Journal of Parkinson's Disease  [2012] DOI 10.3233/JPD-2012-12087 (Merrel van Gilst, Maartje Louter, Christian Baumann, Bastiaan Bloem, Sebastiaan Overeem) Complete study

A new study has confirmed that sleep improves the symptoms of nearly half (47%) of people with Parkinson's Disease. Typically their motor functioning seems to be better in the morning just after they have woken up.  There did not seem to be a difference in the quality of rest experienced by people who experienced the sleep benefit and those who did not. About a third of the study participants experienced a sleep benefit even after taking a nap. Researchers came up with several possible reasons for the finding, though they noted that they do not know the exact mechanism. When somebody lacks sleep they produce melatonin. Melatonin reduces the levels of dopamine, the substance whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease. For a printable version of this article click here.  For more current news go to Parkinson's Disease News.

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