How to Reduce Restless Legs Syndrome Symptoms

In this paper, I sought to understand which things affect Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) symptoms, so that I could learn what causes RLS to get better or worse. Previous research has predicted RLS symptoms by variables such as melatonin intake, quetiapine intake, and physical inactivity. In my first (correlational) study, I looked at how these variables changed each day for 10 days to see how strong the relationships were. I measured melatonin and quetiapine intake by writing down the number of mg each was taken, physical inactivity by writing down the number of hours spent sitting, and RLS symptoms on a subjective 5-point scale. Based on the strength of correlation found only between quetiapine intake and RLS symptoms in my correlational study, I then conducted a second (experimental) study to test for a causal relationship between these two variables. Over a period of 14 days, I randomly assigned the participant each day to either a quetiapine condition or a placebo condition using a double-blind procedure and measured the effect this manipulation had upon RLS symptoms. Data from my experimental study showed significantly stronger RLS symptoms on quetiapine nights than placebo nights. These results can help people who use quetiapine by having their doctors watch for RLS symptoms more carefully, as they may need to choose other medication if RLS symptoms appear.