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Research Triangle Park, NC, June 10, 2003 - Millions of Americans are losing sleep at night because of an uncontrollable urge to move their legs, or "creepy-crawly" sensations in their legs, according to a new survey. These are symptoms of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS), a neurological disorder that often leads to sleep disruption for many sufferers.
The Putting RLS to Rest survey findings underscore the impact the condition can have on daily activities due to disruption of sleep and subsequent issues. Many respondents agreed the condition had an impact on their daily life and nearly 42 percent of those polled believe that their relationship with their partner had been negatively affected because of their RLS symptoms.
The survey was conducted among people who reported symptoms of RLS and found that the disorder, under recognized by many Americans, can have a serious impact on people's lives. The survey was developed by GlaxoSmithKline in consultation with leading RLS experts at Harvard and Johns Hopkins Universities and evaluated the impact of the disease on sufferers as part of an effort to help increase awareness and understanding of this disruptive and chronic problem.
RLS symptoms often appear during rest in the evening or at night. Survey respondents reported that they resort to pacing the floor, walking around the house or moving their legs around in order to get relief during the night. In fact, this survey showed that two-thirds of respondents have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, and some respondents report having these symptoms every night.
"RLS is one of the most common sleep disorders and can produce severe insomnia and difficulties with day-time functioning," said RLS expert and survey consultant John W. Winkelman, M.D., Ph.D, Medical Director, Sleep Health Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital,Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. "Individuals with RLS should not suffer but instead talk with their physician about a treatment plan."
Major Impact on Relationships
A major finding of the survey was that many (42 perecnt) of those polled (n= 350) believed that their relationship with their partner had been negatively affected because of their RLS symptoms.
- Of those respondents who sleep with another person (n=259), almost one-third (29 percent) said they wake their bed partner an average of three nights per month.
- Nearly one out of 10 respondents reported that they could no longer sleep in the same bed with their partner.
- Many respondents agreed that the symptoms of RLS made them anxious (41 percent), that no one understood what they were going through (nearly 30 percent,) or that they felt alone or depressed (20 percent).
- One half of respondents reported a general feeling of fatigue, with more than 20 percent agreeing that they have trouble concentrating.
"My RLS not only affects me and keeps me awake at night, but I also wake up my husband during the night when I am experiencing symptoms " said Janis Lopes, who suffered from symptoms of RLS for roughly ten years until finally being diagnosed. "It got to be so disruptive that we had to sleep in twin beds pushed together so I would not move the bed at night when I needed to get up and walk around to alleviate my symptoms."
Separate National Sleep Foundation Poll Supports Findings
According to the 2003 annual Sleep in America poll released in April by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), 17 percent of adults 55 to 84 reported unpleasant tingling feelings in the legs at least a few nights a week in the past year. However, only five to seven percent said they had been diagnosed with RLS, and only three percent received treatment. The Putting RLS to Rest survey findings are consistent with the NSF poll showing that people with symptoms of RLS have feelings of depression. The Sleep in America poll showed that one third of people who reported unpleasant feelings in the legs felt down, depressed or hopeless at least once a week.
"The impact of RLS on sleep cannot be underestimated," said Richard L. Gelula, NSF's executive director. "People with the condition often report fatigue. They also say RLS affects their interpersonal relationships. As a result, they often report feelings of anxiety and depression."
The National Sleep Foundation
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, and by supporting education, sleep-related research, and advocacy.
Survey Methodology
The Putting RLS to Rest survey, conducted by Ziment, was completed using a telephone survey of 350 adults nationwide (ages 18-70) who met certain criteria for symptoms associated with RLS. A total of 9,247 randomly identified adults were interviewed using a screening tool developed with input from RLS experts to identify the group of 350 survey respondents that were representative of RLS sufferers. Leading experts in RLS research including Richard P. Allen, Ph.D., DABSM, Research Associate in Neurology at Johns Hopkins University and John Winkelman M.D., Ph.D., Medical Director, Sleep Health Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School provided input on the survey development. The survey was funded by GlaxoSmithKline.
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline is one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies and is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.
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