I get pins and needles in my legs and need to move them about a lot at night. What’s causing this and is there any way I can stop it?
You might be describing Restless Leg Syndrome, also called Ekbom’s Syndrome. It affects one in 10 of us at some point and is characterised by tingling sensations in the legs and jerking movements. It tends to be worse when we rest in the evenings and when we are in bed. The symptoms are usually temporarily relieved by moving about but they can cause real problems with sleep loss. Stopping smoking and cutting down on alcohol and caffeine can help but in severe cases doctors sometimes try drug treatments. For more information on restless legs visit www.restlesslegs.org.uk