Scientists discover earlier onset of Parkinson's disease in studies that prove frequent nightmares to be the initial catalysts of the disease. The discovery was revealed after conducting research on 3,818 old men with particular brain functioning for over 12 years.
In the experiment, men experiencing frequent nightmares were twice likely to develop the illness.
"Although it can be beneficial to diagnose Parkinson's disease early, there are very few risk indicators and many of these require expensive hospital tests or are very common and non-specific, such as diabetes," said Abidemi Otaiku, neurologist of Birmingham university.
By affecting the central nervous system, Parkinson's disease distorts movement causing tremors due to a fall in dopamine levels.
The disease is recognized only after the dopamine-releasing neurons destroy from 60 to 80 per cent.
Deconstructing the pattern of the dreams helps in the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease said EClinicalMedicine in their published study.
Rapid eye movement sleep patterns and associated disorders are prominent in adults with the disease.
According to a recent study, men are more likely to get frequent nightmares as a symptom.
Although there is no proper cure for the illness in medicine so far, early diagnosis can initiate treatments like physiotherapy and medication that helps in preventing its severity.