Do you struggle with restless nights and early mornings due to Parkinson's? You're not alone! Host Chris Kustanbauter of Live Parkinson's Live an Exceptional Life knows the frustration of counting sheep all night. But here's the good news: there's a natural solution! In this episode, Chris shares his personal journey with Parkinson's and sleep, and explores the science behind how exercise can finally help you catch some Zzz's.
Discover:
Why sleep is crucial for managing Parkinson's symptoms
How exercise promotes deeper, more restorative sleep
The best types of exercise for people with Parkinson's
Tips for staying motivated with your exercise routine
And practical strategies to improve your sleep hygiene
Understand why Parkinson's disrupts sleep
Discover the surprising ways exercise promotes better sleep
Find exercise routines specifically designed for Parkinson's limitations
Overcome common challenges and stay motivated with your exercise program
This episode is a must-listen for anyone with Parkinson's who wants to:
Improve sleep quality naturally
Manage symptoms more effectively
Boost energy levels and overall well-being
Don't miss out! Tune in and take control of your sleep (and your life) with Parkinson's!
Visit Liveparkinsons.com and subscribe to the free Monthly Newsletter as well as get additional FREE Resources to help you live a great quality of life.
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only is not intended to treat or diagnose Parkinson's Disease. Please ensure that you are following the treatment plan developed by your doctor. Please ensure before starting anything new you get approval from your doctor. The information being provided is based on my own personal experiences and does not guarantee that it will benefit everyone.
Do you struggle with restless nights and early mornings due to Parkinson's? You're not alone! Host Chris Kustanbauter of Live Parkinson's Live an Exceptional Life knows the frustration of counting sheep all night. But here's the good news: there's a natural solution! In this episode, Chris shares his personal journey with Parkinson's and sleep, and explores the science behind how exercise can finally help you catch some Zzz's.
Discover:
Why sleep is crucial for managing Parkinson's symptoms
How exercise promotes deeper, more restorative sleep
The best types of exercise for people with Parkinson's
Tips for staying motivated with your exercise routine
And practical strategies to improve your sleep hygiene
Understand why Parkinson's disrupts sleep
Discover the surprising ways exercise promotes better sleep
Find exercise routines specifically designed for Parkinson's limitations
Overcome common challenges and stay motivated with your exercise program
This episode is a must-listen for anyone with Parkinson's who wants to:
Improve sleep quality naturally
Manage symptoms more effectively
Boost energy levels and overall well-being
Don't miss out! Tune in and take control of your sleep (and your life) with Parkinson's!
Visit Liveparkinsons.com and subscribe to the free Monthly Newsletter as well as get additional FREE Resources to help you live a great quality of life.
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only is not intended to treat or diagnose Parkinson's Disease. Please ensure that you are following the treatment plan developed by your doctor. Please ensure before starting anything new you get approval from your doctor. The information being provided is based on my own personal experiences and does not guarantee that it will benefit everyone.
Hello and welcome to Live Parkinson's live an exceptional life. I'm your host, chris Kustenbader, and I've been living an exceptional life with Parkinson's for the past 14 years. The mission of this podcast is to help as many people as possible living with Parkinson's lead a great quality of life. Today's topic is Parkinson's sleepless nights Exercise for better sleep. Naturally, hey everyone, it's Chris Kustenbotter and, like many of you living with Parkinson's, I know the struggle of staring at the ceiling all night, tossing and turning, counting sheep until the cows come home. Except the cows never seem to come home. But here's the thing I'm not just someone trying to give you advice like a self-proclaimed expert. I've been battling Parkinson's for the past 14 years and those sleepless nights were starting to take a toll. That's why I decided to take matters into my own hands and explore some natural solutions. And guess what? There is actually some surprising science behind how exercise can finally help us catch some of those much-needed Zs. So if you're ready to ditch counting sheep and trade it in for sweeter dreams, then stick around. Now, in this episode, we're going to explore how exercise can be your secret weapon for a better night's sleep.
Speaker 1:
Naturally, if you've listened to some of my other podcasts, particularly the ones I did on overcoming sleep challenges. You're probably aware that I've shared my struggles with sleep since I've been living with Parkinson's. My particular problem isn't falling asleep. I do that pretty easily, probably due to lack of sleep and being exhausted by the end of the day. No, my issues are more threefold. First, I have sleep apnea and need to use a CPAP machine to help me sleep well. Second, I wake up multiple times during the night to use the restroom or just to stare at the ceiling for a while, and then finally I wake up at what I affectionately like to call O-Dark 30, which is usually right around 3 am. So no matter what time I go to bed, there I am, at 3 am wide awake. So out of bed I go and off to do some other things. Now does my story sound familiar? Do you have struggles with sleep due to your Parkinson's? Then hopefully, this podcast will give you the tools and knowledge you need to get a better night's sleep, especially sleep, naturally. Now, believe me, I've tried several sleep medications prescribed by my doctor that were short-lived, because they caused what I call freaky dreams or some other unwanted side effects. So my doctor instructed me to stop using them All right, so let's talk about what we'll be discussing in this podcast.
