Objective: To comprehensively evaluate the association between various sleep disorders and the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease.

Background: Sleep disturbances are increasingly recognized as important non-motor manifestations of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and may precede its clinical onset. Several sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), insomnia, and altered sleep duration, have been proposed as potential risk factors for PD. However, findings across different studies remain inconsistent. Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to synthesize the available evidence on the association between sleep disorders and the risk of PD.

Method: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library was performed from database inception to March 2026. We included observational and epidemiological studies that assessed the risk of PD in individuals with sleep disorders, including OSA, RBD, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, short or long sleep duration, and snoring. Studies were eligible if they clearly defined both the sleep disorder and the diagnosis of PD. Pooled effect estimates were calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis, and results were reported as relative risks (RRs) with corresponding confidence intervals (CI).

Results: Eighteen studies were included in our analysis. A significant association was observed between OSA and PD, with a pooled RR of 1.31 (95% CI: 1.12–1.53; p = 0.0007). In contrast, no significant associations were found for RBD or insomnia, with pooled RRs of 1.94 (95% CI: 0.52–7.27; p = 0.32) and 1.05 (95% CI: 0.91–1.21; p = 0.47), respectively. Similarly, daytime sleepiness, short sleep duration, and snoring were not significantly associated with PD risk, with RRs of 1.17 (95% CI: 0.94–1.45; p = 0.16), 1.01 (95% CI: 1.00–1.02; p = 0.07), and 1.24 (95% CI: 0.99–1.56; p = 0.06), respectively. In contrast, prolonged sleep duration was significantly associated with an increased risk of PD, with a pooled RR of 1.26 (95% CI: 1.16–1.36; p < 0.001).

Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that OSA and prolonged sleep duration are associated with an increased risk of PD, while other sleep disturbances showed no significant associations. These findings highlight the potential role of specific sleep disorders as early modifiable risk factors for PD and warrant further large-scale prospective studies.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/sleep-disorders-and-risk-of-parkinsons-disease-a-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis/