Effect of Exercise on Sleep Quality in Parkinson’s Disease: a Mini Review
The rising prevalence of Parkinson's Disease (PD) presents a significant challenge to the healthcare system. PD, characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons, primarily impacts motor function and sleep. Sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining homeostasis and clearing metabolic waste from the brain, with each sleep stage contributing to overall brain health.
However, patients with PD often experience sleep disturbances, including reduced slow-wave sleep, which disrupts these essential processes. While medications can help manage motor symptoms and support the function of remaining dopaminergic neurons, their ability to improve sleep is still uncertain.
Recently, attention has shifted toward exercise as a potential therapeutic approach to improve sleep in PD patients. This review explores the ways in which sleep is impaired in PD, the benefits of aerobic and resistance exercises, and how these activities may help restore normal sleep patterns. A PubMed search compiled research on the impact of both high and low-intensity aerobic and resistance exercises, including those targeting balance and coordination, which have shown positive effects on sleep quality.
On a neurochemical level, sleep promotes the clearance of toxins, including α-synuclein, and exercise has been linked to increased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factors, which may correlate with improvements in slow-wave sleep. While preliminary findings are promising, further research is needed to fully understand the physiological mechanisms behind sleep and exercise in PD patients.
