Many times, due to a chemical imbalance in the brain, people may feel pain, itching, uneasiness, crawling and other unexplainable sensations in the legs, right before or during sleep. This chemical imbalance can be a sign of various movement disorders.
Types of movement disorders:
01
Restless Legs Syndrome
is an uncontrollable urge to move your legs and it occurs during evening or nighttime while you are awake. You can be sitting still or lying down relaxing when the urge hits you. However, when you begin to move around or rub your legs you will receive some form of relief. Older people and women are the most affected of Restless Legs Syndrome.
02
is when a person is asleep, while the limbs move periodically and involuntarily. This may cause you to be excessively sleepy, extremely tired and have fragmented sleep because you continue to wake up due to the limb moving. A person usually does not know that they have PLM until a bed partner tells them.
Periodic Limb Movement Disorder
03
Restless Sleep Disorder
is a fairly new disorder that affects children and teenagers between the ages of 6-18. According to worldsleepsociety.org, Restless Sleep Disorder is identified as “children with poor sleep quality and frequent movements during sleep” These movements interfere with their sleep quality and contribute to daytime symptoms, which may lead to problems at home or school.
**If you or your partner are experiencing any of these symptoms, please see your primary care physician and/or check with your insurance company for an in-network sleep provider.If you are unsure if you should see a provider, or if seeing a provider is not on your radar at this time, schedule a 30-min consultation for more information.