The Importance of 1) sleep, 2) exercise type, and 3) time of day: imperative to understand the correlation to minimize motor dysfunctions.

[sharoncrayn]

Preamble:

I’m not a physician; I’m just a stupid PhD. biochemist (see my profile). I don’t answer medical prescription type questions. I have no idea who you are, nor should I know, nor do I want to know.

I am NOT a PWO/PD/ALS person who is on a journey with this type of neurodegenerative affliction, nor am I a care giver of someone afflicted. I do coordinate 2 PD support groups, etc. but I don’t consider that patient care.

As some of you know, I am not “sugar and sweetness”. If you want that type of post, you probably want to stop reading now and buy a candy bar.

None of the ideas expressed in this post are original. Most come from my experience as an elite middle distance runner (800/1600 meters) over many years. Therefore, I am biased towards what worked for me during that period which meant Gerschler’s training methodology, etc. but I also incorporated multiple concepts from multiple disciplines, multiple sources.

I am presenting a general road map. It does not fit everyone. Perhaps very few. Figure out what works for you, but evaluate it if it does or doesn’t. Do so objectively with specifics. No specifics? You are kidding yourself.

No citations. If you want them, do your own homework.

The Importance of 1) sleep, 2) exercise type, and 3) time of day: imperative to understand the correlation to minimize muscular and motor function degradation due to PD

Sleep, sound, deep REM sleep is imperative for stabilizing or minimizing PD’s debilitating impact on one’s overall health.. Contrary to most drug protocols provided by physicians, it is more important than all your drugs, diet or exercise combined. But, an important correlation(s) exists across certain specific variables, especially sleep, time of day, and exercise which should be understood and employed.

Here is what most PD patients need to understand IMO as I have relayed to my 2 support groups.

#1 Be consistent in your time of going to bed, preferably around 10 PM because REM, melatonin release, and human growth hormone release is most prevalent in your sleep cycles (plural) between 10 PM and 2 AM.

#2 Turn off your infamous blue light sources (TV/computer/smart phone, etc.) 1-2 hours before going to sleep (a minimum of 30 minutes for those who are addicted) and sleep in complete, total darkness. Absolutely no light (buy some night eye wear; wear your blue blocker eye wear before bed, etc.). I am not talking about natural sunlight during day; just the reverse for natural sunlight.

#3 Reduce your room temperature to somewhere between 64-68 degrees F depending on your partner’s ability to sleep in a lower temperature (buy yourself a “cooling” pad; electric blanket for them, etc).

#4 Coffee and caffeine? NO way except in the AM well before noon and in moderation. As an elite middle distance runner I was always a “virgin” when it came to coffee/caffeine except on race day about 2-3 hours before my race(s). But, since the half life of caffeine in a 150-200 mg cup is about 6-9 hours, longer if stronger like a Starbucks 20 oz. cup, you can’t afford to drink it after 10 AM and not expect it not to disturb your sleep patterns “chemically”. Stay away from it.

#5 First things first upon awakening: start your exercise routine preferably in the morning shortly after you awake. This time period is the “ideal” period regardless of what you think your biorhythm is or is not.

#6 Type of exercise upon awakening? Stay away from mind numbing marathon workouts to hypothetically jack up your endorphins. Keep things extremely short but intense relative to your fitness level or lack thereof. Relativity is the key here.

What do I mean by extremely short? I obviously do NOT advocate slogging through mile after mile or hour after hour as some think as necessary. I strongly recommend HIT “intervals” where you exercise at your highest level of intensity or speed for 20-30 seconds followed by a 10-15 second rest period. Rinse and repeat for up to 5 minutes maximum. A spin bike with a cadence counter or treadmill with a complete readout will give you ideal feedback. If you prefer, do a short hill or upgrade sprint...or do a John Pepper fast walk with vigorous swinging of your arms, but do it as fast as possible.

