You probably know the feeling: you're working at your desk and all of a sudden you realize that you've been shaking your leg all day. Often you don't even notice it until a colleague notices. What is this leg shaking all about?
Fear
According to John Winkelman, head of the Clinical Research Program for Sleep Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, there are several reasons why you shake your legs. For example, anxiety is the most common cause of in young people. When you are anxious it causes your heart rate and blood pressure to rise. This gives you the urge to move more. "When the sympathetic nervous system is stimulated, a fight-or-flight response occurs, which is part of this arousal," he explains to POPSUGAR.
Restless legs syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS), can also be a reason for shaking your leg. With this syndrome, you suffer from a restless feeling in your leg, which gives you the urge to move. Restless leg syndrome is not dangerous, but it can be annoying. For example, for your sleep, when it mainly affects you at night.
Good for your health
Wiggling your leg is not harmful. Did you know that it can even be good for your health? Shaking your leg improves blood flow. When you sit a lot during the day, because you do sedentary work, for example, your blood supply deteriorates. So wiggling your legs can be a good thing. So next time that one colleague points it out to you, you have a good excuse!