Is that cramp in your leg just that, a leg cramp or could it be something worse, like Restless Leg Syndrome?

Do you have trouble getting to sleep several nights a week? Do you feel a tingly or “creepy crawly” sensation in your legs? Do you ever feel like you just have to get up and move?

You may have a disorder called restless legs syndrome, or RLS. This is a disorder where you feel strange sensations in your limbs, usually the legs. These may vary from a feeling of needing to move your legs to intense pain. Patients with RLS usually have worse symptoms at night or when they’re trying to relax. As a result, people with disorder often suffer from insomnia. Often people with RLS are falsely diagnosed with disorders ranging from severe stress and insomnia, to other problems like arthritis.

While you may only have a slight tingling sensation when you try to sleep now, you could develop severe pain and insomnia in the future. It’s best to go to your doctor as soon as you suspect there’s a problem so it can be treated early.

If you wake up in the middle of the night due to leg movement, you may actually suffer from a similar disorder called periodic limb movement disorder, or PLMD. With PLMD, your legs move and jerk while you sleep, usually every minute or so. While RLS can keep you from falling asleep, PLMD can disrupt your sleep as well by waking you repeatedly during the night. You may actually have both problems. About 80% of people with RLS also suffer from PLMD; however, most people with PLMD don’t have RLS. That’s why you should be evaluated by a doctor, so you can get treated for the proper condition.

Most people consider RLS to be annoying, but in the long term, it can be detrimental to your health. Sleep is important for our body to function properly. If you can’t get to sleep at night because of painful or annoying sensations, you’re probably not getting enough sleep. If you’re waking up repeatedly in the night, even if you don’t remember it, you could be deprived of certain types of sleep that come later in the sleep cycle. If you’re feeling tired, irritable, or overly stressed, you symptoms may be relieved with a good night’s rest. Getting treated may help you realize how detrimental this disorder has been to your life.

Treatment options may include lifestyle changes, or in more severe cases, medicine. The important thing is that, while it is not curable, RLS is treatable. You don’t have to live with it! So don’t wait, see a doctor today and find out what they can do to improve your life.

Keep up with what’s happening at Mom’s Talk Network, by clicking here.

It can be said that the family that exercises together, grows old together. If only families spent as much time on their health as they do other activities this statement would ring true. The fact is individuals have a hard enough time fitting exercise into their daily regimen without involving the entire family. To get the whole family on a healthier track involves commitment. Are your health and the health of your family that important to you? If it is, I have an idea that might help. Sign up for a family gym membership.

A commitment to family health and well-being requires a place where everyone can get involved in their favorite physical activity. A gym membership facilitates that. Joining as a family should get you a group discount like they offer to businesses for their employees. If you are ready to back your commitment up with an outlay of cash, then you are more likely to sacrifice the time and follow through. As a family, decide at what time and which days to get together for group workout sessions. The recommended amount of exercise is three times a week for at least thirty minutes. Choose a time of day that everyone can work with. Most gyms are open until late into the night and open early in the morning to accommodate the work schedules of their members.

Next, choose a facility. If your city is like mine, there are no shortages for places to workout. Ask the family what activities they would most like to perform to get in shape. Your choice of gym should offer all of these choices and more. If you have a young baby in the family, the gym should offer daycare services. Personal trainers are also a must for people who are new to working out and need guidance on how to get started properly. I like kickboxing. My sister likes running on the treadmill. For us, the gym would have to offer aerobic kickboxing at times that were convenient for she and I to work out together. If travel time is a concern, the gym should be close to your home for easy access.

A gym membership gives the family a special time to call their own. During these sessions, everyone is focused on the same thing: getting in shape and being around for each other for a long, long time. Family members can even sign up to take a class together. Have fun with it. Make the most of the thirty minutes to an hour that is reserved for you and your family. Set physical challenges for each other. Be each other’s weight training partner. Connect on a different level than you have in the past. De-stressing in a separate environment will make home life a whole lot sweeter. Try it today with your loved ones.

To learn more, check out the Mom’s Talk Guide to Raising Happy & Healthy Kids – Tips and resources address nutrition, exercise, sleep, routines, and much more.