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Were your restless legs caused by another health condition?
With all the hype
restless legs syndrome has gotten in the past few years, you may be tempted to run to your doctor with every nighttime twitch or every tingly feeling in your limbs. But it's important to remember that RLS can only be diagnosed if you experience
four specific criteria.
Often, you may experience uncomfortable feelings if your leg "falls asleep" or if you have
nighttime leg cramps due to dehydration. But before you jump to conclusions, make sure your doctor rules out other conditions.
Other conditions that cause symptoms similar to
restless legs syndrome include:
Temporary physical problems that cause similar symptoms
include:
- Leg cramps.
- Neuroleptic-induced
akathisia, a side effect of certain drugs.
- Maintaining an
uncomfortable position.
A person with
periodic limb movement disorder is often tired or
sleepy during the day because his or her sleep is disrupted by involuntary limb
movements, usually in the legs. Although a person is not fully awakened by
these movements, they interfere with normal sleep cycles.1 A diagnosis of period limb movement disorder is made only
when limb movements result in sleep problems or significant daytime sleepiness
that cannot be explained by restless legs syndrome or any other condition.
References
Citations
American Academy of Sleep Medicine (2005). Restless
legs syndrome. In International Classification of Sleep Disorders, Diagnostic Coding Manual, 2nd ed., pp. 178–181. Westchester,
IL: American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
Last Updated: April 4, 2007 
