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Correlation between quality of sleep and severity of PD symptoms?

Posted by gregmt @gregmt, Sep 15 1:53pm

I was diagnosed with PD a year ago. I’ve noticed there seems to be a direct correlation between my quality of sleep and the severity of my PD symptoms. I sometimes get stuck in this “do loop” of my stiffness/pain disrupting my sleep, making my stiffness/pain worse, disrupting my sleep more, worsening my symptoms…….and so on.
My neurologist prescribed Mirtazapine to help me sleep when I need it and is successful in breaking this cycle. I was wondering if this is common with anyone else?

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coho222 | @coho222 | Sep 15 8:50pm

Mirtazapine is a quadricyclic antidepressant which is frequently prescribed for sleep and it is more sedating at lower doses. Not uncommon for insomnia patients who have Parkinson’s. I have been prescribed for this medication in the past but no longer take it. My former doctor want me to increase the dose but doing so increased my sleep issues.

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nova11723 | @nova11723 | Sep 15 10:02pm

Yes, sleep helps with all symptoms in my experience (about a decade of real symptoms). The trick is falling asleep and staying asleep. I go in cycles; I am busy and forget I should be having sleep problems and sleep pretty well. Then I have a few days where I can't sleep that well. A few really stressful periods, I couldn't sleep for a couple days, but then I forget about it and start sleeping decently again. It is never as good as I used to sleep, but I'll take what I can get,

Sleep also makes my medicine absorb better too. Sorry about your insomnia @coho222. The best trick that has helped is to lie in front of a certain movie that I have seen about thousand times and zone out.

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emmit | @emmit | Sep 16 10:16am
In reply to @nova11723 "Yes, sleep helps with all symptoms in my experience (about a decade of real symptoms). The..." + (show)
Profile picture for nova11723 @nova11723

Yes, sleep helps with all symptoms in my experience (about a decade of real symptoms). The trick is falling asleep and staying asleep. I go in cycles; I am busy and forget I should be having sleep problems and sleep pretty well. Then I have a few days where I can't sleep that well. A few really stressful periods, I couldn't sleep for a couple days, but then I forget about it and start sleeping decently again. It is never as good as I used to sleep, but I'll take what I can get,

Sleep also makes my medicine absorb better too. Sorry about your insomnia @coho222. The best trick that has helped is to lie in front of a certain movie that I have seen about thousand times and zone out.

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@nova11723
I too have had bouts of insomnia. the movie idea from nova11723 works for me. In fact, it has become a running joke in my house. I get "you're watching this again"--followed by some else saying "well he rarely if ever has seen the end of this." I like old mysteries and my youngest son still comes out and says, "you know dad it hasn't changed the same person still did it in the end." to which I simply state yeah, but I never make to the end. so yeah, I agree with watching old movies over and over.

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