Depression And Restless Legs Syndrome

Medical professionals have recently established that there seems to be a correlation between patients that have restless legs syndrome and the development of depression. In addition to this, these professionals have established that the patients that suffer from these conditions also tend to experience higher levels of anxiety than those that do not experience RLS.

While restless legs syndrome is both a common health condition and a condition that is treatable, individuals that experience it firsthand often have complications when it comes to sleeping and stress associated with the condition. In this guide, you will learn about restless leg syndrome and depression. 

Diagnostic Criteria 

In order for an individual to be diagnosed with Restless legs syndrome, there are certain diagnostic criteria that a medical professional will look to establish. Once these criteria have been confirmed, the medical professional may conduct diagnostic blood tests in order to determine if there is an infection in the body, deficiencies in the blood related to essential nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and to rule out other possible health conditions. In order for an individual to be diagnosed with restless legs, the following criteria must be met: 

1.      The patient must express the fact that they desire or experience the urge to move their legs. 

2.      The patient must have restlessness when it comes to the functioning that is considered to be motor based. 

3.      The patient must experience symptoms in a more severe manner when they are attempting to rest or sleep. 

4.      The patient must experience the symptoms that involve sensations and movements of the leg in the evening hours or the night hours in a more severe fashion. 

Depression 

When a diagnosis is issued for restless legs syndrome, the evaluating doctor will also inquire about situations and events that are related to the emotions and psychology of the person that is being evaluated. Many patients experience a type of anxiety when it comes to restless legs syndrome.

These individuals may start to get nervous in the afternoon because they typically experience symptoms of this condition in the evening and the night hours. There are many that will develop anxiety when it is time for bed. This is usually due to the fact that they know it will be very difficult to get to sleep.

As a result of the anxiety, the individual may not get the sleep that they need to be healthy and may start to feel run down the majority of the time. When this happens, depression is quite common. Individuals that are found to suffer from depression in conjunction with RLS are typically issued a special medication that combats the depression. In some cases, those that have restless legs syndrome and depression are encouraged to change their diet and take supplements.