Speaker 1:
I'll discuss the importance of sleep for overall health and well-being, especially for those living with Parkinson's, and how exercise can be a potential solution for sleep problems. Then we'll get into the meat and potatoes of the podcast and discuss the four different segments. We'll start with the science behind sleep and Parkinson's, where I'll cover the different stages of sleep and their importance and discuss how Parkinson's affects sleep regulation in the brain. And I'll briefly touch on some of the other common sleep disorders, like REM sleep behavior disorder or RBD, restless leg syndrome and sleep apnea. Since I've already covered these in another podcast, I'm just going to give you a brief overview. Then we'll move into the power of exercise for sleep improvement, where I'll cover the physiological benefits of exercise, particularly looking at fatigue, fatigue reduction, improved mood and some other benefits that exercise can provide us with people living with Parkinson's. And then we'll talk about the different types of exercise for Parkinson's. We'll look at aerobic exercise, strength training and some other things that some other types of exercise that can really provide a benefit. Then we'll move into exercise tips for better sleep, where we'll look at the optimal timing for exercise. We'll talk about warm-up and cool-down routines and then talking about stretching and relaxation's role in sleep. And finally, we'll talk about staying motivated with exercise, which is difficult for a lot of us, and that way we can achieve maximum benefits for sleep. Oh, by the way, also share a success story or two from others living with Parkinson's who have used the power of exercise to help improve their sleep quality. So if you're ready, let's dive in and start off with why sleep is so important to your overall health, especially with Parkinson's.
Speaker 1:
Now let's look at why sleep is so important to your overall health. First, it provides physical restoration for our bodies. During sleep, our bodies repair tissues, strengthens muscles and boost our immune system to help fight off illness. Sleep is also a challenge for our cognitive functioning for memory consolidation, learning and concentration. Poor sleep can lead to difficulty thinking clearly, making decisions and focusing. Ah, so that's why I've been having difficulty thinking and focusing because of lack of sleep. My wife would probably tell you that decision-making is just a deficiency of mine.
Speaker 1:
Well, sleep's also involved in emotional regulation, as most of you probably know. Sleep deprivation can exacerbate emotional swings like anxiety and depression. I know most of us probably get irritable when we're very tired or become anxious when we don't get enough sleep. Good sleep helps regulate our mood and promote emotional stability. Our mood and promote emotional stability. And then hormone regulation Sleep plays a vital role in regulating our hormones that control hunger, metabolism and our energy levels. Now, one of the things I've really struggled with since having Parkinson's is my weight. I've been struggling to lose weight and I believe one of the main reasons is lack of sleep, which can have an impact on two of the hormones involved in hunger ghrelin and leptin, and they control hunger and fullness. So sometimes I eat when I'm not hungry, or I eat very early in the morning, and I think it's because sleep is affecting these hormones. Now, it's not the only reason, but I believe it's a contributing factor.
Speaker 1:
All right, now that we've looked at the general importance of sleep, let's talk about why sleep is so important for people living with Parkinson's. First, getting good quality and quantity sleep can help manage our symptoms. Sleep deprivation can worsen Parkinson's symptoms like tremor, rigidity and slowness. Now I don't know about you, but I know when I'm very tired, my tremors are a lot worse than they are if I get a better night's sleep. So getting enough sleep can help us manage these symptoms. Second, mental health. As I've discussed earlier, sleep deprivation can worsen anxiety and depression, which are common in people with Parkinson's. Now, a good night's sleep helps promote emotional resilience and can help us manage both our anxiety and depression. And then, finally, one that I think most people with Parkinson's worry about, at least in the back of their mind, is cognitive decline, and sleep problems have been linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. So, again, this can be especially worrisome for people with Parkinson's because they're already at higher risk. So, in a nutshell, sleep is very important for our overall health and well-being, but it's very important for people living with Parkinson's.
