Restless Leg Syndrom (RLS) and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder or Syndrome (PLMD or PLMS) are related conditions. Sounds like your doc. doesn't know the difference. Also sounds like you have RLS. And many people who have RLS also have PLMD - because they are related.
RLS is the creepy-crawly or other sensations that make you need to move when you're awake. PLMD is when you move during sleep - since you're sleeping, you probably don't know whether or not you move a lot.
At any rate, if your insurance will cover the sleep study, you might as well have it done. It will help you to identify PLMD if you have it, and some other problems might also show up. Sleep studies are a nuisance, because you get tons of electode glue put in your hair and it's weird trying to sleep with the 'trodes. But they're really not a big deal - the glue washes out. And it could potentially provide a lot of information.
Go for it. And it might also be good to provide some more info about RLS and PLMD to your doctor. Especially the recent info about Dr. Connors study about poor iron uptake in the brain being the cause of RLS. A good article is "Neuropathological examination suggests Impaired brain iron acquisition in restless legs syndrome" by J.R. Connor (lead author) in Neurology 2003 volume 61 page 61.
As you'll see if you read Connor's paper, checking your serum ferratin and transferrin levels is also a good diagnostic. Your ferratin should be > 50 (even though numbers as low as 20 are considered normal - under 50 is too low for people with RLS). And if your transferrin is higher than what's considered normal, that could signal a problem.
Good luck ~ Z
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