How stress and mindfulness could impact Parkinson’s disease symptoms

High levels of stress are associated with worse Parkinson’s disease symptoms – but mindfulness could help manage them, a new survey has suggested.

As part of the study, researchers in the Netherlands and the US analysed the results of a survey sent out through the Fox Insight cohort. Of the 5,000 people with Parkinson’s who responded, nearly 82% said stress worsened tremor, and patients also reported an impact on symptoms such as sleeping problems, depression and involuntary movement. However, those who practised mindfulness perceived a positive effect on symptoms – with nearly 86% of them recommending mindfulness to others with the condition.

The study authors concluded: “Our findings show that stress is an important topic for Parkinson’s disease patients, that it has a considerable and detrimental influence on quality of life and on symptom severity, but that it is also potentially amendable to interventions aimed at reducing stress.”

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