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People experience Restless legs in many different ways, but all describe very unpleasant "creepy, crawly", even painful sensations that occur in the legs when they are sittings or lying still, especially at bedtime. Although it affects mostly the legs it can also affect the arms.

The uncomfortable feelings of RLS appear most often in the calves of the legs and are temporarily relieved by stretching or moving the limb the sensation is in.

The constant need to stretch or move the limbs to relieve the sensations often prevents a person from falling asleep. Due to this, a person with RLS might be very tired during the day and unable to perform work or tasks well. Their social activities may be hampered due to the excessive fatigue.

RLS may interfere not only with a good nights sleep, but may impact how long you can sit still and travel by plane or car. Sitting still at the movies, a concert, or in business meetings may be impaired.

RLS is not related to emotional or psychological disorders.

Five to ten people of every one hundred experience the uneasiness of RLS at some point in their lives. RLS is more common in older individuals but may occur at any age. RLS can be severe during pregnancy, especially the last six months. RLS may come and go without any obvious cause over the course of a person's life.

Depending on the severity your sleep physician may prescribe medications to help with RLS.