{"id":35194,"date":"2023-11-21T10:35:28","date_gmt":"2023-11-21T09:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/?page_id=35194"},"modified":"2025-08-05T14:24:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-05T12:24:40","slug":"parkinson-and-sleep","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/parkinson-and-sleep\/","title":{"rendered":"Parkinson and Sleep"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Parkinson and Sleep<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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People with Parkinson\u2019s disease often struggle with sleep disturbances. They may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. In addition, they can experience stiff muscles and muscle contractions during the night. Vivid dreaming is common, and some may start sleepwalking or wake up frequently with headaches. Certain patients also develop sleep apnoea, where breathing stops temporarily during sleep.<\/p>

As a result, many people with Parkinson\u2019s feel extremely tired during the day, battling sudden sleep attacks or sleeping for long periods, which in turn disrupts their sleep at night. It\u2019s a frustrating and exhausting cycle.<\/p>

We\u2019ve gathered a number of tips to help you manage these sleep disturbances.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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1. Create a sleep schedule\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Structure and routine are the first steps towards better sleep. Try to go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning as consistently as possible.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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2. Stay active<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Make sure you get enough physical activity during the day. Go for a walk, cycle to the shops, keep those muscles moving! Aim for at least half an hour of movement five times a week.
But don\u2019t overdo it, take it at your own pace.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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3. Avoid stimulants\n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol. These stimulants increase your heart rate and blood pressure, keeping your body alert for as long as they remain in your bloodstream.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/article>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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4. Relax<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Wind down before bedtime. Avoid distractions and activities that stimulate the brain. For example, put away your phone, laptop or tablet well before going to sleep.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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5. Sleep at least until sunrise<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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It\u2019s not about the number of hours you sleep, but whether you wake up feeling rested. Still, it\u2019s advisable to sleep at least until sunrise, this is when your body stops producing melatonin, the sleep hormone.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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6. Don\u2019t lie awake tossing and turning<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Don\u2019t lie in bed feeling frustrated or anxious if you can\u2019t fall asleep. Get up and take a short walk around the house. Keep the surroundings as dark as possible (to support melatonin production) and avoid phones, tablets, and other glowing screens.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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7. Keep the temperature just right<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Make sure your bedroom is at the right temperature. If your body can\u2019t reach its ideal core temperature, it can disrupt your sleep. The optimal temperature for sleeping is around 18 degrees Celsius.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/article>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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8. Use helpful aids<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Some people wake up less often at night thanks to blackout curtains or earplugs. If you do wake up during the night, make sure you have aids that help you turn over more easily in bed, such as a bed trapeze, a bed rail, or a height-adjustable bed.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Consult your doctor<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Still struggling with sleep problems? Consult your doctor. They can best advise you on any medication that may help with sleep disturbances. It\u2019s important to describe your symptoms as accurately as possible, so your doctor can tailor the treatment accordingly.
Never experiment with medication on your own, always seek proper guidance from a medical specialist.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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People with Parkinson\u2019s disease often struggle with sleep disturbances. They may have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. In addition, they can experience stiff muscles and muscle contractions during the night. Vivid dreaming is common, and some may start sleepwalking or wake up frequently with headaches. Certain patients also develop sleep apnoea, where breathing stops […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-35194","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35194","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35194"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35194\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35198,"href":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35194\/revisions\/35198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parkinsonfonds.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35194"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}