Objective: To assess the prevalence of nocturnal hypokinesia among people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and its impact on the quality of life of these patients.
Background: Nocturnal motor symptoms are common in PD and contribute significantly to sleep disturbances and reduced quality of life (QoL). Nocturnal hypokinesia (characterized by difficulties in turning in bed or moving during sleep) represents a frequent, but often underrecognized nighttime motor symptom in PD.
Method: Cross-sectional study in which 131 consecutive PD patients were enrolled. All participants completed standardized clinical scales and questionnaires, including the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), the Parkinson’s Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), the Parkinson’s Disease Sleep Scale – version 2 (PDSS-2), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Based on the responses to item 9 of PDSS-2 (“Did you feel uncomfortable at night because you were unable to turn around in bed or move due to immobility?”), patients were classified into two groups: with and without nocturnal hypokinesia.
Results: Nocturnal hypokinesia was reported by 97 patients (74.04%). There were no statistically significant differences between groups regarding age at disease onset or assessment, disease duration, sex, Hoehn & Yahr stage, and levodopa equivalent daily dose (LEDD). PD patients with nocturnal hypokinesia had significantly higher scores of the PDSS-2 scale (27.14 ± 9.61 vs. 13.76 ± 8.44, p < 0.001) and PSQI scale (10.42 ± 4.84 vs. 6.50 ± 4.22, p < 0.001), compared with those without hypokinesia. QoL was also impaired in PD patients with nocturnal hypokinesia, as suggested by higher total PDQ-39 scores and higher PDQ-39 subscores regarding mobility, activities of daily living, emotional well-being, cognition, communication, and bodily discomfort (all p<0.001).
Conclusion: Nocturnal hypokinesia is highly prevalent in PD patients and is strongly associated with worse sleep quality and reduced QoL. Nocturnal motor symptoms should be systematically assessed in clinical practice and managed accordingly, once identified.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
I. Murasan, S. Diaconu, R. Ilea, R. Chiujdea, D. Batrinu, C. Falup-Pecurariu. Nocturnal hypokinesia in Parkinson’s disease: impact on sleep and quality of life [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2026; 41 (suppl 1). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/nocturnal-hypokinesia-in-parkinsons-disease-impact-on-sleep-and-quality-of-life/. Accessed October 1, 2026.« Back to 2026 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/nocturnal-hypokinesia-in-parkinsons-disease-impact-on-sleep-and-quality-of-life/