Dad has Parkinson&#39;s Disease. Why can&#39;t he sleep at night?

May 2, 2011

Sleep disorders are very common. You need to speak to his doctor and see about getting something like Trazodone.

anonymous13319

May 2, 2011

When it comes to sleep issues I prefer to start with the simplest solutions then work your way up to medications (so many have side effects, are addicitive, or lose their usefulness.)
Keeping your dad as active as possible and not allowing him to sleep a lot during the day will help. Is he able to joing a senior group or do adult day care? That would give your Mom a break.
I have my Mom drink warm milk or hot choc. before bedtime. This really helps her. I give her an excedrin if she seems more agitated. Her PD symptoms have not changed much over the years, so everyone is different. My MIL had PD too and did not die from it.

Are you in a town that has a community college or other colleges that offer medical programs? You may find a male student who would take on the "evening duty" in exchange for room and board. Contact the person who oversees the medical training programs and ask if this is possible.
Your parents will just have to get over the thing about having help come into there home. Really...your mom desperately needs help.
Your Mom's promise to not place dad in a "home" may be unrealistic. I think our parents have a rather negative view of these facilities based on how they were run decades ago. Perhaps you could take your Mom to an ALF. The ones I have been looking at are so nice and have wonderful opportunities for social interaction. In other words, all the tough stuff your Mom is doing, will be done for your dad so they can get back to enjoying each other again.
It is obvious that what has been done in the past is no longer working and your Mom is jeopardizing her health. If your Mom won't look into ALFs maybe you could do it for her. Overcoming fear is sometimes the biggest obstacle.
good luck.

acohen1960

May 2, 2011

when mentioning ALF's, are you mentioning Adult Living Facilities? Please excuse my ignorance.
thanks!

Eddie

May 2, 2011

ARLINE:

If you Google "Parkinson's and sleeplessness" you'll come across, among others, the following reasons:

(1) Medicines used to treat Parkinson’s disease may cause insomnia due to difficulty in falling asleep or by causing vivid dreams or night terrors; (2) Periodic limb movements; (3) Nocturia (waking frequently to pass urine); (4) Inability to turn in bed; (5) Sleep-related breathing disorders; (6) Pain (generalized aches and pains associated with Parkinson’s disease); (7) Co-existing depression and dementia; (8) Increased daytime sleep either due to medications or due to dopamine deficiency in Parkinson’s disease; (9) Nightmares (patients with Parkinson’s disease often suffer from nightmares which prevent them from going back to sleep; (10) Hallucinations; and (11) Age of the patient (Parkinson’s disease occurs in the older age group who, in normal circumstances, often suffer from insomnia).

Let me know how else I can be of assistance.

-- ED

Helpful Answer (1)

anonymous13319

May 2, 2011

...yes, sorry about the shorthand. ALF = Assisted Living Facilities....