Speaker 1:
All right, now that we understand the importance of sleep, let's quickly discuss how exercise can be a potential solution for sleep issues. Now I'm only going to briefly touch on it here, because we're going to discuss exercise in a lot more detail later on. But exercise can be a solution for sleep for several reasons. First is physical fatigue. Now you're probably thinking how can physical fatigue be a good thing? Well, I'm glad you asked. Exercises uses stored energies leading to a healthy fatigue, and it's that healthy fatigue that can promote better sleep onset. So it's not fatigue to exhaustion. It's a healthy fatigue from hey, I've used up some of my energy stores, I'm more tired, and that can help promote a better night's sleep. Second, physical activity is a natural stress reliever, which can help you calm your mind and body for full sleep.
Speaker 1:
Exercise can improve your mood because it helps release endorphins, the natural feel-good chemicals that have mood-boosting effects and can help fight off sleep problems caused by anxiety or depression effects, and can help fight off sleep problems caused by anxiety or depression. You might have heard people talk about the runner's high, and that's because they're releasing those endorphins, or the natural feel-good chemicals. Exercise also helps regulate your sleep-wake cycle, or your circadian rhythm. Most of you have probably heard about the circadian rhythm and the circadian rhythm can help us fall asleep faster and help us stay asleep longer. Finally, exercise may promote deeper, more restorative sleep stages, leading us to feel more refreshed when we wake up. Now it is important to note the exact mechanisms aren't fully understood, but the combined effects can have a significant impact on sleep quality for many people.
Speaker 1:
All right, let's turn our attention to the science behind sleep and Parkinson's and start off looking at the different stages of sleep and why they're important. First, let's break it down into non-REM sleep, which has three stages, stage one through three and then we'll talk about REM sleep, for a total of four main sleep stages. It's important to note that each stage plays a crucial role in our overall physical and mental restoration while we're sleeping. Now, non-rem means that you're not in rapid eye movement as part of the sleep cycle. So, as I mentioned, non-REM has three stages and let's go through them and what they do. So stage one, also called NREM1 because it's non-REM. Stage one sleep Now.
Speaker 1:
This is the latest stage of sleep and occurs when you're transitioning from wakefulness to sleep. So in stage one, your muscle activity slows down, your brain waves begin to show a characteristic pattern, but it's real easy to be awakened during NREM 1 stage of sleep, for example. This happens to me quite frequently. In fact, I'll doze off sitting on the couch or reading or watching YouTube videos, and I doze off very easily. But then my wife will say Chris, you're sleeping, go to bed. And I wake up very easily, but sometimes it takes me quite a bit of time to get moving. I guess I'm comfortable and I don't have the motivation to move or the lack of motivation or drive from Parkinson's, whatever it happens to be, but I eventually wander off to bed and then quickly fall asleep, where I start to enter stage two of non-run sleep, and this is characterized by even slower brain waves. This also includes decreased muscle activity at this stage of sleep. Now your heart rate and your breathing slow down even further.
Speaker 1:
The final stage of non-REM sleep, which is stage three, and that's the deepest stage of sleep. It's also known as slow wave sleep. In stage three, your brain waves become very slow and very large. So think if you're in the ocean and you have these big waves coming in, so the crest is really high and then there's a big trough. So that's what we're talking about when we're talking about brain waves and being slow and large. Now this is a stage where the body repairs tissues and strengthens the immune system. It's very difficult to wake someone up during this. You can think of this as deep, restorative sleep.
Speaker 1:
Well, chris, it's nice to know all the stages of non-REM sleep, but why is it really important to you as a listener? Well, that's a great question. Non-rem sleep is needed for, first off, physical restoration, and getting to stage three is crucial for the physical repair and hormone release, and it's essential for muscle and tissue building, physical repair and hormone release, and it's essential for muscle and tissue building. So we want to make sure that we get into stage three, that deep, restorative sleep, so that we're helping our bodies repair itself, to repair muscle and tissue as well. The non-REM sleep also helps with memory consolidation. And what exactly does that mean? Well, nrem sleep helps consolidate memories and convert short-term memories into long-term memories. And then, finally, non-rem sleep is going to help us with our energy regulation. Non-rem sleep helps us to regulate our hormones that control our energy levels, promoting a feeling of well-being when we wake up. So if we can get into the three stages of non-REM sleep, it's really going to provide some benefits to us. All right, let's move on from non-REM into REM sleep.
