Journal of Parkinson's diseaseAug 8, 2022

Managing Sleep Problems in Parkinson's Disease

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗OA ↗

Updated Mar 29, 2026

Abstract

Sleep disturbances affect quality of life in Parkinson's disease patients and caregivers, with and being particularly common.

Non-motor symptoms, including sleep disturbances, may cause discomfort equivalent to that of motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.
Common sleep disturbances associated with Parkinson's disease include insomnia, , excessive daytime sleepiness, , and restless legs syndrome.
Therapeutic options for managing sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease are currently limited, partly due to insufficient scientific evidence.
Evidence suggests a bidirectional relationship between neurodegeneration and sleep, indicating that each may influence the other.
Understanding the mechanisms linking sleep disturbances and neurodegeneration could lead to tailored therapeutic options in the future.

Simplified

Parkinson's disease (PD) is defined by its motor symptoms rigidity, tremor, and akinesia. However, non-motor symptoms, particularly autonomic disorders and sleep disturbances, occur frequently in PD causing equivalent or even greater discomfort than motor symptoms effectively decreasing quality of life in patients and caregivers. Most common sleep disturbances in PD are , , , , and sleep-related movement disorders such as restless legs syndrome. Despite their high prevalence, therapeutic options in the in- and outpatient setting are limited, partly due to lack of scientific evidence. The importance of sleep disturbances in neurodegenerative diseases has been further emphasized by recent evidence indicating a bidirectional relationship between neurodegeneration and sleep. A more profound insight into the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms intertwining sleep and neurodegeneration might lead to unique and individually tailored disease modifying or even neuroprotective therapeutic options in the long run. Therefore, current evidence concerning the management of sleep disturbances in PD will be discussed with the aim of providing a substantiated scaffolding for clinical decisions in long-term PD therapy.

Key numbers

60% to 90%

Prevalence of Sleep Disturbances

Percentage of Parkinson's disease patients affected by sleep disturbances.

37% to 80%

Frequency

Range of prevalence in Parkinson's disease patients.

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Funding

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

PubMed

Managing Sleep Problems in Parkinson's Disease

Abstract

Key numbers

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

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Abstract

Key numbers

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief