Does Parkinson's cause sleepiness?

I have been a Caregiver for my Mom for many years and I would have to say YES..... Parkinson's does cause sleepiness. She nods off from time to time.

Aside from the parkinson's itself it could be the medication she is on. The drug sinemet (carbidopa-levodopa) really knocks my mother out, usually within a half hour of taking it she will be deeply asleep.

Not sure how the last post (mycoplasma fermentans) relates to my query about sleepiness and Parkinson's?

The best of the private medical community is beginning to catch up with the best of the non-private. I would look up everything on the systemic spread of mycoplasma fermentans (incognitus strain). The tests to find this and the co-infections are cutting edge PCR DNA tests, and mainstream physicians will be very resistant to run any these tests or do the proper protocol. Medical doctors are not taught about mycoplasmas in American medical schools. If money is an issue, just do your best to keep him comfortable. This organism is triggered by age plus co-infection.

Daddy had Parkinson's and one of the diagnostic "tools" they used was the amount of sleep we was having-he went from being a super fit 60 yo man to a man we hardly recognized. Yes, looking back, I think he could have had a much better QOL if we had all been a lot more aware of this horrible disease. He didn't do any medications until he was officially dxed about 10 years after the "symptoms" appeared. The last few months of his life all he did was sleep and we'd try to get some fluids in him. He could not stay awake for an hour at that point. (On another point, unrelated to Parkinson's, my 63 yo hubby cannot stay awake when not actively engaged in SOMETHING very mentally stimulating. He comes home from work and is in bed and sound asleep by 7 pm. Sleeps all weekend, every weekend. HAs done this for years--yet he is considered "healthy" by his GP. Sometimes sleep is a great escape, I don't know.

My mother has slipped into that stage. She wakes up and will stay awake for about an hour at a time...and does fall asleep will eating also. God Bless my beautiful mother. She's bed ridden and can't do anything for herself anymore. I'm very happy that she can sleep most of the time now...she's not suffering. A doctor told me that once they get in this stage that they have about 5 years to live. I hope she doesn't have to live like this for 5 more years...it's very hard on me...but really breaks my heart to see her soooo helpless! She was, and is the best mother a daughter can have!!

My husband's neurologist told him it is part of the disease.

I am going to share what happened with my mom. She has same diagnosis as Chief stated above. For about a month my mom started to sleep more then usual. On Sunday she just didn't want to get out of bed. I called doc on Mobday morning and she said to take her to the ER because it could be a UTI. Doc had been out to house the week before. Hosp felt it was a UTI but while waiting for bloodwork then did a routine cat scan. Sadly, my mom was diagnosed with a brain bleed. She had an aneurism for about 15 yrs which it was decided that it was better left alone . After looking back she slept much more in the month prior to the ER visit then she normally did. It was not a slow progression. My advice: if habits changed suddendly I would get checked out. If they are progressing slowly, I think it is as a result of the disease. Can't hurt to run this by your doctor.

from my experience of 10 years with a wife suffering from Parkinson's I would say yes. She always slept well but slept more in the later years. She did suffer from incontinence and Lew Body Dementia.