QUESTION: After years of struggling to fall asleep at night, my doctor diagnosed me with restless legs syndrome. What can you tell me about this condition?

ANSWER: Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder of nerves and muscles that causes an irresistible urge to move the legs. It is often accompanied by an uncomfortable creepy-crawly sensation.

As you've experienced, symptoms of restless legs syndrome typically flare up at night, just as you're settling down in bed. RLS not only causes discomfort and distress, it can wreak havoc on sleep, causing daytime sleepiness and mood changes.

Fortunately, certain lifestyle strategies can help you manage it, and several medications can provide relief for more serious symptoms.

There's a common mistaken belief that RLS refers to the jittery, leg-bouncing movements some people make when they're anxious or overstimulated.

People with RLS describe the discomfort as feelings of prickling, pulling, itching, tugging or stretching that typically occur below the knees and are felt deep within the legs. In severe cases, the arms are affected as well.

Movement provides immediate relief, so people with the condition often fidget, kick or massage their legs, or get up to pace the floor or perform deep knee bends.

Primary RLS, the most common form of the disorder, has no known cause. But more than 40% of people with primary RLS have a family history of the condition. This suggests an underlying genetic component. Researchers found five gene variants that predict a greater likelihood of RLS.

One theory is that primary RLS arises from an imbalance of dopamine, a neurotransmitter with many roles in the body, including the regulation of muscle movement. Some of the medications used to treat RLS work by mimicking the action of dopamine in the brain.

RLS can also develop as a byproduct of other medical problems. One of the chief culprits in this secondary form of the disorder is iron deficiency, which may explain why the condition is more common in women, who are more prone to low iron levels. This is mainly due to blood loss during menstruation. Pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding deplete iron stores, too.

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Harvard Medical School Adviser: Restless leg syndrome