Restless Leg Syndrome and Fibromyalgia: A Comparison

Two syndromes that are currently under study, restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia, are currently under study for ways to better treat and prevent them. Either syndrome is well understood yet, or in some cases physicians may mistake sufferers from these syndromes as imagining or even faking their symptoms. Both disorders, though, tend to disrupt sleeping patterns in one way or another, and this lack of sleep can have a number of undesirable side effects, including poor job performance, lack of safety while driving, and difficulties enjoying social activities.

Similar Symptoms

Both restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia are characterized by uncomfortable sensations in the limbs, though while in restless leg syndrome it is most often the urge to move or use the muscles in the legs, fibromyalgia tends to manifest in fatigue or pain in the muscles or joints. As mentioned previously, both tend to disrupt sleeping patterns, though trouble getting to sleep seems to be the problem with those suffering from restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia sufferers tend to have actual problems maintaining REM sleep, due to periods of brain activity through the night.

Differences between the Two

Though restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia have some passing similarities, there are differences between the two as well. Fibromyalgia tends to inflict more females than males, while restless leg syndrome does not have quite the skew by gender. Because fibromyalgia seems to disrupt the actual process of sleep even once an individual has fallen asleep, fibromyalgia sufferers tend to have more incidents of extended periods of grogginess and loss of motor dexterity. While restless leg syndrome is sometimes a secondary condition as a result of other disorders, such as diabetes, fibromyalgia tends to exist mostly as a primary condition, though trauma such as traffic accidents or surgery can trigger it.

Similar Treatments

Restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia both seem to result from problems with dopamine levels in the brain, a problem that has also been linked to Parkinson’s disease. Because of this, both restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia sufferers show positive effects from the use of the same drugs that help treat Parkinson’s disease. These drugs stimulate dopamine receptors in the brain, which seems to result in an alleviation of the symptoms of the disease. In addition, both disorders respond well to gentle exercise to help alleviate the symptoms, though for both restless leg syndrome and fibromyalgia sufferers, the activities chosen should not be too strenuous, on par with the level of