I don’t know whether it is just a natural part of the ageing process, but I find that I can’t seem to go to bed early these days. It may be part of Parkinson’s perhaps, but I find if I go to bed before about 11.00pm I stay awake for much longer. It also helps if I use my spa pool, which relaxes me and gets me away from a screen.
There are times as well where I wake up with pain. Different sorts of pain in different places – they say variety is the spice of life – but the most common is pain in behind my knee where I tore my meniscus. However, I also have pain in my hip sometimes and in and around my kneecap. I am a bit of a wreck to be fair!
The other thing that I notice is that I wake up early in the morning. Sometimes as early as 5.00am, on a day off for goodness’s sake! It used to be that I could sleep in quite happily on my day off, but now for some reason, even if I have gone to bed later, I have trouble staying and snoozing and sleeping in in the mornings. I do find sometimes that I do feel a bit tired earlier in the evening just after dinner and can find myself almost nodding off. My husband has done this for years and now we’re a right pair nodding off together on the couch. So, that is probably just the advancing years, not necessarily the Parkies! At times I have needed a Nanna nap, but I don’t always fall asleep as such, but I think it is good to rest.
I must be getting enough sleep though generally speaking, because I seem to be reasonably alert at work and summon up the energy to go to the gym 2-3 times a week and go for a bike ride weekends.
I guess patterns of sleep and wakefulness might change for everyone as they age. It probably isn’t completely a Parkies thing, but it is likely that it is a factor.
Not something to worry about I’m sure, as long as I can function reasonably well.
My journey with Parkinsons 