1x Actors Corbin Bernsen And Amanda Pays Reveal For The First Time That A Common, Neurological Condition Impacts Their Days And Nights (NAPSA)—Well-known actors and longtime Hollywood couple Corbin Bernsen and Amanda Pays a a r oe “a er ty 4) Ji fal | Up to OneIn 10 Are Affected | are joining forces on an educa- RLS, which ranges in severity from mild to severe, is estimated to affect approximately one in 10 of restless legs syndrome (RLS), a common yet misunderstood condi- can affect people in many ways. The symptoms range in severity " ee. adults in the United States. RLS tional program to raise awareness tion with which they have both been diagnosed. RLS is character- ized by a compelling urge to move the legs, usually accompanied or caused by uncomfortable and unpleasant leg sensations when sitting or at rest. Corbin and Amanda, married for nearly 20 years, didn’t realize = 4 Pi CT hs Well-known actors Corbin Bern- ing symptoms of RLS. Like many sen and Amanda Pays hope to raise awareness of restless legs syndrome. Corbin and Amanda both made Amanda and I learned that we that each of them was experiencpatients who live with RLS, adjustments in their lives in order to cope with the difficulties they sometimes experienced. The educational program “If Your Legs Could Talk” is sponsored by the National Sleep Foundation with funding and other support provided by GlaxoSmithKline. “I was active and maintained a healthy lifestyle, so I just as- sumed that I was aging and could not do anything about it,” said Bernsen, actor, director and pro- ducer. “I didn’t realize that many people have symptoms similar to mine, including my wife. When both have RLS, it was such a relief to know that we were expe- riencing a fairly common and treatable medical condition.” “I would get a buzzing feeling in my legs at night; a zinging feeling like my legs couldn’t go to sleep. The feeling prevented me from getting to sleep and then I felt really tired and irritable the next day,” Amanda said. “Because I never knew which night I would experience symptoms, I worried about being able to get to sleep. Being a working mother with four boys, I need all the sleep I can get,” she added. and duration from person to person and can result in sleep disturbances, such as difficulty falling asleep, and feelings of tiredness, trouble concentrating and difficulty with daily activities. People with RLS mayalso struggle with activities that require sitting for long periods of time, such as meetings, long car rides, visits to the theater and/or airline flights. Some people with RLS may present with depressive symptoms such as reduced sleep, loss of energy, work difficulties and irritability. “While many people may suffer from a poor night’s sleep on occasion due to common circum- stances, such as a stressful day at work or too much caffeine, RLS symptoms are chronic and can be more problematic for patients than the occasional sleepless night,” said Richard L. Gelula, chief executive officer of the National Sleep Foundation. For more information about the condition and to learn more about Corbin and Amanda’s experience with RLS, visit Restlesslegs.com.
