Hi,
My mum has Parkinsons. She now has a lot of sleep episodes. e.g. She will have approx 2 days out of 7 days where she will sleep for nearly 36 hrs, with intermittent waking.
The hospital (after admissions 3 times this year [totalling 3 months+) have now put her on patches as when she has these sleep episodes it is not possible to get her to have her oral meds. Also hydration is a major headache for me and my brother as often you cannot wake her for a drink - Its like she is unconscious/coma as nothing will rouse her - you have to let her wake up herself naturally.
The two questions are as follows:-
Do anybody else have this happen to them or the person they care for, where there seems to be some cycle/pattern to this sleeping(e.g. like Circadian rhythms)?
Also, if someone is not drinking how long or how much fluid is considered safe if she sleeps for a solid length of time?
Any suggestions will be helpful from personal experiences as the Hospital/Consultants will not commit to anything helpful.
Thanks.
Hi Garfield,
We wanted to take a moment to welcome you to our community forum, and make sure you’re aware of some resources we offer here. With regard to sleeping, Parkinson’s and the medications used to treat various symptoms can have a massive effect on sleep and sleeping rhythms, so it’s important to speak with your mum’s medical team to regulate her sleeping. Have a look at this page of our website: Sleep patterns and reducing time in bed awake | Parkinson's UK. You can also search the relevant terms and you will find a wealth of data which could be of use to you.
We also have a free and confidential helpline, on 0808 800 0303, staffed with advisors who are happy to assist with a range of needs, from medication questions to finding local support for both people with Parkinson’s and their carers. Please do reach out to them as you like.
We wish you and your mum our best and warmest welcome,
Jason
Forum Moderator
Hello Garfield1
First an apology for the delay in replying to your post, I am playing catch up. I have to say I’m no expert on this topic and jason has given you some good advice. However I happened to be reading this recently and I think it might be of interest - changing the timing of his meds seems to have helped maybe it would help your mother but I would strongly encourage you to speak to your mother’s medical team before making any changes to how and when she takes her meds.
Tot
Hello I’ve found it quite worrying when my husband has these episodes for all the reasons you’ve stated. What has been apparent (in my husband and everyone is different) when he has these excessive sleeping episodes it often coincides with him having an infection, urine infection or a chest/cold infection. So now it is the first thing I try to check for. I was upset/frustrated and quite honestly angry when he was recently admitted to hospital because of low oxygen levels that it was only after my requesting they did a urine test and it took them 2 days after my request to do the test. Evidently dip stick testing urine for over 65s is no longer carried out as routine in hospitals anymore. The hospital dismissed his hallucinations as due to his Parkinsons until I intervened and said no this is not normal (for him) hallucinations but was bordering on psychosis. Once antibiotics administered he fully recovered but the extreme delusional period caused by the urine infection has seriously impacted his mental well being.
I would fully endorse Plus1’s post. I find it rather worrying that dip stick testing of urine is no longer routine because more often than when very out of character behaviour is seen, the cause is found to be a urine infection. It is also very easy for everyone (and I include myself and others with Parkinsons in this) to blame anything on the Parkinson’s and put it down to progression of the condition, when this might well not be the case.
Tot