RESTLESS leg syndrome is affecting more people than we think.

Halstead residents who suffer from the syndrome, also known at Willis-Ekbom disease, have spoken out about the irresistible urge to move their legs.

Channel 5 has just aired a series on the syndrome, looking into the lives of people who show severe symptoms.

Rachael Lawrence, of Ramsey Road in Halstead, has the condition.

She said: "It's really frustrating, my legs and feet are always moving.

"If I'm having a bad day I have to stamp, it's hard to explain but I'll be sitting on the sofa and I'll have to lift up my leg and really smack it down on the floor over and over until it hurts.

"It's like a feeling of relief and I can go back to just jiggling my legs and feet.

"It's like a compulsion- it started off when I was put on some medication by the doctor, but they made me clench my teeth and set off the restless leg syndrome.

"I had to come off the medication because it got so bad but the syndrome never went away."

The common condition of the nervous system is often worse at night.

There is no obvious cause- some people have the symptoms occasionally, while others have them every day.

In severe cases, it can be very distressing and disrupt daily activities.

She said it was good news that it was being taken seriously as part of a new series.

Danni Pickering, of Head Street in Halstead, said she has suffered with the condition for years.

She said: "It only really affects me at night when I'm in bed.

"It's a horrible pain at the back on my calf, I have to get my partner to massage it to help it.

"It stops me from sleeping sometimes as it's so painful, my legs jus keep moving.

"I was told there was not a cure and it was a life-long condition, it's very frustrating."

Teresa Evans Mortimer, from Earls Colne, has had the condition for as

long as she can remember.

She said: “When I sit down in the evening to relax, that’s when it starts.

“It’s just strange sensations, like millions of bugs crawling up and down my legs.

“My legs also jump, I jiggle them up and down to try to stop the sensations- nothing seems to work.”

The Channel 5 series started on Tuesday, April 4.

For more information visit https://rls-uk.org/.