How do I know if I'm having limb movements?

[Paul Van Dyk]

I don't remember anyone saying anything about limb movements when I did my sleep study a while back but maybe they only mention it to patients if the amount is really high (into the PLMD category). How do I know if I'm having limb movements? Is a sleep study the only way? I'm constantly moving my legs around whenever I'm lying down. Since I can't get a sleep study right now, should I just hop on Requip for a month and see if my excessive daytime sleepiness abates?

[brick]

You can always pay a homeless man to watch you sleep.

[Guest]

You can always pay a homeless man to watch you sleep.

why does he have to be homeless

[brick]

why does he have to be homeless

Trickle Down Economics

[SleepingUgly]

Maybe some of the people you are living with can observe you, but yes, the best way is a sleep study. Also you don't know without a sleep study whether any limb movements you have result in arousals.

[cowlypso]

How long ago was your sleep study? If it was within the past few years, you should have no trouble getting a copy of your results. Just send a request to the doctor's office or lab where you had the study done. You may have to pay a small fee for copying, but it shouldn't cost more than $5 or so to get the full report (you want the full results of the study, not just the doctor's summary). That report will give you all the details on the sleep study (AHI, PLMs, breakdown of what sleep stages they occurred in, what position you slept in, etc.).

The easiest way to get your results is to call the office ahead of time to let them know you want them, then go in to pick them up. They can also send them by mail or fax them, but you may have to sign a release and it could take extra time. If it's been a while since your sleep study, you should still be able to get the records (I think they have the maintain them for a minimum of 9 years), but they might have been sent to some central medical records repository at the hospital and it can be a little more hassle to get them.

[kteague]

Some limitations of non-study observation are distinguishing respiratory related movements, determining significance to sleep architecture, and diagnosing identified movements according to specific technological criteria. But don't be too discouraged by what you can't do. There are some steps you can take to at least start you in the right direction. If you suspect periodic limb movement disorder here's where you can start.

Whether your observation is by a friend or a video, some things to look for are...
... a count of the movements during the span of time slept
... timing between movements
... detailed description of the appearance of the movements
... if any apparent repetition in appearance or timing

If observations indicate a limb movement issue, you can do some reading on possible ways to help yourself. First, are you on any meds that could have this as a side effect? Would blood tests be a possibility, at the very least, a ferritin level? Are you nutritionally sound? My personal (and nonmedical) opinion is I would reserve use of medication until there is reasonable certainty there is a need for it. Dopamine agonists can be problematic, so should not be taken casually. Good luck as you go forward. And I would suggest your observation be done while using cpap if you can so apneas don't interfere with what you're trying to see.