KEEP YOUR SPEED UP AS HIGH AS YOU CAN HANDLE. On a spin bike, this means your cadence goal is somewhere between 90-110 consistently on every short repetition. Running? Sprint as fast as you can without injury and swing those arms vigorously. Walking? Speed walk with arm swings.

#6 Keep a journal of your adherence to a routine of sleep and exercise. Write in down in your own handwriting if you can. Review it to maintain consistency. One building block at a time does the trick.

[MBAnderson]

NEWS FLASH! sharon is not, "... Sugar and sweetness..." Thanks for telling us. We never would've guessed.

Nevertheless, you give good advice.

I think you're fibbing. I think down underneath all that gruff exterior resides a pretty nice person.

[jimcaster in reply to MBAnderson]

I agree.

[sharoncrayn]

I didn't mean to gloss over other factors, such a the importance of early morning (upon awakening) hydration with high quality water. Anyone who runs seriously knows how important it is to hydrate with water (no, no...not Gatorade) BEFORE you run. Doing it after you have completed your run isn't as effective.

How much? Drink until you need to relieve yourself has always been my yardstick.

Why the importance? Because being consistently "under hydrated" can easily lead to DNA damage in your neurotransmitter complex. A big, big welcome mat for PD which is simply a measure of your disequilibrium.

[jeffreyn]

"... up to 5 minutes maximum"

Is that a typo? If not, then it is the shortest HIIT session I have ever heard of.

[sharoncrayn in reply to jeffreyn]

Jeff:

It isn't a typo. It is a "wake-up" to enhance the firing efficiency of your neurons...as your hydration of 20-30 ounces of quality water is a "wake-up" to your aquaporins.

Time to wake up. You have been hibernating.

It is all about context.

[jeffreyn in reply to sharoncrayn]

Thanks for the clarification.

However, I just can't imagine that your 5 minute HIIT session could be a replacement for my current 40 mins of high-cadence cycling.

I think I'll try doing both.

[ConnieD in reply to sharoncrayn]

This may be a dumb question but what would you consider a good quality water? Is there a bottle water you would recommend as opposed to tap water? Thank you for all this very helpful information! Connie

[sharoncrayn in reply to ConnieD]

Difficult to answer without knowing a whole lot more, but in general...

#1 Glass rather than plastic, always, avoid especially the thin plastic.

#2 Mountain Valley in glass is probably the best, definitely, but expensive.

#3 Stay away from so-called "purified" bottled water and sports drinks. Many are of questionable quality, some not any better than tap water. Ditto soft drinks.

#4 Most high quality supermarkets and health food stores in the US have water purification machines. Some of these machines are extremely good. Find one that states it removes chlorine and fluoride, (at a minimum) and possibly uses reverse osmosis (RO), etc. Fill your gallon jugs (or 5 gallon) and transfer it to glass when you get home (extra large Ball glass jars with plastic lids work well).

#5 If you live out in "nowhere", just buy "distilled" water at your local supermarket in gallon jugs for $1 and transfer it to glass. All the junk, everything, is removed in the distillation process (assuming it is actually distilled).

#6 Don't put plastic water anywhere near high heat or the sun. The water becomes something different, and it isn't good.

#7 Some "home" filters are reasonably good at removing pathogens, chlorine, and fluoride, but not all the other stuff in the tap water. Avoid filters that "doctor" the water.

Hope this helps.

S

[sharoncrayn in reply to sharoncrayn]

Stainless steel water bottles or cups are fine for your final transfer. YETI was the original and still is IMO... the yardstick. UP to a gallon (somewhat expensive)

[ConnieD in reply to sharoncrayn]

Yes I’ve heard of yeti, good to know. From your knowledge and work with PWP what supplements do your group members seem to find helpful if any, as well as diet. Your group members are fortunate to have you! As someone who has had PD for 8 yrs I’m curious if you’ve seen people improve when they start implementing all the things involved in living healthy exercise, diet, sleep etc.

