How does PLMD affect sleep?
Episodes of PLMD may last only a few minutes or they may continue for hours, with intervals of sound sleep in between. They usually don’t occur continuously throughout the night, but instead cluster in the first half of the night. Even though people with PLMD are usually unaware of their limb movements, sleep can still be affected. Instead of proceeding smoothly through all the sleep stages in regular cycles, they awaken for a few seconds at a time (generally without realizing it) and frequently skip back to the lighter stages of sleep. Unless a bed partner complains, people with PLMD are often oblivious to the movements and may wake up baffled at why they feel exhausted despite getting what they thought was a full night’s rest.Treatments for movement disorders Doctors diagnose PLMD based on the individual’s description of symptoms and, in some cases, observations during an overnight sleep study. Standard neurological examinations often reveal no abnormality. Drugs that ease the tremor