Speaker 1:
Now a lot of you may have heard of REM sleep, and REM stands for rapid eye movement, and it's during REM sleep that our bodies undergo distinct changes that are associated with several important functions, and we'll be discussing those in just a moment. But first I wanted to share with you some data from an article entitled REM sleep that was at sleepdoctorcom. The article states that it's clear that not getting enough REM sleep can negatively affect the body and the mind. Now, according to the article, the first three stages of non-REM sleep alternate with REM sleep about every 90 to 120 minutes, or about every hour and a half to two hours or so. The body cycles through each stage of sleep around four to six times during the course of the night, so it'll go through those three stages of non-REM sleep and then REM sleep, and then start back at the beginning. Now, the first episode of REM usually starts about 90 minutes after you fall asleep, and then what happens during this stage is your brainwave activity, your vital signs and your eye movement all increase during REM sleep. Now the article goes on to state that during a typical night, 18 to 23 percent of sleep time is spent in REM sleep, so just slightly less than a quarter of the time. And the article goes on to cite a number of changes that our body goes through during REM sleep. First, eye movement. Your eyes tend to move rapidly from side to side during REM sleep. That's hence the term rapid eye movement.
Speaker 1:
Your brain activity in REM sleep is similar to what it is while you're awake. So when you're in REM sleep, your brain activity is similar to if you are awake Dreaming. Dreams can happen during any stage, but are more likely in REM sleep, and dreams in REM sleep may be longer as well as more emotional, vivid and strange. So if you have vivid dreams or you wake up saying I had the strangest dream, more than likely it was probably during REM sleep. Now your breathing can also become faster and irregular. Paralyzed movement. During REM sleep, many muscles in the body become paralyzed and researchers think that this temporary paralysis, which is called muscle atonia, keeps people from acting out their dreams. All right, let's return to some of the distinct changes and important functions that happen during REM sleep. Now the first as I mentioned earlier, there is dreaming. Rem sleep is closely related to or linked with dreaming and is the stage where vivid and bizarre dreams occur Memory consolidation REM sleep plays a critical role in consolidating our memories.
Speaker 1:
And in an article REM sleep what is it and why is it important? On sleepfoundationorg and again I'll put all these links to the resources in the podcast description but they state that during REM sleep, your brain processes new learnings and motor skills from the day, committing them to memory, maintaining others and deciding which ones to delete. So when you're learning new things and new motor skills, when you go to sleep, your brain's going to be able to process those. In addition is emotional processing. Now, according to the article, the brain processes emotions during REM sleep. Dreams, which are more vivid during REM sleep, may be involved in emotional processing.
Speaker 1:
Now the next thing is brain development, and I found this to be very interesting. So, according to the article, researchers hypothesized that REM sleep promotes brain development. Now, since newborn babies spend most of their time in REM sleep, they say, there's evidence is that the animals born with less developed brains, such as human and puppies, spend even more time in REM sleep during infancy than those that are born with more developed brains, like horses and birds. So I thought that was very interesting, that brain development during REM sleep. So how much REM sleep do you need? The article states that we need only an average of about two hours of REM sleep per night. Now I mentioned earlier that during REM sleep, your brain sends signals to relax your muscles, leading to what they call muscle atonia, where your body is paralyzed. So you remain still during REM sleep. Now, according to an article, it's called Isolated Sleep Paralysis Information from moutsinaiorg in New York. They discuss that if you wake suddenly from REM sleep but your body remains in REM mode and can't move. They state that you might feel temporarily paralyzed.
Speaker 1:
Now I want to share my story in the event that any of you experience the same issue. There's been a number of times that I was lying in bed especially if I was lying on my back and I thought I was awake. But I must have been sleeping and I woke up. But when I woke up I was unable to move my arms and legs and I found it very hard to breathe. It was a very scary feeling, because you're laying there in bed, you can't move and you're finding it difficult to breathe and you're thinking, oh my gosh, what's going on here? And then I remember one episode where I was actually calling out to my wife to help me because I felt like I couldn't breathe and I couldn't move and because it came out as like a really light whisper. She thought I was kidding. Luckily, the episodes only last 30 seconds to a minute, but it feels so much longer.
Speaker 1:
Now. I don't know if any of you have experienced it, but the Mount Sinai article states that if this occurs, try some of these waking strategies. Start with small movements in your fingers and toes to try to prompt your body into full consciousness because once it's in full consciousness then the paralysis is going to go away and then try to take deep breaths. If you feel pressure on your chest, focus on taking deep breaths and try to stay calm until you're fully awake and then ask for help. They say consider sharing your experience with someone so they can assist you during these episodes, and the authors state that sleep paralysis isn't physically harmful, but it can be overwhelming and I can speak to that personally. It's a scary feeling. You're laying there with your eyes are open and you're having difficulty breathing and you can't move and you're thinking, oh my gosh, how long is this going to last? What's going on here? And so it's nice to know that there's a name for it and there's some strategies to help you deal with it. But if you do experience sleep paralysis issues, please make sure to let your doctor know. They help me address the problem and it's important to let your doctor know they help me address the problem, and it's important to let your healthcare professional know about any sleep disturbances you're having, whether it's sleep paralysis or any other sleep disturbances.
