Wriggling in your sleep and 3 other surprising early signs of Parkinson’s disease

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FOR some people, a Parkinson's diagnosis can seem like a bolt out of the blue.

But new research suggests that early signs of changes in the brain may have been there way before.

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When we think of Parkinson's sufferers, many of us think of shuffling, elderly people who shake.

But there's a way to go before the tremours kick in.

We reported earlier this month on Shaun Slicker, who was diagnosed at just 20 after noticing his foot twitching while watching TV.

He put his sporadic twitches down to being hungover - but they were actually early signs that he was suffering from Parkinson's.

So, the disease can start to manifest itself at any age and in a number of ways.

Millions of Brits can't even name one symptom of the disease, with a recent study revealing that 64 per cent of people wrongly assuming those with early-onset Parkinson's can't look after themselves.

But you can tell early on if you're going to succumb to it.

Writing for , Professors Patrick Lewis and Alastair Noyce say that we should be on the lookout for four seemingly-innocent, everyday signs...

1. Loss of sense of smell

A common recollection by people who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s is that they remember changes in their sense of smell several years before developing any tremor or other movement problems.

But many people might not even recognise that their sense of smell is bad.

It is only when tested that we see that up to 90 per cent of people living with Parkinson’s have lost their sense of smell.

2. Restless nights

There is a connection between changes in sleep patterns called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder and the risk of developing Parkinson’s.

REM sleep behaviour disorder, or RBD for short, is more than simply experiencing a restless night.

People with RBD act out their dreams, sometimes moving violently in their sleep, to the extent that they can even injure themselves, but with often no recollection of their actions.

RBD is rare and can only be diagnosed with a special sleep study, but most people who develop RBD will develop Parkinson’s disease or a similar condition within a decade.

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3. Constipation

Problems with digestion and bowel movements are a big problem for people with Parkinson’s, and we now know that these problems can start long before the tremor and problems with movement that lead to someone being referred to a neurologist.

As for most of these early symptoms, people can develop constipation for lots of different reasons, but it is clear that people living with Parkinson’s have problems with bowel movements.

Constipation may, in fact, be one of the very earliest features, occurring up to 20 years before Parkinson’s is diagnosed.

4. Anxiety and depression

Feeling anxious or depressed, above and beyond the normal ups and downs of daily life, is one of the biggest problems that people with Parkinson’s report – sometimes noting it as even more of a problem than changes in movement.

We think that this is due to changes in the balance of chemical activity in the brain and that these changes start up to ten years before people are diagnosed with Parkinson’s.

It is important to remember that there lots of reasons why anyone, or combination, of these changes might happen.

And even if you have all of them, it does not mean that you will certainly develop Parkinson’s.

But there is good evidence that most people who are diagnosed with Parkinson’s have experienced some or all of these.

Scientists are currently looking for people to take part in research aimed at finding people at risk of Parkinson's.

That will hopefully lead to them finding preventions or cures.

If you're keen to take part, visit the .

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