Exercise to Improve Sleep in Parkinson's Disease

This study is looking for men and women, aged 40 and older, who have mild to moderate Parkinson's disease. You'd need to have had stable doses of your Parkinson's medication for at least a month before joining. A key part of being eligible is experiencing poor sleep or having sleep problems that bother you.

There are certain reasons why you might not be able to join. For example, if you have other serious neurological conditions like dementia or a history of stroke, or if you have severe untreated sleep apnea. You also can't take part if you have certain mental health conditions, severe bone thinning (osteoporosis), or if your doctor advises against exercise for any reason. If you're already very active, doing more than 2.5 hours of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week, or doing strength training at least twice a week, this study might not be suitable as it focuses on starting a new exercise program.

If you decide to take part, you'll first have some assessments to get a baseline picture of your health, sleep, and physical abilities. After these initial checks, you'll be randomly put into one of four groups: a cardiovascular exercise group, a resistance exercise group, a group doing both, or a group that doesn't exercise during the study period (they'll be on a waiting list). You won't get to choose which group you're in.

If you're in an exercise group, you'll exercise three times a week for 12 weeks. The trainers will track your attendance and how you're responding to the exercises. You'll have follow-up assessments right after the 12 weeks of exercise and again 8 weeks later. These assessments are important to see how your sleep and overall well-being have changed over time. The entire study period, including follow-up, will last about 20 weeks.