Question for the medical types re: Parkinson's and sleep disorders

[Ethilrist]

A recent article on Cracked lists, if you scroll down to #4, Sleep Restlessness Can Predict Whether You’ll Get Parkinson’s Disease.

Do you ever have dreams where you’re attacked or chased, only to wake up tangled in the sheets (or clobbered with a pillow by your frustrated spouse, whom you just dream-flailed at?) It turns out that shit might not be last night’s chili – it may actually predict your future Parkinson’s.

It has a link to a report on the American Parkinson Disease Association website, which includes this:

Patients often describe vivid dreams that can range from friendly and pleasant to being quite menacing and frightening. It is theorized that excess nighttime levels of dopaminergic medications (L-dopa and dopamine agonists) may exacerbate this phenomenon. The treatment of choice is clonazepam, which is effective in 75-90 percent of cases in the general population. Alternatively certain antidepressants, such as bupropion (Wellbutrin) and sertraline (Zoloft) may be helpful in some individuals.

and other links to reports on the Science Daily website:

REM sleep behavior disorder is a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease
Date: July 29, 2011

REM sleep behavior disorder is a risk factor for Parkinson's disease

REM sleep disturbance signals future neurodegenerative disease
Date: June 9, 2014

REM sleep disturbance signals future neurodegenerative disease

I hate to seem like an Internet hypochondriac, but I have had dreams like this since college, waking up while still in fight/flight mode, with the very rare instance of punching or kicking the wall. Are these sites legit? Have you heard of this research?

[DSeid]

REM Sleep Disorder is more than waking up in fight or flight and rare instances of punching or kicking the wall are not enough either.

The specific DSM-5 criteria for rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder are as follows [37] :

Recurrent episodes of arousal during sleep associated with vocalization and/or complex motor behaviors that arise during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep

On waking from these episodes, the individual is not confused or disoriented and is completely alert

Either of the following is present: REM sleep without atonia on polysomnographic recordings; or a history suggestive of REM sleep behavior disorder and an established synucleinopathy diagnosis (e.g., Parkinson’s disease, multiple system atrophy)

The episodes cause significant distress or impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning which may include serious injury to self or the bed partner

The disturbance cannot be explained by the effects of a drug of abuse or medication

The episodes cannot be attributed to another mental disorder or medical condition

It also seems to primarily be a condition of the elderly. Having it since college would be very uncommon for that diagnosis. It is not the same as the much more common night terrors or other partial awakening conditions.

But yes it appears that true REM Sleep Disorder precedes the development of Parkinson’s and a handful of other disorders by several years in some (less than a majority who present with the specific sleep disorder but still a large minority).

[Ethilrist]

Ah, cool. That was my best-case scenario… thank you!

[Elendil_s_Heir]

Bumped.

Here’s a nice interview with Michael J. Fox and how he’s dealing with Parkinson’s: Michael J. Fox on Parkinson’s, Taking the Wrong Roles and Staying Positive - The New York Times