(Sally Abrahams/ BBC News) — For years, Mary Rose struggled to get off to sleep or to stay asleep, because she felt like she was being attacked by insects.
“Imagine having a swarm of bees buzzing inside the skin of your legs, biting you,” she says, describing the sensation that overwhelmed her.
“It’s really very, very painful.”
Now in her 80s, the art historian has a condition called restless legs syndrome (RLS), which tortures her at night.
“It makes you want to scratch your legs and get up and walk about – it was just impossible to lie down and sleep because one’s legs were twitching in this uncontrollable way,” she explained.
The symptoms were so severe, she didn’t want to go to bed at night. (…)