Restless Leg Syndrome on Kids: Difficulty Sleeping and Other Symptoms that Parents Need to Know

A mom said that her child had difficulty sleeping. She admitted to doing everything for six years to get her kid to sleep until a nurse mom said she might consider that her child may be suffering from Restless Leg Syndrome.

She went back to her doctor, was given iron prescriptions, and her child's sleeping pattern and health improved significantly.

Having difficulty sleeping

Rachel Garlinghouse, a mom of two, wrote in Today's Parent that one of her kids had had difficulty sleeping since she was two years old. They tried everything to get her child to sleep: setting a serene bedtime routine, applying lavender lotion all over her body, and dimming the sleeping lights. She also tried letting her child run races and do yoga before going to bed.

They cut out daily naps even at two years old and gave a reward chart. A pediatrician also suggested that the child needed more discipline during bedtime and gave her a low dose of melatonin. Still, it did not work.

The problem went on for years. When their child was six, they did a sleep study, but the doctors could not find the problem. They opted to have the tonsils and adenoids removed but still, it did not improve their child's sleeping pattern. As the child got older, she frequently mentioned that her legs felt like a bug crawling at night.

When she shared her frustration with a mom, a nurse, she asked if they considered that their child has Restless Leg Syndrome and her kid may have low ferritin levels.

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What is Restless Leg Syndrome

When they went to a doctor and tested her kid's ferritin level, the blood test and her chronic symptoms at night indicated that her kid has RLS.

As per Healthline, Restless Leg Syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes unpleasant sensations in the legs. A person with RLS has an overwhelming urge to move their legs, especially when in bed at night. Common complaints include unusual sensations like crawling, tingling, or pulling sensations in the legs and may only be relieved by movement.

Its most serious concern is that it interferes with sleep affecting the daytime activity and causing fatigue. Sleep deprivation causes various health problems, including depression.

Doctors do not know what causes RLS, but it is often associated with long-term medical conditions like iron deficiency, Parkinson's disease, kidney failure, diabetes, and peripheral neuropathy. It is also linked with antidepressants, antihistamines, and antipsychotic meds. Pregnant women may also suffer from RLS, especially in their last trimester.

Treatment for RLS

According to WebMD, there is no cure for RLS, but treatments can help. If the child has RLS and is associated with iron deficiency, doctors would suggest eating more iron-rich foods like meat, green leafy vegetables, or any iron-fortified products or iron supplements.

However, Meredith Broderick, a neurologist and sleep medicine physician in Bellevue, Wash., warns parents not to give kids an iron supplement without checking with their doctors first, as iron overdose is lethal.

Since Rachel's child has been given ferrous sulfate to improve her iron level, the doctor and the nurse mom solved her child's RLS symptoms.

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