Does anyone have a spouse with signs of RBD but no diagnosis yet?

@marniek2023 I’m going for a sleep study next week because I’m always very fatigued. The questionnaire they gave me to complete asked if anyone has ever said that I do….during my sleep. All the things that you mentioned about your husband were on the list.
How does he feel during the day? Is he well rested? If he wonders why he is always tired maybe he will be open to going to the doctor.

Hopefully, he will get help soon.

Yes...my husband has had it for about 5 years. I’ve kept a log of his nightmares and his jerky, fidgety body movements, While he can usually recall the nightmares, he has had no clue about the body movements.

My own research revealed that Melatonin could help with both, and since October, I have given him 5 mg per night. He now sleeps 97% better...nightmares are all but gone...movements still crop up but are greatly diminished, and he no longer takes 3-4 hr afternoon naps.

I think that although he could not recall nighttime fidgeting, the movements were interfering with his ability to get a restful night’s sleep, leading to long afternoon naps. Then the long naps were disrupting his actual nighttime sleep...a vicious cycle.

One if his doctors recently noticed a hand tremor, which opened the door to my sharing his symptoms with the doctor. The doctor has genrly encouraged him to see a neurologist. We aren’t quite there yet, but I am hopeful this will happen in the near future.

Go to the Michael J Fox Foundation’s website and watch their webinar about RBD (REM Sleep Behavior Disorder). RBD and Parkinson’s often go hand in hand with RBD occurring in early stages of Parkinson’s.

Take a video. Hope this helps him understand you’re trying to help him. And you. Good luck

I was just diagnosed with RBD after having a sleep study test which also revealed i had sleep Apnea.
I am 70. I knew there was something wrong when I started having trouble sleeping.
My Dr has put me on Clozepam. I am also supposed to see a neurologist.
I started to research on my own when one night I grabbed my wife wanting to protect her from coyotes attacking her. She had also mentioned that I was quite often agitated during my sleep and would talk a strange language.
I did some research and talked to my DR. the rest is history.
Act early. be safe.

He has tried Melatonin in the past and didn’t like it but as time goes on, he may change his mind. I know he’s not getting good night sleep (although he says he’s sleeping “alright”.) He has been taking longer day time naps lately so I may get him to make note of that. His nighttime movements are so disruptive to MY sleep too and I reluctantly have to go to the other room to sleep—which makes me sad. Thank you for your input.

He takes daytime naps but he also works physically hard during the day so it’s hard to say he’s tired because he doesn’t sleep well. I have a sense that this is changing lately so I’ll have to keep a closer tab on his symptoms.

I just tried sending you a private message. Let ne know if you received it.

My husband has had shouting episodes often during sleep. He kicks, and once was pounding me in the back of my neck with his fists. A medical center diagnosed him with REM sleep disorder, and he was prescribed clonazepam. It worked really well, but I think he's stopped taking it because he's screaming more, and got out of bed yelling, and coming at me with his fists. He told the nurse he didn't want me to go into the doctor's office with him with the sleep specialist. He doesn't seem worried about hurting me, and just writes it off as a bad dream. Any advice? I guess sleep apnea was diagnosed, but not using apnea machine.

I do. I have been punched in the back and kicked in the middle of the night a few times in the last couple of years. He has called out in his sleep occasionally for over 10 years I think, but the screaming has been happening for fewer years. Since his first go to is to disregard my ideas and thoughts, he scoffed yesterday when I mentioned he needed to see a doctor about it. I’ve noticed a slight reduction in his mental sharpness as well. Eventually, I think he will see someone about it, because I’ll keep mentioning it.

I posted above about what my husband has been doing, I am hopeful that it’s only sleep apnea but trying to prepare myself for a diagnosis the Parkinson’s family. We are at the very beginning of this road and the first step of convincing him to see his doctor will not be easy because his first impulse is always to disregard my thoughts and ideas over health related things.