Parkinson's Disease and sleep dysfunction: How do you sleep?
I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink No, no, no
It's time to go to sleep. You get in your bed. Get cozy under your blankets. You close your eyes and....
YOU'RE BRAIN TURNS ON AND YOU CAN'T TURN IT OFF!!
Sound familiar? Sleep disorders are one of the most common complaints among the general population. We get to bed too late. We can't fall asleep easily. We don't sleep through the night. We wake up to use the bathroom and can't get back to sleep. We wake up feeling tired. We're tired during the day. On and on and on.
All these issues gets worse as we get become senior citizens. Plus, if you're one of the ten million people worldwide dealing with Parkinson's Disease, sleep issues increase. One of Parkinson's patients biggest complaints is about how the disease affects their sleep. Sixty to ninety-eight percent of Parkinson's sufferers complain about some form of sleep dysfunction. Another issue is how a lack of regular sleep speeds up the degeneration function of the disease.
How do you deal with these issues? How do you get better sleep?
Here's some techniques that I learned at a sleep seminar put on by the Parkinson's Foundation.
During the daytime:
Limit daytime naps to forty minutes! A nap that last too long makes night sleep more difficult.
No coffee, tea or soda after noon! Caffeine can interfere with normal sleep patterns.
No alcohol after dinner! Alcohol can make snoring and sleep apnea worse.
Exercise! Regular exercise helps you get into a deeper sleep pattern. However, no heavy exercise two hours before going to bed.
During the night:
Turn off your screens! No phones, computers or television while trying to fall asleep.
Keep your bedroom temperature cool! It's hard to fall asleep if your sweating. Cool temps also lead to better REM sleep.
Stop watching your clock! If you look at your clock and see it's 4am and you're wide awake, chances are you'll never get back to sleep.
Don't force sleep! If you can't fall asleep, get out of bed and do something calm and soothing. Listen to mellow music or read until you feel tired enough to try to go to sleep again.
There you go. These are the helpful hints that will help you sleep better. So when you find yourself up in the middle of the night do not do the John Lennon thing of fixing yourself a drink...no, no, no. Try one of more of these things. I know it's not easy, but nothing that's great is, right?!
You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane You know I'd give you everything I've got For a little peace of mind
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