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New research offers Parkinson's patients haunted by violent dreams a glimmer of hope through supplementing sleep-regulating brain chemicals depleted by their medications.
A new study found that an over-the-counter supplement may safely reduce unpleasant “acting out” dream behaviors in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD).1
Many PD drugs act as stimulants that disrupt normal REM sleep, where most vivid dreaming occurs.2 This can cause REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) - a condition where patients physically act out aggressive or defensive movements in response to disturbing dreams.3
Current RBD treatments have had limited success in PD patients,4 or carry risks like daytime drowsiness with benzodiazepines.5 Now, Italian researchers found that taking 50mg daily of 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) - a compound naturally produced from tryptophan in the diet - led to improvements in dream stability in 16 PD patients prone to unpleasant dream enactments.6
Although adding 5-HTP didn’t significantly reduce RBD episodes, patients reported less intense, disturbing dreams during 5-HTP treatment periods. Their stability of sleep also slightly improved versus placebo.7 5-HTP is transformed into serotonin and melatonin in the body - brain chemicals important for healthy sleep-wake cycles.8 Study authors speculate 5-HTP may improve RBD by increasing these hormones.
Indeed, past research found melatonin helped reduce RBD severity for those taking Parkinson’s medications.9 The authors suggest combining 5-HTP with higher nightly melatonin supplementation may lead to further dream behavior improvements for PD patients.
While more research is still needed, this preliminary study suggests supplementing 5-HTP could provide a safe, accessible way for Parkinson’s patients to achieve more restful sleep without disturbing dreams.
For more information on natural approaches for Parkinson's disease visit our extensive database on the subject with almost 1,000 studies relevant to two hundred natural substances researched as possible therapeutic agents.
Visit our 5-HTP database for more research on its potential applications in other conditions.
References:
- Meloni M, Figorilli M, Carta M et al. Preliminary finding of a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 5-hydroxytryptophan on REM sleep behavior disorder in Parkinson’s disease. Sleep Breath. 2021. doi:10.1007/s11325-021-02417-w.
- Joy SP, Sinha S, Pal PK. Serial macro-architectural alterations with levodopa in Parkinson's disease: polysomnography (PSG)-based analysis. Ann Indian Acad Neurol. 2015;18(Suppl 1):S58-S62. doi:10.4103/0972-2327.160102
- Aurora RN, Zak RS, Maganti RK, et al. Best practice guide for the treatment of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). J Clin Sleep Med. 2010;6(1):85-95.
- Shin C, Park H, Lee W-W, Jeon B. Clonazepam for Probable REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial. J Neurol Sci. 2019;401:81-86. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2019.04.029
- Guilleminault C, Cathala JP, Castaigne P. Effects of 5-hydroxytryptophan on sleep of a patient with a brain-stem lesion. Electroencephalogr Clin Neurophysiol. 1973;34(1):51-54. doi:10.1016/0013-4694(73)90045-x
- Meloni et al. 2021.
- Meloni et al. 2021.
- Huether G, Poeggeler B, Adler L, Rüther E. Effects of indirectly acting 5-HT receptor agonists on circulating melatonin levels in rats. Eur J Pharmacol. 1993;232(2-3):179-185. doi:10.1016/0014-2999(93)90854-b
- Kunz D, Mahlberg R. A two-part, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of exogenous melatonin in REM sleep behaviour disorder. J Sleep Res. 2010;19(4):591-596. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2869.2010.00848.x
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