Speaker 1:
Okay, now that we know the different stages of sleep and their importance, I want to briefly touch on some common sleep disorders and Parkinson's. Essentially, I'm just going to give you a quick description because I did a podcast called Parkinson's and the Sleep Spectrum Demystifying 10 Disruptions and Unlocking a Restful Night's Sleep, where I went into great detail on each one. So if you want more information, go back and listen to that podcast, because I really go into a lot of detail on 10 of the different sleep disruptions. So let's start with REM sleep behavior disorder, or RBD, and some of you may have heard about this, but RBD is a sleep disorder where individuals physically act out their dreams during REM sleep, so they may kick, flail and wail their arms or talk. I remember having a couple of these episodes where I was having a dream and somebody was coming and I would kick in my sleep or punch or whatever it happened to be based on what the dream was. So a lot of times the symptoms include vivid dreams. So if you're having a vivid dream, you may act it out Now.
Speaker 1:
Restless leg syndrome is another one. Now, many of you may have seen commercials on TV about restless leg syndrome. So what is it, restless leg syndrome? It causes an irresistible urge to move your legs and it's often accompanied by uncomfortable sensation. Your legs feel restless. Some people report that their legs are throbbing, some people feel like they've got this crawling sensation and others talk about itching sensations in the legs while they're at rest. So that's what restless leg syndrome is, and there are medications out there. So if you believe you have restless leg syndrome, please make sure you talk to your healthcare professional and they'll be able to help you out with that.
Speaker 1:
Sleep apnea and this involves repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep. Now, this is one I experienced and I mentioned earlier. I use a CPAP machine to help prevent disruptions in my breathing while sleeping. Some of the symptoms include loud snoring, daytime fatigue, morning headaches and irritability. That's how a lot of people come to be diagnosed with. Sleep apnea is either their partner says that they're snoring very loud, or they're falling asleep at work, or have a lot of daytime fatigue because they're not sleeping well, because their body keeps waking them as they go into a deeper sleep. All right, now that we know the different stages of sleep and common sleep disorders, let's briefly discuss how Parkinson's affects sleep regulation in the brain. Parkinson's disrupts sleep regulation in the brain, primarily due to the loss of dopamine-producing neurons or brain cells, which can lead to insomnia and or REM sleep behavior disorder and daytime sleepiness. So it's the loss of the dopamine-producing cells that is going to lead to a lot of these different sleep disorders.
Speaker 1:
Now that we understand the science behind sleep and Parkinson's, let's move on to the power of exercise for sleep improvement and let's start off with some of the physiological benefits of exercise for sleep. Now here's some of the benefits exercise can provide. We talked about the runner's high endorphin release. Exercise triggers the release of endorphins, which can help us reduce stress and pain. So they're the natural feel-good chemicals. Now, according to several articles there was one in Healthlinecom and Psychology Today it's these natural chemicals that promote a sense of well-being and relaxation, contributing to better sleep, reduce daytime sleepiness.
Speaker 1:
Engaging in physical activity helps combat excessive daytime sleepiness, also known as hypersomnia excessive daytime sleepiness, also known as hypersomnia. Now, according to an article Exercising for Better Sleep Five Reasons it Works at Healthlinecom, exercise keeps you more alert during the day and less prone to falling asleep randomly which sometimes is a problem that I have and enhance slow-wave sleep. Vigorous exercise, especially in the evenings, can enhance the day's sleep phases, known as the slow-wave sleep, which we talked about as being stage three. Now, this is important in sleep quality and it's beneficial for rejuvenation and recovery, according to the Healthlinecom Now, fatigue and energy expenditures. During exercise, your body uses up energy stores like glucose and glycogen, and this creates a natural feeling of tiredness. So when your glucose is blood sugar and when you exercise and you burn off all that blood sugar and then it gets into the glycogen, which are the stored energy sources If you start using those, it creates this natural feeling of tiredness and that can make you more prepared for sleep later. Exercise also improves your body's ability to use oxygen, leading to better overall physical health and efficiency, and this can translate into feeling less fatigued throughout the day, and this can translate into feeling less fatigue throughout the day, promoting a stronger desire to sleep at night. So if you're not dozing off and taking naps and falling asleep during the day, it makes it a lot easier for you to fall asleep and stay asleep at night. So exercise can help make you feel less fatigue throughout the day and keep your energy levels up, and that way, by the time it's time for bed, you're tired and ready to go to sleep. And then, finally, overall health or disruption reduction. Exercise can improve your overall health by managing your weight, lowering your blood pressure and improving your cardiovascular health. Now these improvements indirectly contribute to better sleep by reducing the risk of sleep disorders like sleep apnea.
