Parkison’s and My All Nighter!
When I was in college, some of my friends would do an “all-nighter” before their exams. I could never do this. I needed to prepare ahead the best I could and make sure that I got a good night’s rest. My body does not function well when I lack sleep and this is especially true since I have developed Parkinson’s Disease. Sunday night was one of those nights when the clock kept ticking away, but I found myself unable to sleep. These sleepless nights are lonely times and they give me a new perspective on people who live alone. The house is quiet except for the sounds coming from the refridge and the heat. Sounds that are always there, but you just don’t notice them.
This is one aspect of Parkinson’s Disease that just gets to me and I am not alone. Many people with PD struggle with sleep issues. What sometimes works well on one night does not do so well on another night. I go to sleep, but I do not stay asleep. Once I wake up, the tremors start and if I take the meds for tremors, it keeps me awake. It is a challenge finding the right combo of meds, activities, and relaxation to get sleep and stay there.
I have addressed these sleep issues several times with my neurologist and I have researched it through the PD Foundation, Michael J Fox. Foundation, WebMD, etc. My symptoms seem to be very common among most PD patients and there are no great solutions. Sleeping meds help to get to sleep, but when I wake up in the night and I start to shake , it is almost impossible to get back to sleep. At that point, I usually just find it better to get up and do something like work on my Arts and crafts or read or wrap presents. I do anything to keep my mind off of my shaking. Eventually I get so fatigued that I just fall asleep.
One thing is for sure, I always need time to recoup after an all-nighter. It usually takes me all day to rest and regroup to get back to norm. Sometimes I need two days of recovery for every all-nighter. I wish I could get this aspect of the disease under control, but at least I have far fewer all-nighters than I used to have so things are looking positive.
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