A Good Snooze

Your doctor will diagnose restless legs syndrome (RLS) based on your symptoms, your medical and family histories, and the results from a physical exam and tests.
Your doctor will use this information to rule out other conditions that have symptoms similar to those of RLS.
Specialists Involved
Your primary care doctor usually can diagnose and treat RLS. However, [...]

The four key signs of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are:
• A strong urge to move your legs. This urge often, but not always, occurs with unpleasant feelings in your legs. When the disorder is severe, you also may have the urge to move your arms.
• Symptoms that start or get worse when you’re inactive. The [...]

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes a strong urge to move your legs. This urge to move often occurs with strange and unpleasant feelings in your legs. Moving your legs relieves the urge and the unpleasant feelings.
People who have RLS describe the unpleasant feelings as creeping, crawling, pulling, itching, tingling, burning, aching, [...]

Faulty Use or Lack of Iron
Research suggests that restless legs syndrome (RLS) is mainly due to the faulty use or lack of iron in the brain. The brain uses iron to make the chemical dopamine and to control other brain activities. Dopamine works in the parts of the brain that control movement.
A number of conditions [...]

Restless legs syndrome (RLS) has no cure. If a condition or medicine triggers RLS, it may go away or get better if the trigger is relieved or stopped.
RLS can be treated. The goals of treatment are to:
• Prevent or relieve symptoms
• Increase the amount and improve the quality of your sleep
• Treat or correct any [...]