restless legs syndrome

noun

: a nervous disorder characterized by aching, crawling, or creeping sensations of the legs that occur especially at night usually when lying down (as before sleep) and cause a compelling urge to move the legs

called also restless legs, restless leg syndrome

Examples of restless legs syndrome in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Jill, however, was sleep eating long before restless legs syndrome became a key complaint. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 8 July 2024

For a 71-year-old male patient suffering from restless leg syndrome, the board alleged, Alvarado prescribed Tylenol with codeine and roughly 400 milligrams of tramadol per day. —Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2024

Some have criticized its priorities—for instance, producing drugs for restless leg syndrome while tuberculosis still kills more than a million people every year. —Foreign Affairs, 15 Aug. 2017

These can include obstructive sleep apnea—a condition in which a person’s airway becomes blocked, pausing their breathing—and restless leg syndrome, a nervous system disorder characterized by an urge to move one’s legs at night. —Jamie Friedlander Serrano, TIME, 6 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

restless legs syndrome

noun

: a neurological disorder of uncertain pathophysiology that is characterized by aching, burning, crawling, or creeping sensations of the legs that occur especially at night usually when lying down (as before sleep) and cause a compelling urge to move the legs and that is often accompanied by difficulty in falling or staying asleep and by involuntary twitching of the legs during sleep

called also restless legs