Does anyone else suffer from this? it has been the bane of my life for a while now and I had one horrible attack on a plane when I couldn't even get up and walk around! I know it's not life threatening but it is completely maddening!

In fact restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) is a fairly common condition that causes uncomfortable sensations in the legs and a need to move them

The symptoms of RLS can vary from being mild to severe. In severe cases, the condition can be particularly distressing and cause disruption to daily activities.

As well as experiencing unpleasant sensations in the legs, a person with RLS will also have an overwhelming urge to move their legs in order to get some relief.

Funnily enough I never have this problem at night in bed when I believe most people do, and if I lie down it goes away!

Yes this non serous problem can, none the less be a torture for many people! As many as 10 percent of the U.S. population might have RLS. Several studies have shown that moderate to severe RLS affects approximately 2-3 percent of adults . An additional 5 percent appears to be affected by a milder form. Childhood RLS (which I had not heard of!) is estimated to affect almost 1 million school-age children, with one-third having moderate to severe symptoms. Some people with RLS never seek medical attention, believing that they will not be taken seriously, that their symptoms are too mild, or that their condition is not treatable. This is not helped by the fact that some doctors wrongly attribute the symptoms to nervousness, insomnia, stress, arthritis, muscle cramps, or ageing.

RLS occurs in both men and women, although the incidence is about twice as high in women(ah ha!) It may begin at any age. Many individuals who are severely affected are middle-aged or older, and the symptoms typically become more frequent and last longer with age.

I am also an occasional sufferer, and I was surprised to learn that more than 80 percent of people with RLS also experience a more common condition known as periodic limb movement of sleep (PLMS).

PLMS is an involuntary leg twitching or jerking movements during sleep that typically occur every 15 to 40 seconds, sometimes throughout the entire night. The symptoms cause repeated awakening and severely disrupted sleep. Although many individuals with RLS also develop PLMS, most people with PLMS do not experience RLS. People who have PLMS and do not have RLS or another cause for the PLMS may be diagnosed with periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). PLMD may be a variant of RLS and thus respond to similar treatments. In my case I have more of the PLMS than the RLS and sometimes worse than others, I can go for quite long spells with not problem at all.

It is hard to described the RLS feeling of the uncomfortable sensations in their legs, especially when sitting or lying down, that is accompanied by an irresistible urge to move the affected limb. Less commonly this condition cam affect the arms, trunk, or head and although the sensations can occur on just one side of the body, they most often affect both sides.
Because moving the legs relieves the discomfort, people with RLS often keep their legs in motion to minimise or prevent the sensations. They may pace the floor, constantly move their legs while sitting, and toss and turn in bed.
As has already been mentioned the classic feature of RLS is that the symptoms are worse at night with a distinct symptom-free period in the early morning, allowing for more refreshing sleep at that time. Other triggering situations are periods of inactivity such as long car trips, sitting in a movie theatre, long-distance flights, immobilisation in a cast, or relaxation exercises. Many people experience more severe symptoms if their sleep is further reduced by events or activity.

My wife went through a phase of suffering from this and the symptoms did vary from day to day and in severity and frequency. I know that some people with mild RLS may have some disruption of sleep onset and minor interference in daytime activities. In moderately severe cases, symptoms occur only once or twice a week but result in significant delay of sleep onset, with some disruption of daytime function.

In severe cases of RLS, and this is what my wife had for a while, the symptoms occur more than twice a week and result in burdensome interruption of sleep and impairment of daytime function. I did read that individuals with RLS can sometimes experience remissions—spontaneous improvement over a period of weeks or months but that then the symptoms reappear—. In general, however, the symptoms do become more severe over time though I have not told my wife that as she is pretty clear of it at present!

People who have both RLS and an associated medical condition tend to develop more severe symptoms rapidly. In contrast, those who have RLS that is not related to any other condition and experience onset at an early age show a very slow progression of the disorder; many years may pass before symptoms occur regularly, so that is something!