Speaker 1:
All right, now let's talk about some of the different exercises suitable for Parkinson's and some of the unique benefits each one provides. I've done a lot of these exercises and I try to provide my personal perspective. Let's start with everyone's favorite aerobic exercise. Yes, it's designed to get your heart rate and your breathing up. So a lot of times when we say, hey, we're going to do some aerobic exercise, people go oh, so why do we do aerobic exercise? Well, it improves heart health and it's going to increase your stamina, reduce fatigue and it's going to promote better sleep. So if you do aerobic exercise instead of walking up the stairs huffing and puffing, you're going to build your stamina and it's going to make it a lot easier for you to walk upstairs or just go for a walk. In general, and it's also because it reduces fatigue, it's going to help you promote better sleep and sleep better at night. All great things, if I'm not mistaken, right, all right.
Speaker 1:
Examples of aerobic exercise include brisk walking, swimming, cycling, you can do a stationary bike and try to do these at a moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes several times a week. Now I like to walk every day, but I also take a spin class once a week and I swim two to three times a week. So I try to mix up my aerobic activities. And just as a little side story on how aerobic exercise can benefit you, I have two friends in spin class, bob, who's 87, and his wife, pat, who's 84. They take the spin class three times a week Monday, wednesday, friday and they keep up with people in the class, most of whom are in their early 60s and early 70s. So it just goes to show you how exercise can keep you active as you get older.
Speaker 1:
Now let's move on to strength training. Now when I say strength training, this usually makes everyone cringe because they think of the people in the gym lifting the heavy weights and dropping them down on the floor after the rep and you hear the clanking and banging sounds. Clanking and banging sounds Well like the plaintiff's fitness commercial, with the body builder saying I pick things up and put them down. Strength training doesn't have to be like that. You don't have to go in and walk over to the dumbbell rack and pick up these 50 and 75 pound dumbbells. I use lightweights and I just do more repetitions. I'm just looking to keep my muscles toned and keep from losing muscle mass as I age. So strength training does not have to be lifting heavy weights. You can do lighter weights with more repetitions, and you can also even use household items. If you can't get to the gym, people use canned foods. You can use water bottles for doing curls and canned foods for shoulder presses, and then you can even use empty luggage for strength training, for doing squats and things like that, where at least it gives you some type of resistance. Now the benefits for Parkinson's is that it helps build muscle strength and endurance and it's going to help improve your balance and coordination and help you manage your tremors and one of the other benefits that most people don't think about as we age, we a lot of times lose our bone density. We've all heard of osteoporosis. Exercise can help us increase our bone mineral density.
Speaker 1:
Now some examples of strength training. As I mentioned, what I do is I do light weightlifting with free weights, and there's a lot of places. You can either go to the gym or, if you don't want to go to the gym, there's a lot of places that sell one, two and five pound dumbbells relatively inexpensively. You can use those and get a great strength training workout. Use those and get a great strength training workout. You can use resistance bands and also bodyweight exercises are great as well, like lunges and squats. Nobody loves doing them. Nobody says, oh, I love doing squats, or hey, can we go do 20 lunges? I don't hear people doing that very often, but it's a great exercise. Now you want to shoot for two to three sessions a week using proper form, because if you're not using proper form, you can get injured and you don't want to do that. So ask your healthcare professional or a certified personal trainer for help designing a strength training program that's designed to your specific needs.
Speaker 1:
Now, moving on to balance and coordination exercises. I do these every day for about 10 minutes to help me with my balance. Now I've been doing these for several years and really seen a dramatic improvement in my balance. And you do get some great balance workouts by taking Tai Chi and yoga or some of the yoga-type classes, like I mentioned earlier, soul Fusion, and exercises like heel to toe walking or standing on a single leg. Those type of exercises are great for your balance. Now I have a free resource on libparkinsonscom called Nine Balance Exercises to Improve your Balance, if you want to check it out Now. Balance exercises are going to both help improve your balance and help reduce the risk of falls, which, as we know, is a major concern in people with Parkinson's.
Speaker 1:
Then flexibility and stretching they're also very important. I do them every morning because one of the things that helps me do is get moving and helps me reduce the stiffness and rigidity that goes along with Parkinson's. Now, the reason that flexibility and stretching are important is that they improve your range of motion. Now, remember, parkinson's causes everything to want to pull inward, like your chest muscles start to go in, and when they start to go in, it causes the rounding, hunched shoulders that you see. So it's important to maintain that range of motion and it helps reduce stiffness and may alleviate actually some of your pain associated with Parkinson's.
