LONDON ( Dispatches) --
Individuals experiencing frequent bad dreams were twice as likely to be later diagnosed with Parkinson’s as those who did not, reported scientists.
University of Birmingham researchers used data from a large cohort study from the USA, which contained data over a period of 12 years from 3818 older men living independently. At the beginning of the study, the men completed a range of questionnaires, one of which included a question about sleep quality. Participants reporting bad dreams at least once per week were then followed up at the end of the study to see whether they were more likely to be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
The team found that participants experiencing frequent bad dreams were twice as likely to develop the disease compared to those who did not. Most of the diagnoses happened in the first five years of the study. Participants with frequent bad dreams during this period were more than three times as likely to go on to develop Parkinson’s.