Impact of Covid-19 on the restless legs syndrome

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic is strongly impacting global health and mental health, and has caused routine changes in much of the world. All of these changes can have physical and mental consequences for the population. Metabolic changes, mood disorders and their pharmacotherapy, such as the use of antidepressants can increase the chances of developing sleep disorders, such as Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). As a way to avoid immunosuppression and the greater risk of contamination of COVID-19, it is recommended to perform exercise in light or moderate intensity. This is the first paper to reflect a possible impact of social distancing on RLS, and how it can affect the incidence of mood disorders and metabolic changes in this syndrome, as well as the quality of life of the population. We suggest that regular exercise at light or moderate intensity during home confinement may be effective strategies to minimize the changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords

• anxiety
• coronavirus
• depression
• exercise
• heart diseases
• sleep-related movement disorder