Life Insurance With Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs is a neurological condition and the first thing a doctor usually does about it is a blood test.
That is because low iron stores are a recognised and treatable contributor, and correcting them helps a proportion of people.
So this page is as much about the iron and the kidney function as it is about the legs.
The short answer
Restless legs syndrome is an irresistible urge to move the legs, worse in the evening and at rest, and it is strongly associated with low iron stores. That is the most useful thing to know before an application: people with it are routinely tested for ferritin, so there is often a blood test and sometimes an iron deficiency diagnosis in the record.
What it is
Restless legs syndrome, also called Willis-Ekbom disease, is an uncomfortable sensation in the legs with an overwhelming urge to move them, typically worse in the evening and when resting, and relieved by movement. It commonly disrupts sleep.
It can be primary, often running in families, or secondary to low iron stores, kidney disease, pregnancy, certain medications or peripheral neuropathy. Management starts with checking ferritin and reviewing medication, then lifestyle measures, and where needed medication such as gabapentin, pregabalin or dopamine agonists.
Why it comes up on an application
- Ferritin testing is routine, so there is frequently a blood test and a result in the record. Low ferritin treated with iron is a real entry.
- Kidney function is also commonly checked, because kidney disease is a recognised secondary cause, and that result matters more than the legs if anything was found.
- Some medications aggravate it, certain antidepressants and antihistamines among them, so the medication question is relevant context.
- Prescribed treatment is a continuing medication. Dopamine agonists in particular are worth naming because they are monitored for specific effects over time.
- Sleep disruption is the main consequence, and if it has affected your work that is a direct question on an application.
- Pregnancy-related restless legs usually resolves afterwards and is a dated episode rather than a standing condition.
What we would ask you
- How long you have had it, and whether it disturbs your sleep
- Whether your ferritin or iron levels have been checked, and whether you were low
- Whether your kidney function has been checked
- What you take for it, if anything
- Whether it started during pregnancy or after starting a medication
- Whether you are currently off work or working reduced hours because of an accident, injury or illness
- Whether you are waiting on any medical tests, appointments or treatment
- Whether you have been diagnosed with or treated for cancer in the last five years
- Whether a parent, brother or sister was diagnosed with cancer, heart disease or a stroke before 65
- Any medication you take
- Whether you smoke, and your date of birth
The Iron Test Is Part Of This Diagnosis
This is the connection worth knowing, and it turns a neurological answer into a blood test answer.
Low iron stores are a recognised contributor to restless legs, so checking ferritin is a standard early step, and treating a low result helps some people considerably. That means most people who have been properly assessed have a ferritin result somewhere in their notes.
If yours was low and you took iron, that is an iron deficiency diagnosis with treatment, which is a concrete, dated entry and more substantial than the symptom. Our page on iron deficiency and anaemia covers it. If your ferritin was normal, say that: it is a complete answer and it tells us the investigation happened.
Check Whether A Medication Is Behind It
This is the other practical point and it occasionally changes what the real entry is.
Several commonly prescribed medicines can aggravate or precipitate restless legs, including some antidepressants and some antihistamines. If your symptoms began after starting something, that connection is worth mentioning, and the medication belongs in your answer about what you take.
The same logic applies to pregnancy, which is a recognised cause and usually resolves afterwards. If that was your situation, say so, because it makes it a dated episode rather than a continuing condition, and that is a meaningfully different entry.
Which cover is relevant
The usual starting point. Any iron deficiency or kidney finding behind it sits in the picture more prominently than the restless legs.
Relevant through sleep. Chronic sleep disruption affects people's ability to work, and that is what this cover responds to.
Pays on diagnosis of a listed serious condition, and this is not one. Worth having for the risks it does cover.
Common questions
Why would my iron levels be checked for restless legs?+
Because low iron stores are a recognised contributor and treating a low ferritin helps some people considerably. Checking ferritin is a standard early step, so most people properly assessed have a result in their notes worth declaring.
My ferritin was low and I took iron. What do I say?+
Declare the iron deficiency and the treatment, with roughly when. That is a concrete diagnosis with a blood test behind it and is more substantial than the restless legs symptom itself.
Do I need to declare restless legs?+
Answer what you are asked. The useful additions are any ferritin or kidney function results, what you take for it, and whether it disturbs your sleep enough to affect your work.
Mine started in pregnancy. Does that matter?+
Yes, and it is worth saying, because pregnancy is a recognised cause and it usually resolves afterwards. That makes it a dated episode rather than a continuing condition.
Could my antidepressant be causing it?+
Some antidepressants and antihistamines can aggravate restless legs. If your symptoms began after starting something, that connection is worth mentioning, and the medication belongs in your answer about what you take.
Cover that often goes with this
The gaps we most often find sitting next to this one.