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periodic limb movements of sleep
Periodic Limb Movements of Sleep (PLMS) is when your legs or arms move when you're asleep. It happens every 10 to 60 seconds and is out of your control. There are various ways this can happen such as flexing of the toe or foot, bending of the ankle or knee or twitching of the hip. This tends to occur over and over. It can last from a few minutes to a few hours. PLMS is mainly seen in the first third of the night, during the deepest type of sleep.
Often, the way people know that they have PLMS is when their bed partner complains of being kicked. The blankets may be all over the place in the morning. Some people may move their legs in this way hundreds of times per night. In some cases this can disrupt the sleep of the person with PLMS or that of their bed partner. For others, PLMS may not be a problem at all. It only needs to be treated if it is causing a problem.
The assessment for PLMS is an overnight sleep study and results and treatments options will be discussed with your sleep physician.
The cause of PLMS originates in the nervous system, but the exact cause is not yet known.