This YouTube video discusses a seemingly endless list of sleep problems that people with Parkinson’s disease experience.
While 90% of people with PD report some kind of sleep disturbance, the most common complaint is waking up in the middle of the night. That’s my problem, too.
I find that I can sleep better if I work out with heavy weights at least three times a week, and if I eat a heavy meal (e.g., chicken breast, baked sweet potato, vegetables) an hour before I go to bed. And no wine, which is sad.
Otherwise, I’m wide awake at 2:00 a.m., hungry as hell and itchin’ to do some readin’ and writin’ at the computer. Yee haw!
This is fine if it’s the weekend, because I love to read and write. But it’s terrible if I have to go to work with less than 7 hours of sleep. To keep my insomnia under control, I have to monitor closely what I do during my waking state. Which is a great part of my experience with Parkinson’s overall: monitoring with vigilance things that I used to do and take for granted. For example, walking, writing with a pen, putting on my socks.
What about you?
