"According to our study, frequent sleep talking (talking while asleep at least one night per week) is a risk factor for early mortality in PD. RBD with sleep talking (ST) was associated with increased mortality, while RBD without sleep talking was not. This too hints at the importance of ST."
"We think that ST could be a sign of an ongoing neurodegeneration similar to 'acting out in dreams' in RBD. We also know that disturbances of the autonomic nervous system are essential elements of PD, and, in our study, ST is associated with non-motor symptoms..."
"Sleep talkers had more non-motor symptoms compared to non-sleep talkers and a higher intake of PD medications ..."
"Although severe obesity is a risk factor for mortality, moderate overweight may be a protective factor among elderly people and in patients with neurodegenerative disease. In a large Swedish study, a reduction in mortality was seen with increased BMI up to 29.9 kg/m2 for men and 24.9 kg/m2 for women. There is also evidence that weight loss may worsen the prognosis for PD patients."
Interesting, if a bit discouraging for those that sleep talk. Hopefully, further research on this subject will shed light on the mechanisms of RBD/sleeptalking and lead to interventions that can alter the course of synucleinopathies.
There is something good for occasional sleep talkers in there:
"Based on our study, strong inferences about the causality between frequent ST causes of mortality cannot be made. Additionally, we cannot make any inferences about frequent ST as a risk factor for developing PD. Further studies are needed to distinguish between different types of ST. It is relatively easy to screen for and measure ST with new technology and portable devices; thus, these could be used for more precise phenotyping. It would be interesting to know if ST could be used to distinguish PD and other neurodegenerative disorders from drug-induced extrapyramidal symptoms or essential tremors. We studied ST in patients diagnosed with PD. It is, nevertheless, possible that ST is a prodromal symptom of both PD and idiopathic RBD. If that is the case, it would mean that frequent ST is not just a benign symptom. Conversely, occasional ST (talking while asleep, say, once a month or more rarely) probably lacks clinical significance."
I'm glad of your comment Bolt. I occasionally shout in my sleep , but it seems to be only if I'm quite stressed. Good excuse for more holiday breaks in the countryside !
My husband has had periods of sleep talking which corresponded to supplements, one of which was magnesium l-threonate. Once he stopped taking, the talking went away.
If you talk during your sleep, it can disrupt your deep sleep phase and disturb your sleep pattern. This can potentially worsen PD symptoms and contribute to the development of PD. Additionally sleep talking is often associated with stress, which is believed to be a major trigger for PD.
"Sleep talkers had more non-motor symptoms compared to non-sleep talkers and a higher intake of PD medications..." or is this simply the result of poor sleep quality and stress?
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