Speaker 1:
Some examples include general yoga stretches, pilates and they can all be modified to your needs as well and daily stretching routine focusing on large muscle groups is another way to get good stretching and flexibility. And, again, ask your healthcare professional for guidance that are focused, based on your specific needs. And then, finally, dancing, you're saying what? What are you talking about? Dancing is another great option because it combines both aerobic exercise with balance and coordination challenges, and it can be a fun social activity. Now, I've got two left feet, so I'm not the greatest dancer, but there are some dance classes that are specifically designed for Parkinson's. But another option you might want to consider is ballroom dancing. It's a great way to help work on your balance and coordination as well.
Speaker 1:
Now, again, it's important to consult your doctor before starting any new exercise program, especially if you have limitations or concerns related to your Parkinson's. Now, one of the things I want to stress and I've talked about this in some of my other podcasts specifically on exercise but remember to select activities that you enjoy so that you stay consistent and get the benefits, because if you don't enjoy it, you're not going to do it. So if you say I'm going to start running or I'm going to cycle three times a week, but you don't enjoy it, you might do it one or two days and then, pretty soon, you're not going to do it because you don't enjoy it. So remember to select those activities that you like to do and do them on a consistent basis and then start slowly and gradually until you build up both your fitness and your endurance. You know a lot of people they want to go to the gym or work out at home and they just want to go crazy right off the beginning and then they're so sore and can barely move that they say this isn't for me and they give it up. So start out gradually and just build into it. So if you want to get into walking, let's say for a national Parkinson's walk and you're just starting out, maybe you walk for 15 minutes for the first week, then the next week you add five more minutes on and then five more minutes on, and then within the month you're walking for 40 to 45 minutes. So start out small and then build up All right.
Speaker 1:
Now let's talk about some exercise tips for better sleep. The first one is timing is key. You want to avoid vigorous exercises close to bedtime. Exercise is going to help promote sleep, but try to avoid strenuous activities two to three hours before you go to bed, because that can stimulate your body and make it harder to fall asleep. So I couldn't go to the gym at eight o'clock and then you know, have a great workout and then come back and then try to go to bed because I'll be wide awake. It's like kind of like driving home and it's dark and you're tired, and then as soon as you go to get in bed, then you're wide awake. I'm sure many of you probably experienced that as well. Also, try to do moderate intensity exercises earlier in the day if possible, if not, at least several hours before hitting the proverbial hay. And then, secondly, find your exercise sweet spot. Try different workout times throughout the day to see what works best for you.
Speaker 1:
Now, I mentioned before that I participate in a program called Momentum for People with Parkinson's and they offer three classes in the afternoon and two in the morning. So Monday, wednesday, friday, the classes are at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and Tuesday, thursday they're in the morning are at two o'clock in the afternoon, and Tuesday, thursday, they're in the morning. And so, because I have most of my energy in the morning, that's when I do attend the momentum classes for people with Parkinson's, because that's when it works best for me. But I also do all my exercise like walking, strength training, boxing, swimming, cycling in the morning because, again, that's when I had the most energy. And then you want to focus on consistency.
Speaker 1:
Now remember, regular exercise is going to be key, because exercise is crucial for helping to reap all the sleep benefits that exercise can provide. So build a routine. Try to schedule your exercise sessions like you would any other important appointment, because it's really going to help you stay consistent and it's going to make exercise a regular part of your life. Now remember you can form a habit in 21 days, so try to be as consistent as possible. Next thing you know it becomes a habit and you're doing it all the time. And then listen to your body. Overdoing exercise can be counterproductive for your sleep. Listen to your body and don't go overboard and exert yourself.
Speaker 1:
You should always feel pleasantly tired after workout, not completely exhausted and fatigued where you can barely get up off the couch or the chair. And then you always want to make sure that you warm up and cool down before and after your workout and you say to yourself well, what's the big deal? Why do I need to warm up and cool down? Well, the warm up is going to help your muscles get ready for exercise and when you cool down, it helps to promote relaxation after exercise and it also helps bring your heart rate down and your breathing back down. So I mean, I've played a lot of sports in my life at a competitive level and we always warmed up and cooled down and that was the reasons why because it's helpful for your joints and muscles to prepare them for the activity and it's helpful for your muscles and joints and to relax those muscles at the end of the workout. Also, try stretching before bed, because it can help reduce muscle tension and stretching also helps promote relaxation.
