Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation Blog

Give A Little, Change A Lot

Monday, December 02, 2024

December 3, 2024 Give A Little, Change A Lot: The Power of Giving Tuesday You’ve endured the whirlwind of Thanksgiving planning, the frenzy of Black Friday and the commotion of Cyber Monday! After spending time around the dinner table reflecting on what you’re thankful for, Giving Tuesday offers the opportunity to pause and transform your gratitude into action....

Call for RLS Research Grant Proposals

Monday, December 02, 2024

Call for RLS Research Grant Proposals The RLS Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation and aspires to achieve universal awareness of the disease, to support the identification of effective treatments, and to find a cure for the millions of men, women, and children who suffer from RLS. The RLS Foundation calls for grant proposals of a one year-duration, with...

Drowsy Driving Prevention: Sleep First. Drive Alert

Monday, November 04, 2024

November 4, 2024 Drowsy Driving Prevention: Sleep First. Drive Alert. Founded in 1990, the National Sleep Foundation is an independent nonprofit dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Additional information on the National Sleep Foundation’s Drowsy Driving Prevention Week® can be found at www.theNSF.org. Vehicles today are equipped with all types of safety features...

Advocacy Action Alert: Maintaining Access to Federal Research Funding

Monday, November 04, 2024

November 4, 2024 Advocacy Action Alert: Maintaining Access to Federal Research Funding Advocacy is an important part of the RLS Foundation's work to increase awareness and promote RLS research. We ask RLS community members to participate in Advocacy Action Alerts to expand our reach within Congress. If you have any questions, please email adrianna@rls.org. Action: Please contact your...

RLS Foundation 2024 Research Grant Program Awardees

Sunday, November 03, 2024

November 3, 2024 RLS Foundation 2024 Research Grant Program Awardees Each December, the RLS Foundation announces the opening of preapplications for research grant proposals through its Research Grant Program. Since its inception in 1997, this program has focused on supporting efforts to develop better treatments for RLS and ultimately find a cure. Researchers can apply for grant proposals...

Restless Nights: Navigating RLS Amidst COVID Chaos

Saturday, October 26, 2024

October 22, 2024 Restless Nights: Navigating RLS Amidst COVID Chaos By Marilyn Meier Marilyn Meier has had RLS for many years. She is a mother of two, a grandmother of four, a world traveler and a birder who loves hosting her friends and family. She recently shared her experience of having RLS and COVID-19 with RLS Foundation staff....

Monday, September 23, 2024

September 23, 2024 Recognizing RLS Awareness Day on September 23 RLS Awareness Day is recognized annually every September 23 – and this year, we are recognizing it all week! Restless legs syndrome is a serious neurological disorder that affects 10 million adults and 1.5 million children. The lack of awareness surrounding this disease means that many face lengthy...

RLS Foundation Partners to Fund Research

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

September 17, 2024 RLS Foundation Partners with The American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation (AASM Foundation) to Fund Research The American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation (AASM Foundation) is pleased to join forces with the Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation (RLS Foundation) to fund research leading to new treatments and a cure for restless legs syndrome (RLS). Earlier this...

Tuesday, September 03, 2024

September 3, 2024 Celebrating 10 Years of Dedication! Ten years ago, Zibby Crawford joined the RLS Foundation as the Marketing and Communications Coordinator alongside newly appointed executive director Karla Dzienkowski. This powerful duo spent weeks traveling to the Foundation’s Rochester headquarters to learn the ropes from outgoing staff and move the foundation to Austin. Ten years later, we...

Meet the RLS Foundation's Newest Board Members!

Friday, August 16, 2024

August 16, 2024 Meet the RLS Foundation's Newest Board Members! The RLS Foundation is excited to introduce the newest members of the Board of Directors! As the Foundation’s reach expands in the public and medical realms, so does its leadership. Jim Flaniken Indianapolis, IN As a retired senior executive in the food sector, Flaniken has extensive experience in...

2024 Hill Day FAQ

Monday, July 22, 2024

July 22, 2024 2024 Hill Day FAQ The RLS Foundation is hosting its annual Hill Day event on Monday, September 9. Hill Day is an opportunity to unite with fellow RLS community members to meet with legislative staffers and advocate for key issues. The RLS Foundation works with the Health and Medicine Counsel of DC (HMC) to coordinate...

Attending My First SLEEP Meeting: My Experience at SLEEP 2024

Friday, July 19, 2024

July 19, 2024 Attending My First SLEEP Meeting: My Experience at SLEEP 2024 Yash Malhotra, RLS Foundation 2024 Intern and Founder of Kids Talk Sleep Yash Malhotra is an RLS Foundation intern for the summer of 2024. He is also one of the founders of Kids Talk Sleep, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to increase awareness about...

2024 Ekbom Award Recipient: Dr. Stefan Clemens

Monday, July 01, 2024

July 1, 2024 2024 Ekbom Award Recipient: Dr. Stefan Clemens Dr. Stefan Clemens receives the 2024 Ekbom Award On June 3, Stefan Clemens, PhD, HdR was honored with the prestigious Ekbom Award from the Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Foundation, in recognition of his exceptional leadership qualities. The RLS Foundation established the Ekbom Award in 1998 to honor individuals...

Understanding the Mental Health Impact of Restless Legs Syndrome

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

May 21, 2024 Understanding the Mental Health Impact of Restless Legs Syndrome By Anjana Ganesh, RLS Foundation Intern and Kaleigh Maxwell, RLS Foundation Program Coordinator For the past 75 years, May has been nationally recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness to the ongoing importance of mental health in the US. A 2021 national survey...

Top 5 Things School Nurses Need to Know About Restless Legs Syndrome

Monday, May 06, 2024

May 7, 2024 Top 5 Things School Nurses Need to Know About RLS By Anjana Ganesh, RLS Foundation Intern and Kaleigh Maxwell, RLS Foundation Program Coordinator Research suggests that RLS affects an estimated 1.5 million children and adolescents in the US, confirming that RLS and PLMD are not unique to adulthood. In addition to healthcare providers, friends, and...

You Can Still Go to Harvard: Leaving a Legacy Through Brain Donation

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

April 30, 2024 You Can Still Go to Harvard: Leaving a Legacy Through Brain Donation By Karla Dzienkowski, RLS Foundation Executive Director and Adrianna Colucci, RLS Foundation Communications and Marketing Coordinator We all leave a legacy by imparting values to our family, friends and everyone we’ve touched in our communities. But have you considered extending your legacy to...

Advocacy Action Alert: Support Sleep Disorders in the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program

Friday, April 19, 2024

April 19, 2024 Advocacy Action Alert: Support Sleep Disorders in the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program Dear RLS Community, The United States Senate is currently crafting the FY 2025 Department of Defense (DoD) appropriations bill, which will determine which medical conditions are eligible for research funding through the Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). Today, we need your help to...