If you regularly experience a burning sensation, pain, or the feeling of insects crawling on your legs while in bed, then you might have restless leg syndrome.  The pain usually happens between the knee and ankle.

Restless leg syndrome is a serious problem for over 12 million Americans.  It is unclear what the root cause of RLS is, but studies indicate that the symptoms usually worsen in the evening.

A report by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says that low iron levels or anemia can induce symptoms of restless leg syndrome.  This is an important finding because many doctors under diagnose this insomnia related problem, wrongly attributing it to stress, arthritis, and aging. 

Of course, you should still speak to your doctor if you can’t sleep and think restless leg syndrome is  the culprit.  Also consider increasing iron intake, which can produce a significant reduction in restless leg syndrome.

Three sleep tips to reduce pain associated with restless leg syndrome include:

1.  Reduce use of caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco

2.  Develop a new sleep pattern (many restless leg syndrome sufferers see a drop in symptoms early in the morning).

3.  Take a hot bath and massage your legs right before you go to bed.