Sleep is essential for overall health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, problems with sleep and alertness are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). It is likely that you will experience poor sleep and/or impaired daytime alertness at some point in the course of your disease – maybe you already have. These problems can have a big impact on your quality of life, as well as significant safety implications: for example, if you get sleepy while driving. There are many causes of sleep problems in PD, but they are often underreported by people with Parkinson’s and caregivers and under-recognized by healthcare professionals.

Consider this your practical guide for achieving good sleep health. This book addresses healthy sleep, sleep changes due to aging and sleep problems due to Parkinson’s, as well as diagnosis, treatment and coping strategies. The information, tips and stories included here will provide answers, help you organize thoughts and questions for your medical team and remind you that you are not alone on this Parkinson’s journey.