Speaker 1:
Now here's a final bonus tip Pair your exercise with some sleep hygiene habits. If you combine your exercise with healthy sleep habits, like creating a relaxing bedtime environment, so maybe you like the room really dark and you like it really cool make sure you set up your relaxing bedtime routine and then maintain a consistent sleep schedule. So try to go to bed at the same time and get up at the same time every day, even on the weekends, and, yes, on vacation, every day, even on the weekends, and, yes, on vacation. And try to avoid caffeine and alcohol before bedtime, because they might act as a depressant at first and you fall asleep quickly, but then, well, alcohol, but then it keeps waking you back up and then you all know that caffeine is a stimulant and it's going to make it more difficult for you to fall asleep. Now, combining exercise with sleep hygiene habits is going to help you improve both your sleep quality and quantity, because you're going to reap the benefits of when you exercise and then include those sleep habits.
Speaker 1:
All right, let's move into our last segment, on staying motivated with exercise. Let's start out with the elephant in the room when it comes to exercising with Parkinson's. It's the daily challenges that we all face. All right, let's identify the challenges and then talk about overcoming them. First, reduced mobility and stiffness can make movement difficult and limit our exercise options. Now you may have woken up and have balance problems.
Speaker 1:
When you have balance problems, that can increase the risk of falls and it can make some exercises difficult, or unsafe, for that matter. Fatigue and low energy make it difficult to find the energy and motivation to exercise. And then tremors can interfere with managing pieces of equipment, making some exercises challenging or even dangerous. If you're trying to, if you've got tremors really bad and you're having trouble holding onto dumbbells, you don't want to be doing dumbbell presses over your head, so it can be very challenging. Pain, muscle pain and stiffness can make exercise uncomfortable, causing you not to want to participate. And then, finally, depression and anxiety can decrease your motivation and make it difficult to start your exercise program. So people that are depressed might say, ah, I just don't feel like doing it, and they have some apathy going on there as well. Now remember to start slowly and gradually and increase the intensity. So, like I said, don't go out and go all gangbusters on yourself because you're going to be so stiff and sore in the next couple of days. You're going to say why did I even try to exercise? I'm not doing this again.
Speaker 1:
And then focus on activities that you enjoy. If they're fun and you enjoy doing them, you're going to get the consistency and it's going to help make you stronger and more physically fit. Another thing you can do is work with a physical therapist. I recently just went to physical therapy and they were great. They helped me incorporate some things into my exercise program based on my individual needs. So a physical therapist can create a personalized exercise program designed specifically for your needs and any particular limitations that you may have. They can also show you how to do the exercise safely and effectively.
Speaker 1:
Now you can also modify exercises. You can modify traditional exercises to meet your particular abilities. Now, for example, I told you. I take a soul fusion and barre class. The instructor always discusses the move and then goes into several modifications that you can do, which really helps people like myself participate in the class and complete the exercise.
Speaker 1:
And then focusing on consistency over intensity is more important to regular exercise. It's more important to exercise regularly, even at low intensity, than it is to push yourself too hard and injure yourself and simply get discouraged and quit. So remember, you're going to try to do at least 30 minutes of exercise at a moderate intensity several times a week. So again, to stress this is that it's more important to be consistent than it is to be intense. So try to make sure that you're doing exercises at a moderate activity level, but you don't have to go crazy with it. And then finally find an exercise buddy, because they can both help motivate you and keep you accountable. All right, everyone. That's all the time we have for today's episode.
Speaker 1:
Remember, a good night's sleep is within your reach, even if you're living with Parkinson's Now. If you include regular exercise in your routine, you can naturally improve your sleep quality, boost your mood and manage your symptoms more effectively. Have you found exercise to be helpful for your sleep with Parkinson's? If so, share your tips and other comments so that we can build a supportive community and help each other get the rest that we need. If you could go to fanlistcom, slash liveparkinsonslife and I'll put that in the description and just provide your comments and success story so everybody else can see them and hopefully learn from each other, I'd love to hear from you Now. Remember, parkinson's doesn't have to steal your sleep quality of life. By prioritizing healthy habits like exercise, you can take control and regain those restful nights.
Speaker 1:
Now, before I close, I would just ask that you will visit liveparkinsonscom and sign up for the free monthly newsletter. I try to sock it full of a lot of information that you can use to help you improve your quality of life. There's usually a spotlight topic on exercise, nutrition, motivation and optimism, and social interaction and community. Then I share the latest research and clinical studies that are going on any new approved medications and I also write some blog articles on there. So if you get a chance, check those out, and I would love to hear any comments or suggestions that you might have. There's additional resources on there that can help you in your daily life and on your Parkinson's journey. So thanks again for listening. I really appreciate you taking the time to listen to this podcast and I hope you have a spectacular day. Thanks again.