Periodic Limb Movement of Sleep

I didn't know that more than 80 percent of people who suffer from restless legs syndrome (RLS) also suffer at night with periodic limb movement of sleep (PLMS), aka periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD).¹

PLMD includes involuntary leg (and sometimes arm) twitching or jerking movements during sleep that typically occur every 5 to 90 seconds, sometimes throughout the night.¹

When I learned about PLMS

I had never heard of PLMS before. I knew a little about RLS because my mom has been suffering from RLS for a couple of decades. She never was given a sleep study despite suffering from insomnia since she was 8-years old and later developed fibromyalgia. They just assumed it was RLS.

It was only when I had my sleep study done that I first heard about PLMS.

How PLMS is different from RLS

The sleep expert I ended up seeing who ordered the sleep study test didn't even bother telling me what PLMS was, just that I experienced it a lot during the night. I can't recall exactly how many times, but it was a lot, and I remember thinking Is that what the RLS movements are called?

Nope, it is a totally different thing from RLS. I have since looked into the disorder to learn what is going on and discovered that there are some people who have PLMS but don't have RLS. I have what is called secondary PLMS due to it being caused by underlying medical problems – central sleep apnea and RLS.

An eyewitness account of my PLMS

My husband has even recently seen this happen while I was asleep and he was having issues sleeping. To him, it appeared like an intense shaking that started in my legs and moved up my body. The shaking movement is kind of like what sometimes happens when I stretch in bed, but I was fully asleep.

He had no idea what was going on, it almost looked like I was having a seizure, but he wasn't totally sure. I ended up having 2 in a row but spaced out over a couple of minutes. When we woke up the next day, he told me about what happened. I didn't put 2 and 2 together until reading up on PLMS.

Managing the unknowns

I sometimes worry when my legs and arms jerk or twitch if I am hitting my husband. Thankfully, because my husband sleeps heavily, it is never something that has disturbed his sleep.

I don't know if the pramipexole and magnesium are helping with my PLMS, but I may find out soon because I have another sleep study coming up to see how my heart behaves while I sleep.

PLMS takes a toll on my body

Having PLMS on top of having joint hypermobility means that every time I wake up in the middle of the night and in the morning, I have to realign joints in my hands, wrist, legs, back, and hips.

At first, I didn't understand why this was happening, but then when I found out that there are times when my body is uncontrollably moving in my sleep, it all makes sense. Even the slightest of movements in the day can cause stuff to slip out.

Do you also experience PLMS/PLMD with your RLS? Share your experiences in the comments below.