[Sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease].

Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the central nervous system. Degeneration of the dopaminergic neurons is the main cause of the disease. The basic symptoms of Parkinson's disease are bradykinesia, rigidity and resting tremor. Disturbances of the autonomous nervous system, depression, dementia and sleep disorders are common, too. People with Parkinson's disease suffer from insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, "sleep attacks", nightmares, REM sleep behaviour disorder, periodic limb movement in sleep, restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea syndrome. The main cause of sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease are age-connected changes in sleep architecture, disturbances of neurotransmission, movement disturbances in sleep, medications and concomitant diseases. The authors present the current state of knowledge on sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease, especially, the role of dopaminergic therapy, methods of diagnostics and treatment as well as the influence of sleep disturbances on patient's quality of life.