Severe nightmares could be a warning sign of Parkinson’s

March 2, 2016

People who scream and thrash around in their sleep may be more likely to develop the condition, scientists claim.

Researchers found that people who suffer from “REM sleep disturbance”, which includes nightmares, kicking and screaming, were at a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s and other forms of demential within the next five years.

REM – or rapid eye movement – is the stage of sleep when most people begin to dream. But while normal sleepers are effectively paralysed during this stage because the brain shuts off their muscles, those with an REM sleep disorder often act out their dreams with violent movements.

Spanish scientists found that one in five people over 60 who suffered from the sleep disorder went on to develop Parkinson’s and other degenerative diseases, such as Lewy body dementia.

The study, published in the Lancet Neurology journal, suggests that sleep disorders could be one of the first signs of brain diseases.

The team of researchers, led by Dr Alex Iranzo at the Neurology Department of the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona, looked at 43 patients over the age of 60 who had all been diagnosed with REM sleep disorders.

They found that 30 per cent had developed some form of neurological disorder two and a half years after their sleeping problem was diagnosed – in most cases Parkinson’s.

Parkinson’s affects around 120,000 people in Britain, most of whom are over the age of 50.

Those suffering from the disease have a deficiency of a chemical called dopamine because certain nerve cells in their brain have died.

Without dopamine, their movements become slower, they become confused and lose their memory

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