night-time symptoms only???

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foggy
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Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:34 am

night-time symptoms only???

Post by foggy »

My wife gets PLMS (periodic limb movements in sleep) real bad on some nights with her legs and arms. But she doesn't seem to have RLS during the day. But all the literature I've read online seems to indicate that PLMS is very rare apart from RLS.

Does anyone have any experience with this? (PLMS at night only -- without RLS symptoms during the day)

Thanks in advance.

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jrowley
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Post by jrowley »

There are several ppl that have only night time rls. As a matter of fact its uncommon to have it during the day. Only a few of us have that problem. But most rls'ers experience symptoms just before bed or during bed while sleeping or both. So your wife has a very common form of rls. I myself have issues with it both during the day and evening and while I sleep. Its at its worst by bed time and while I am sleeping.
Jan :roll: Can't wait to sleep!

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

Foggy, I had severe PLMD for years without much RLS at all. While not many of us have this problem, it does happen.

Ann
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

foggy
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Joined: Wed Feb 15, 2006 8:34 am

Post by foggy »

Thanks for the responses.

This is all very new to me and I am confused by the clinical language used on some websites. I can understand why folks who have no contact with this at all don't understand it. The written text really doesn't do justice to describe the experience. I wish I could find some video of PLMS.

On another note, I'm really amazed that my wife can't feel what her body is doing at night. She expresses feeling "tension" when she does awaken and I ask her how she's feeling... but she has no idea the kind of moving around she does on some nights.
My wife has symptoms of RLS.

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jrowley
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Post by jrowley »

Good luck to you foggy there are medications that will help your wife if she is interested in it. I unlike Ann have both rls and plmd and so far the meds have not been any help for me. I'm just about ready to scream.
Jan :roll: Can't wait to sleep!

lkwidmer

Nighttime and Alcohol

Post by lkwidmer »

I'm new to RLS. I have sleep apnea and have had some trouble with restless legs at night, but found that the quinine in tonic water would help, although the sleep doctor said my legs were always moving while they watched me sleep. Then with an increased dose of effexor, it got so bad that the tonic water wouldn't help. I lowered the effexor and seem better if I take 1 mg of Requip before bed, BUT! I think I'm finding that if I have any alcohol at night, I have a much worse problem with the RLS, even though I take Requip. It doesn't make me sleepier as they warn alcohol might - it makes the RLS worse. Has anyone else noticed this?

lwidmer
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Alcohol

Post by lwidmer »

Had trouble with user name. This is correct user name for above post. Does anyone notice more problems if having any alcohol in the evening?

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

foggy wrote:Thanks for the responses.

This is all very new to me and I am confused by the clinical language used on some websites. I can understand why folks who have no contact with this at all don't understand it. The written text really doesn't do justice to describe the experience. I wish I could find some video of PLMS.

On another note, I'm really amazed that my wife can't feel what her body is doing at night. She expresses feeling "tension" when she does awaken and I ask her how she's feeling... but she has no idea the kind of moving around she does on some nights.


It took me a long time to get the "lingo" down! We actually have a dictionary of terms in the A Good Place To Start "sticky" post. Since many of the Websites include medical information and are often written by doctors, we have to do a bit of self-educating to make sense of them. The information in this sticky should help quite a bit. It is really hard for others to understand. Many of us have bemoaned that there just are no words to explain it in a way that anyone can understand.

I, like your wife, have no knowledge of the PLMs. These movements are occuring while in stage 2 sleep - it's not a deep sleep, but it is deep enough that they register in our brains, but not consciously. They startle us and we awaken a bit. Since the movement happened while we were asleep, the most we know about it is that we are awake, but do not know why. Many of the awakenings do not even register at all. I used to keep a log of all the times I knew I was awake. I would record 20-35 times a night. I never knew why. I thought I had a bladder problem! I had RLS, but it was so mild, I never put the two together.

Has she considered a sleep study? PLMD doesn't cause problems for many people who have it; a large percentage of people with it do not have awakenings. If the movements are not taking her out of her sleep, then she doesn't need any medication. Only a sleep study can determine that, though.

