I’ve been researching sleep disorders recently, and one thing I was very surprised to discover was that Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a real thing. People always talk about it, but I did not know it was a diagnosable disorder. Who knew?
RLS, also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is characterized by an irresistible urge to move one’s body (usually the legs, but it can extend to most of the body) to stop uncomfortable or odd sensations. The prevalence of the disorder increases with age, and is higher amongst women than men. Interestingly, the more comfortable a patient is, the more likely symptoms are to occur. Due to this, many who suffer from RLS find it easier to sleep on a hardwood floor than on a mattress.
While RLS doesn’t initially seem like a sleep disorder, its classification as such actually makes a lot of sense once you get to know the disorder better. One of the most common symptoms of RLS is a semirhythmic movement of the legs during sleep, which sometimes begin years before the more recognizable, wakeful symptoms. In addition, due to the discomfort brought upon by comfort, many who suffer from RLS struggle to get proper sleep; insomnia and fatigue are commonly reported.
The symptoms of RLS are easily treated with dopaminergic agents, which usually provide 90-100% relief. However, in addition to side effects, such as swelling of the extremeties, bloating, chest pain, and vomiting, the RLS symptoms eventually return stronger than ever, sometimes causing complete body discomfort at all times of day, even when walking. When taken off the medication, symptoms usually return to their baseline level. This would seem to indicate that the dopaminergic agents are not the most effective long-term solution to RLS.
Most patients with RLS have been shown to have very low iron levels, and in most cases, iron supplementation relieves all symptoms with no negative side effects. Because RLS is a relatively minor disorder, there has not been a lot of research into the treatment options beyond dopaminergic agents, which is really holding treatment back. Hopefully more research can be done, and RLS can go back to being the joke everyone makes about fidgety people.
On Psychology and Neuroscience 
This was very interesting for me because I have actually never heard of the restless legs syndrome before. That it even is a diagnosable disorder and that the disorder can be so severe to the extent that people cannot sleep properly, resulting in insomnia and fatigue, made me more surprised. It was especially interesting that patients suffering from RLS cannot sleep in more comfortable places because comfortable places worsens their symptoms. When I read about the dopaminergic treatments on patients with RLS, it made me wonder how the dopaminergic agents are related to the disease itself. (For instance, if RLS symptoms occur because of lack dopamine or vice versa.) In addition, I think for more follow up studies, researchers should examine what is causing the RLS in hormonal or cellular level because I agree with the post that there should be more research done on the disease itself so more long-term effective treatments for RLS can be found.
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Good article, thank you! I’m 50 and have dealt with RLS since my youth, finally getting some real help! Sadly, I attempted to report to doctors before and got strange looks instead of real help.
I have for years, moved out of bed and slept on the floor – preferably carpeted at least! For whatever reason this has helped, although I thought it was for reasons other than less comfort = less symptoms??
Could you kindly justify any sources re: sleeping on floor???
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