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Restless Legs Syndrome
An irresistible urge to move the legs, worse in the evening and at rest, that delays falling asleep and fragments the night.
In its clinically significant form it affects about 2.7% of adults, with symptoms at least twice a week; mild symptoms are far more common.
A sensorimotor dysfunction, often linked to iron and dopamine, produces an unpleasant sensation and the urge to move. Relief comes with movement, but falling asleep recedes and sleep breaks apart.
Less sleep and fragmented sleep leave a debt that shows up the next day as sleepiness at the wheel. Because it is often treatable, recognising it is a simple prevention lever.
It belongs to the family of sleep quality: rest is there in length but not in continuity. Drive Awake documents it as one of the quiet roads that lead to the same daytime sleepiness.