Excessive Daytime Sleepiness & Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is mostly associated with problems with motion that it causes. However, Parkinson's disease can affect many aspects of life, leading to possibly unexpected symptoms such as daytime sleepiness.

Features

• Sleep problems, including trouble falling asleep and waking up during the night, are commonly experienced in Parkinson's disease according to the Mayo Clinic and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).

Effects

• Parkinson's sufferers may experience insomnia, leading to daytime tiredness. Insomnia often occurs because suffers have to urinate frequently which disturbs their sleep. Other symptoms worsen at night such as REM sleep behavior disorder, which increases involuntary movements, according to Merck Manuals.

Effects

• People with Parkinson's who have trouble sleeping at night may experience sleep attacks, in which people suddenly become very sleepy and even fall asleep, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Identification

• Sleep problems for Parkinson's disease sufferers can be evaluated by questioning the patient as well as through observing sleep, according to Joan Santamaria, MD, of the Department of Neurology at the Hospital Clínic of Barcelona and Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica.

Complications

• Those who have sleep problems because of Parkinson's disease often also suffer from depression, according to Merck Manuals.