[sharoncrayn in reply to ConnieD]

If you are talking about specific measurements, like the UPDRS scale for PD or the "tapping" theory to measure one's on-off, I am not a physician so I don't get involved from that perspective.

Frankly, most of the individuals in the support groups I coordinate are not health conscious. Most of them, like most on this forum, are more involved with their drug protocols.

In my final analysis, it is extremely difficult to prevent PD deterioration unless you bring everything together as a "whole".

Easier said than done.

[ConnieD in reply to sharoncrayn]

I understand thank you

[ConnieD in reply to sharoncrayn]

Thank you Sharon extremely informative!!! Very appreciated 😊

[WinnieThePoo]

The advice sounds reasonable, but you offer no references to studies which support your ideas.

[sharoncrayn in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Winnie:

You have plenty of time do your own research if you feel the need to do so. These are my opinions; I wasn't conducting a clinical trial.

If I did present a list of the citations, I would spend most of my day doing it and wondering if anyone even read the study or CT, let alone the abstract.

I just don't have the time. Sorry.

[AaronS]

I've started going to the gym in the morning instead of the arvo I mix weights at different intensity thru the week I warm up with some basket ball do weights and end on cardio.

This I have changed in the last 2 weeks, and you are dead right.

I get natural dopamine boosts and when I take medication thru the day I have no obvious 'off times, I actually don't notice the tabs wearing of as much.

The only thing I would add to what your saying is everyone mentions running and cardiovascular type workouts, good yes but just as the only type of activities....no!

Based on my personal experience weights done safely are easily as effective in a shorter amount of time due to the demands on your body whilst undergoing the activity, giving the same benefits as a big run as far as Parkinson's management is concerned

[sharoncrayn in reply to AaronS]

I was trying to emphasize the importance of speed in your workouts due to the impact on assisting your neurons in "firing". The more you can improve the "firing" process, the better. If you can incorporate speed into lifting, fine. As an example, do some flip snatches in sets working on the speed, not the amount of weight.

Just my perspective.

[JohnPepper]

Thanks for the plug!

Your'e a man after my own heart.

I will change my routine in the morning and will cut out the afternoon teas. Otherwise we are on the same warpath.

[Southernladyla]

Love hearing straightforward information!!! Thank you!! ❤️

[Dana51]

Very well written. Can I please have permission to list the points section on my FB page “Proactive with Parkinson’s”. I’m always looking for positive posts.

[sharoncrayn in reply to Dana51]

I would appreciate it if you did not. Sorry.

[Gioc]

I thank Sharon for this post that I find very useful and well written, like a manual read and do. These are very useful things for us parkinson's patients. only request if you can limit in future the acronyms to the bare minimum this would facilitate my understanding.

[sharoncrayn in reply to Gioc]

REM sleep = refers to the rapid eye movement sleep cycle among the 4 (now combined) basic sleep cycles., but sometimes is referred to as stage 5 due to dreaming.

Usually within 60 minutes of falling asleep. Multiple mini stages within REM. If possible, your goal is to increase REM as a % of your total sleep. REM is NOT slow-wave deep sleep (non_REM or NREM).

IMO = in my opinion

CT = clinical trial

HIT (or HIIT) = high intensity interval training where high speed, intense exercise is interspersed with deliberate rest pauses.

DNA = Deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule, hereditary, often times referred to in the context of DNA stands. Some DNA resides in your mitochondria, not so surprisingly. Extremely critical in understanding the process of neurodegenerative diseases.

[Gioc in reply to sharoncrayn]

Many thank Sharon!🙏

[reedboat2]

Excellent iteration of sleep protocol. Very important. Thanks- JG

[Kwinholt]

Thank you for your insight and experiences . I agree the importance of the “good sleep “ and I am up at 4:15 before work to exercise and begin my day . And a few days a week I also exercise in the early evening and helps when it’s time for that good sleep. And I also am a firm believer of good nutrition and hydration . Thank you for sharing your routine . 😊 Karen