Jun 12, 2007 7:58 pm US/Central
Sleep Deprived Wrestle With Restless Leg Syndrome
by Dennis Douda
Minneapolis (WCCO) ―
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The invention is called a restless leg syndrome simulator and it's a big boot that mimics the horrible symptoms that RLS patients feel.
CBS
About 47 million Americans are sleep deprived while doctors report the average adult should snooze for about six hours a night.
However, catching some "Z's" might be hard if you have a medical condition like restless leg syndrome (RLS).
Experts on sleep disorders are meeting this week at the Minneapolis Convention Center to talk about the latest technology.
One new invention is helping people understand what it's like for patients with RLS. The invention is called a restless leg syndrome simulator and it's a big boot that mimics the horrible symptoms that RLS patients feel.
"It's described as a burning, itching, pulling, drawing sensation, and it's better when they get up and walk and it's worse when they're resting," said Dr. Patrick Wright with the Minnesota Sleep Institute in Minneapolis.
Up to 10 percent of the U.S. population may have this neurological condition. It makes it hard for patients to fall asleep and get an entire nights sleep.
"Often we find that people with RLS because of their symptoms are unable to sleep, and the symptoms sometimes don't become alleviated until late very into the night, sometimes, the early morning," said Katherine O'Connor with Boehringer Ingelheim, the maker of the simulator.
"Restless legs during the day, may equal periodic limb movements or leg kicking at night and that disturbs their sleep and then they're tired the next day," said Wright.
The simulator also visually shows the drowsy effects of a sleep deprived person. However, it's hard to really to imagine what the condition is like unless you step into the shoes of a RLS suffer.
"It does give a sensation of buzzing or tingling in your legs, which is what many patients describe," said Wright.
There is no known cause for RLS, but there are some things you can do to help with the sometimes painful symptoms.
"Trying to avoid caffeine helps, exercise is helpful, hot baths are helpful, but when we gets beyond the point of that, then we need to use some medication," said Wright.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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