Irish study reveals how poor sleep affects people with Parkinson’s disease

Researchers at Maynooth University’s (MU) Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research and Department of Psychology have found that sleep problems are very common in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD), and such sleep problems are associated with poorer quality of life.

PD is the second most common neurodegenerative brain disease after Alzheimer’s, and is estimated to affect 18,000 people in Ireland and more than six million people worldwide.

The research team analysed data from over 38,000 PD patients, which was gathered by the Michael J Fox Foundation and includes valuable insights into the patients’ experiences with PD, as well as details on their mental health, cognition, and sleep patterns.

The findings revealed that an overwhelming 84 per cent of patients with PD report struggling with sleep issues. This figure is significantly higher than the general population of the same age group.

The study highlights the direct consequences of these sleep problems, which were found to be strongly linked to increased symptoms of depression, greater difficulty with independent living, and an overall decline in quality of life.

Furthermore, sleep disturbances were found to worsen the severity of ‘off periods’, the times when the effects of PD medication diminish, leaving patients vulnerable to a return of debilitating symptoms.

The MU study, led by PhD candidate Ziba Asadpoordezaki, Research Fellow Dr Beverley Henley, and Prof Andrew Coogan, was published in the Journal of Sleep Research.

Commenting on the research, Prof Coogan described sleep difficulties as “a significant burden to quality of life in a number of chronic health conditions”, and said the study shows the importance of addressing sleep in PD.

“The research database from the Michael J Fox Foundation that we drew on in our study is a great example of the wonderful opportunities presented by large international studies for research that will help advance key questions in human health and benefit patients.

“In order to best take advantage of such opportunities, we also need collaborations between colleagues, such as facilitated in our study by the Kathleen Lonsdale Institute for Human Health Research at MU, which brings together colleagues with different expertise in health-related research.”

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