. RLS is also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, or RLS/WED. The feelings usually happen on both sides of the body. Your doctor may want to check your iron stores using a serum ferritin test or test for other conditions such as kidney disease or vitamin deficiencies that could be causing your RLS. After the technician is certain that electrodes are recording properly, the lights will be turned off and you can go to sleep. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke: "Restless Legs Syndrome Fact Sheet. Some people describe it as a creeping, crawling, tingling, or burning sensation. You might have trouble sleeping or sitting for a long time, such as in a theater or a car. After you change into your nightclothes, the technician will connect you to a number of electrodes that will record your brain waves and muscle movements throughout the night. Do you have difficulty falling asleep because you of an urge to move your legs? Symptoms can come and go and severity can also vary. Most sleep studies take place at night. "Treatment for RLS itself will target your symptoms. All staff and providers are required to wear masks and other personal protective equipment, and our facilities are continually cleaned using enhanced sterilization procedures.A sleep study, also called polysomnography, is a painless, noninvasive test that records your physical state during various stages of sleep. Your doctor may want to check your iron stores using a serum ferritin test or test for other conditions such as kidney disease or vitamin deficiencies that could be causing your RLS.Sleep studies are performed in a sleep laboratory that is specially equipped with computerized monitoring equipment. Over time, a lack of sleep can cause problems at work or home.Other ways to treat RLS without drugs include:American Academy of Sleep Medicine: âRestless Legs Syndrome.âMerck Manual Consumer Version: âPeriodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD) and Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS).âWarm baths, exercise, and nixing caffeine will help.Thereâs no medical test for RLS.