Ann
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

foggy
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Post by foggy »

ViewsAskew wrote:It took me a long time to get the "lingo" down! We actually have a dictionary of terms in the A Good Place To Start "sticky" post.
Yes I have used it and it helps. :)
ViewsAskew wrote:Has she considered a sleep study? PLMD doesn't cause problems for many people who have it; a large percentage of people with it do not have awakenings.
Like you and the others mentioned, she is just doesn't get enough rest on those nights.
ViewsAskew wrote:If the movements are not taking her out of her sleep, then she doesn't need any medication.
Heh, yeah, I'm the one who needs the medication! ;)

Thanks for all the feedback, folks. I appreciate it.[/b]
My wife has symptoms of RLS.

lwidmer
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Post by lwidmer »

I hadn't done my homework on this site. I see alcohol and caffeine are two things we should avoid, and I was already coming to my own conclusion that the RLS was really bad on nights I drank wine. So here's another question: Does anyone else take something like Requip? Have you ever tried sleeping without it after taking it regularly? One night last week, while on vacation, I felt great - no RLS - no alcohol - and decided to just go to bed without the RLS med... I didn't have severe RLS that night, but I didn't sleep all night. That worries me!

nana2aprincess
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Post by nana2aprincess »

I only have this insane thing go on during sleep hours. I couldnt sleep at all last night.....stayed up until 5am, then I slept all day when I finally zonked out. This is just something horrible~! The muscles in my legs were so sore today when I did get up....its almost 1am here now....look where I am NOT?

ViewsAskew
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Post by ViewsAskew »

Hi lwidmer,

Congrats on being your own detective! Regarding meds, this is just my take. For many of us, lifestyle changes CAN eliminate the need for medicine, at least for many years. If you find what your triggers are, you might not need that Requip for a long time. And, if you only need something a few times a week instead of every day, that's still an improvement.

For people who have RLS that keeps them from sleeping a few times a month to several times a week, Sinemet may be a better choice than Requip. It works in only 30 minutes, and REquip takes over an hour. Sinemet is not a good choice if you have to take it daily, though.

Have you checked out the sticky I recommended that had the dictionary in it? It also has a protocol for treating RLS, based on what many of us have found that works for us. If you try this, you may find that you can cut down on your meds, or even elminate them for now. Since cutting out alcohol has had a dramatic effect, so might doing some of these other things, too.

Glad you found the board and hope that you're finding some helpful info here.

Ann
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

ViewsAskew
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Posts: 16571
Joined: Thu Oct 28, 2004 6:37 am
Location: Los Angeles

Post by ViewsAskew »

Yeah, nana, RLS pretty much is horrible. The current research seems to indicate that we are producing brain chemicals at the wrong times. The researchers think this is why many of us sleep so well after 3-5 AM. The body is producing the sleep chemicals at that time that are produced in other people at 9-10 PM. The good news is that many of us CAN sleep well at that time, which is better than not sleeping well at all! The bad news is that most of us have jobs and responsibilities that prevent us from sleeping then!

If you can swing it, consider changing your schedule to sleep when the sleeping is good. If going to bed at 5 AM allows you to sleep, that may be a pretty good solution. I always had a hard time convincing my family that this worked for me, but I have been self-employed and that did allow me to work in afternoons and evenings. I often send my clients emails at 3 AM :lol: .

Welcome to the group. As with all new members, we hate that you had to find us, but are glad you did.

Ann
Ann - Take what you need, leave the rest

Managing Your RLS

Opinions presented by Discussion Board Moderators are personal in nature and do not, in any way, represent the opinion of the RLS Foundation, and are not medical advice.

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Post by Guest »

ViewsAskew wrote: Many of the awakenings do not even register at all. I used to keep a log of all the times I knew I was awake. I would record 20-35 times a night. I never knew why. I thought I had a bladder problem! I had RLS, but it was so mild, I never put the two together.


WOW!

i know i have a very mild form of RLS as my mum has it, alot worse (it stops her sleeping at times). indeed. i'm only really on this site because i'm doing research on this malady for my mum and because i know i'll be getting it much worse when i'm a bit older (i'm 33 but i've had symptoms since i was a teenager).

i also wake up loads during sleep, but it only registered with me more recently. that is. it only really started when i quit smoking about three years ago (i smoked weed for about ten years plus cigarettes when out of weed). but as i quit on account of a small does of cancer in the er... 'nether regions', i assumed it was a knock on effect of the operation for that. it just didn't occur to me untill i read your comment above, plus, my girlfriend would remark that i occasionally 'twitched' while asleep. i hadn't noticed of course.


when i get home i will be registered as 'RBaggaley'.

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