Other than the sound of Shakespeare rolling in his grave at that title, what else might be involved in insomnia? (disregarding the occasional benefits such as hearing Isaac Hayes’ version of “By The Time I Get To Phoenix” on a radio show titled “For Mushrooms and Night People,” or reading through James Joyce’s “Finnegan’s Wake” in one sleepless night).

Insomnia related to PD – according to this study abstract, the authors found that insomnia disorder co-morbid with Parkinson’s Disease was consistent with that of folks without PD, and they recommend a cognitive behavioral therapy approach to help treat people with this problem.

Insomnia co-morbid with Parkinson’s Disease

On the other hand, insomnia can lead to daytime drowsiness. And that, as this author can attest, can be co-morbid with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RSBD) or as narcolepsy for many years without a diagnosis.

Here are a couple of other articles on longitudinal studies related to PD and sleep issues. They are open access, so one can read and draw one’s own conclusions. As usual, one of the conclusions one might reach is that further research is needed on the topic.

Long term effects of STN DBS on sleep     In this study, it was found that DBS improved nocturnal sleep quality but had no effect on excessive daytime sleepiness.

10 year study on daytime drowsiness and PD   In this long term study, it was found that daytime drowsiness did not improve, even while other symptoms of PD progressively got worse.

The author refers you to the paragraph above in which RSBD was co-morbid and precedent to PD diagnosis, as well as narcolepsy, which was only diagnosed in recent years. Although symptoms may be associated with Parkinson’s, they might not be a part of the Parkinson’s Disease, and other causes must be ruled out in order to arrive at accurate diagnoses. For this, a team of medical personnel is required, and not specialists, each working alone in their own silo. (Opinions provided free of charge).