By Jacob Kidney, Essential Movements Yoga for Parkinson’s/movement disorders (ET/Dystonia)

I really love reading everything that Gary Sharpe has to write about his experiences with Parkinson's. He is always spot on. I know this is true from my own experience as well. My symptoms are always worse when I don’t sleep well. I love what he says here about sleep being the foundation for symptom reduction and moving in a positive direction.

So what can we do to have better sleep? I would love to hear what everyone does to help them sleep better.

For me, doing some sort of intense exercise earlier in the day and followed by a few different deep relaxation techniques/routines in the evening have dramatically changed my sleep patterns.

My sleep patterns were always very inconsistent all throughout college. Between working full time and full time school I would often go for three or four days at a time with only sleeping three to five hours per night. This pattern persisted for more than four years. It resulted in my tremors and overall health getting worse.

It has taken me two years of persistence to correct these dysfunctional sleep patterns to the point where I can manage my symptoms much more effectively and have begun to move in a positive direction.

This has been done by doing intense exercise every day. This can include biking, running,, hiking, weightlifting, yoga, etc. you need to effectively use the adrenaline in your body or else it is going to exacerbate your symptoms.

Then in the evening I will try a number of different things to help my body wind down and prepare it for sleep. This could include deep breathing, meditation, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra. I always have an air mister defusing essential oils and gentle soothing music while falling asleep.

Also, scheduling daily free time to rest and take a nap if I need it has been invaluable. Especially, right after doing intense exercise.