Excessive Daytime Sleep

I feel very tired these days and it's unnerving to simply drop off to sleep without any warning, but this is happening on more and more occasions these days, which is embarrassing, if someone else is in the room.

Some days I sit down after a slight walk and before I know what is happening, I have gone off to sleep and this does not make any sense at all

I know that I don't sleep well at night for one reason or another, but when this hits it is a shock to all around, as I have even drifted off when people have been in the room, and that can be upsetting

I have never experienced anything like this until the last year, and it's frightening and embarrassing when it happens

Some days I can feel my eyes feeling as if they are being forcibly closed, and I cannot fight it or stop it

 

We had put it down to other problems but nothing seemed to fit until I read a report from the Parkinson's UK website.

I am not sure if anyone else has the same problems, but its well worth reading

I am being assessed again next month, so its something that we need to bring up   

I know that Lewy Body Dementia and Parkinson's are similar but after reading the clip below it all started to make sense to me

Taken from the Parkinson's Web Site

New research into fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness in Parkinson's

3 December 2010

New research published in the European Journal of Neurology this week suggests that 72% of people with Parkinson's suffer from fatigue or excessive daytime sleepiness, with just under half of them suffering from both.

This study highlights just how common sleep problems are in people with Parkinson's.

The researchers at the University Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland studied 88 people with Parkinson's.
They looked at how common fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness are, if they overlap, and whether they are linked to other Parkinson's symptoms or medications.

What the researchers found

• 72% of people with Parkinson’s experience fatigue, excessive daytime sleepiness or both.
• Fatigue was found in 52 (59%), excessive daytime sleepiness in 42 (48%), and both complaints in 31 (35%) patients.
• Fatigued people with Parkinson's had more severe movement problems and were more likely to suffer from insomnia and depression.
• Insomnia was also more common in people with excessive daytime sleepiness.
• Medication seemed to play a greater part in excessive daytime sleepiness than fatigue - taking dopamine agonists plus levodopa appears to make excessive daytime sleepiness problems worse.

Tackling sleep problems for people with Parkinson's

Our Director of Research and Development, Dr Kieran Breen, comments:

It's hard to explain just how overwhelming the tiredness is, it's as though every ounce of strength just pours out of my body.

"This study highlights just how common sleep problems such as fatigue and excessive daytime sleepiness are in people with Parkinson's.
"It's vital that healthcare professionals assess these symptoms because they often have a major impact on people's quality of life.
"We still don't fully understand what causes sleep problems in Parkinson's.
"But studies like Dr Roger Barker’s project 'Combating the sleep problems facing people with Parkinson's' funded by Parkinson's UK will hopefully lead to an improved understanding and better treatments."

Excessive daytime sleepiness

This is also known as daytime hypersomnolence. Parkinson’s medications can cause excessive daytime sleepiness or sudden onset of sleep. This can be severe.

This may be more likely in people with later stage Parkinson’s who are on multiple medications. It can also occur when increasing medication, particularly dopamine agonists.

Excessive feelings of sleepiness during the day can also happen if you’re not getting enough sleep at night. The effect can cause people to fall asleep or doze off during normal waking hours.

In some cases, it can even lead to the sudden onset of sleep.

This can be dangerous if you are doing certain things, such as driving or operating machinery.
Medication may help, so speak to your GP, specialist or Parkinson’s nurse.

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