Kim McKinney

Kim McKinney began having sleeping issues in her early 20s. Her mother had been an insomniac for as long as she remembers but chose to remain untreated and only sleep a few hours a night.

Not being one to just accept such a thing herself, Kim told her gynecologist (who served as her primary care doctor, too) about her problems in her early 20s. He told her that 90% of sleeplessness was due to anxiety. He didn't seem to believe her when she said that she was in that 10%. (Since that time, she knows those statistics were probably evidence of the lack of sleep education for physicians.)

Kim eventually was diagnosed with restless legs syndrome, even though it went against all of her ideas of what RLS was. Still, it rang true after talking with her doctor. The medication given to her did not work for her, so not being offered other options she continued to try to manage it with home remedies and sleeping pills.

After a particularly difficult period of sleeplessness, she was talking with her nurse practitioner who suggested another medication for her restless legs. It turned out to provide relief and she once again began sleeping deeply.

Through this journey, she has learned to be more aggressive in her discussions with the medical community and more attentive to what she can do to help the problem on her own.

Kim is excited to be part of this community and hopes she can encourage and walk alongside others discovering their diagnosis, finding the best treatment for them, and managing their condition through the years.

Click here to read all of Kim's articles on Restlesslegssyndrome.Sleep-Disorders.net