It would appear that I am getting an early start to World Parkinson’s Day (WPD) as it is 2:38am and I am wide awake! You are wondering if maybe I’m just so super excited about WPD that I’m unable to sleep? Nope. Sadly, sleep disturbances are just another weapon that Parkinson’s Disease keeps in it’s arsenal of things to mess us up.

With little else to do at this hour, writing seemed an appropriate task. And as this day of PD acknowledgment approached, I’ve had a collection of thoughts about how to mark the day. I think this is it;

WPD commemorates the birthday of Dr. James Parkinson, who first identified the condition in 1817.

Happy Birthday Dr. Parkinson. And thank you for giving your time, and name, to the disease that is shared by so many. The gift that seems to keep on giving. In 2021, 11.77 million people worldwide had Parkinson’s disease and projections suggest this number could potentially reach 25.2 million by 2050 (1).

In 1997, Parkinson’s Europe and the World Health Organization established World Parkinson’s Day. The purpose is to raise awareness about Parkinson’s disease, advocate for better care, and spur research. 

So here’s my sleepy contribution this year:

1. Awareness: At the moment, sleep is a problem. This could be from pain, vivid nightmares, REM sleep disorder, stomach upset, restless leg syndrome, tremor, or insomnia (these are all part of the PD all-inclusive package). Every night is a different scene.
2. Advocate: I’m finishing up this post at 4:22am. I share my mess because I am 1 in 12 million. We need better treatment. We need a cure.
3. Research: Thank you to all those who take on PD for their research. Keep going. Talk to us, the people with the disease. Researchers could hold the key.

**At the end of the day (or the beginning of the day…or the middle of the night…), there is always a silver lining: A benefit to sleeplessness is the opportunity to be up to watch the sunrise!

(1) Luo Y, Qiao L, Li M, Wen X, Zhang W and Li X (2025) Global, regional, national epidemiology and trends of Parkinson’s disease from 1990 to 2021: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Front. Aging Neurosci. 16:1498756. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1498756