Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Discussion Board

https://www.sleepreviewmag.com/sleep-he ... icrobiome/

I have to leave shortly, so not much time to discuss this in detail. What I thought was interesting is that the sleep disruption came first, then the high blood pressure (which stayed even AFTER sleep returned to normal), then the gut disruption, then the inflammation.

Looking forward to more research about this.

I certainly feel bad for the rats, but I've never had high blood pressure from sleep deprivation.

I have a home unit and rarely see a doc, but don't most of EDITED OUT MEANING PEOPLE WHO USE MEDICATIONS see doctors regularly?

Is high blood pressure an issue?

Ben Bikman has published a very good book on insulin resistance this year ("why we get sick"). Highly recommended. He writes basically that it's a vicious circuit, with inflammation causing IR and IR causing inflammation. (Similar with obesity.) IR is thought to be the major cause for high blood pressure. Once it's started, it usually progresses.

Both sleep disruption and microbiome degradation cause some IR, which could start the vicious circle that's continuing to spin even if sleep returns to normal. Genetic factors and other influences (like environmental poisons) do influence IR a lot, so it will be different from patient to patient.

I thought the study Ann references below was intriguing, especially since people with WED/RLS are more likely to have cardiovascular disease than the general population. I'm glad to see people researching the effects of sleep deprivation.