Chest
Volume 129, Issue 1, January 2006, Pages 76-80
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Original Research: Sleep Medicine
Prevalence and Correlates of Restless Legs Syndrome: Results From the 2005 National Sleep Foundation Poll

https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.129.1.76Get rights and content

Purpose

The purpose of this analysis was to investigate the prevalence and correlates of restless legs syndrome (RLS) symptoms in the 2005 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) Sleep in America 2005 Poll. The NSF poll is an annual telephone interview of a random, representative sample of US adults.

Methods

The NSF 2005 poll included 1,506 adults. Their mean age was 49 years, and 775 were women.

Results

Symptoms of RLS that included unpleasant feelings in the legs for at least a few nights a week, which were worse at night, were reported by 9.7% of individuals in this poll, including 8% of men and 11% of women. Those from the northeast United States were much less likely to be at risk than those from other regions of the country (p < 0.05). Those who were unemployed (p < 0.05) or smoked daily (p < 0.5) were more likely to be at risk for RLS, as were those with hypertension, arthritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, depression, anxiety, and diabetes (p < 0.05 for all). Adults who were at risk for RLS appeared to also be at increased risk for sleep apnea and insomnia (p < 0.05), and were more likely to stay up longer than they planned, to take longer than 30 min to fall asleep, to drive when drowsy, and to report daytime fatigue than those who were not at risk (p < 0.05 for all). They were also more likely to report being late to work, missing work, making errors at work, and missing social events because of sleepiness than other respondents in the poll (p < 0.05 for all).

Conclusions

RLS is significantly associated with medical and psychiatric conditions, other sleep disorders, unfavorable lifestyle behaviors, and adverse effects on daytime function. Chest physicians who practice sleep medicine need to be able to identify and manage RLS, which is prevalent and is associated with considerable morbidity.

Section snippets

NSF Poll

Data pertaining to the prevalence of RLS in this report are from the 2005 NSF annual Sleep in America poll. The NSF is an independent nonprofit organization that is dedicated to improving public health and safety by achieving an understanding of sleep and sleep disorders, and by supporting education, sleep-related research, and advocacy (www.sleepfoundation.org). Established in 1990, the NSF relies on voluntary contributions as well as grants from foundations, corporations, government agencies,

Results

In the total poll sample, a similar number of women (n = 775) and men (n = 731) were interviewed, and their mean age was 49 years. Sixty-two percent were married, 33% were single, and 5% were living with someone (“partnered”). Consistent with the US population, 36% lived in the south, 21% in the west, 24% in the midwest, and 19% in the northeast; 84% were white/white and 16% were minorities; and 52% were employed full-time and, of those, 80% worked regular day shifts.

Fifteen percent of

Discussion

New findings in this study are a reduced risk of RLS symptoms for those in the northeastern United States, and the association of the risk of RLS with the risk for sleep apnea and impaired daytime performance.

The NSF 2005 poll shows that, consistent with other studies, about 10% of the US adult population reports RLS symptoms. In addition, this study also demonstrates interesting regional variations in the prevalence of RLS symptoms; we think that this is the first time this has been reported.

References (19)

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