Sleep Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is associated with degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantianigra. Therefore, patients who are diagnosed with PD will exhibit clinical symptoms of dopaminergic depletion including motor and non-motor symptoms. Previously, physicians (please see comment on page 4) and researchers have been most interested in the aspect of motor problems. However, more recently, non-motor symptoms (NMS) have received similar recognition to motor symptoms. Some of the most common NMS are sleep disorders. The prevalence of sleep disorders ranges from 40 to 90 percent and the common sleep problems in patients with PD are insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, rapid eye movement, sleep behavior disorders, sleep related breathing disorders, restless leg syndrome and nocturia. This article includes the epidemiology, etiologies, common patterns and managements of sleep disorders in patients with PD.