Restless Legs Syndrome and Related Disorders - Complications

(Page 2)

RLS can contribute to insomnia. Insomnia itself can increase the activity of hormones and pathways in the brain that produce emotional problems. Even modest alterations in waking and sleeping patterns can have significant effects on a person's mood. Persistent insomnia may even predict the future development of mood disorders in some cases.

It is not clear if RLS is responsible for negative mood states or if anxiety or depression contributes to RLS. Anxiety can cause agitation and leg restlessness that resemble RLS, and depression and RLS symptoms also overlap. In addition, certain types of antidepressant drugs -- such as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) -- can increase periodic limb movements during sleep.

Review Date: 10/18/2006
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, M.D., Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital