There are two kinds of abnormal leg movement that affect sleep: Periodic Leg Movement (PLM) and Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). PLM is when legs will twitch and jerk while the person is asleep. RLS is a creepy, itchy feeling that happens when a person is awake. RLS can progress to the point that it occurs during sleep. Both disrupt sleep by creating arousals that disrupt the natural rhythm of sleep or by making it difficult to get to sleep. Thus, the sleeper may awake feeling unrefreshed. Sometimes people may think they are awakening because of other reasons such as urge to urinate, however, it is can be the abnormal leg movement that causes the awakening.

It is possible to have these conditions evaluated in a sleep lab. They may be symptoms of various conditions such as use of medications such as anti-depressants, some degenerative diseases, lack of exercise, inability to relax, sleeping out of sync with the body’s natural rhythms, or excessive caffeine consumption.

Medical solutions can be to prescribe drugs similar to those used for Parkinson’s Disease.

Self help includes elimination of caffeine, daily walking program (which may make symptoms worse for the first week or two, before benefits of exercise start showing), learning to relax before bedtime using massage and warm baths, and sleeping with the body’s natural rhythms. Most people with RLS and PLM are advised to take a full-spectrum vitamin-mineral supplement. These may not completely remove the RLS or PLM symptoms, but they can go a long way towards reducing them if practiced daily.

Information on Restless Legs Syndrome from the National Institute of Health

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