Factors related to sleep disturbances for individuals with Parkinson's disease: a regional perspective

Sleep disturbances negatively impact the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). While persons living in regional areas are at higher risk of PD, PD is poorly managed in regional communities. This study examined factors associated with sleep problems in PD in a regional context.

A mixed-methods cross-sectional design was used.

Patients with PD were recruited from the Queensland Parkinson's Project database.

Those who agreed to participate were sent a questionnaire assessing aspects of sleep, depression, anxiety, quality of life, and PD severity. Qualitative information was also gathered. Correlations between variables were examined; thematic analyses were performed for qualitative data.

All participants (n = 49) reported sleep disturbances, with 73% (n = 36) reporting sleep disturbance to be problematic. Global sleep dysfunction positively correlated with daytime napping (r = .34, p = .01), watching the clock when unable to sleep (r = .38, p = <.01), staying in bed when unable to sleep (r = .43, p = <.01), and going to bed hungry (r = .31, p = .03) and negatively correlated with daytime exercise (r = -.32, p = .02). Positive correlations were observed between global sleep dysfunction and depression (r = .55, p = <.01), anxiety (r = .31, p = .04), and dysfunctional sleep beliefs (r = .39, p = <.01).

There is a clear need for identifying factors related to sleep disturbances in PD for effective management.