PARKINSON'S DISEASE AND OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA LINK

Obstructive Sleep Apnea, OSA, and Sleep Disorder Breathing, SDB, such as SNORING, have been linked to Parkinson's Disease, PD.

In the recent JAMA Neurology article dated November 24, 2025, over 13 million veterans were screened and found significant increases in Parkinson's Disease with veterans who had a history of OSA or SDB.

Let me explain this pathology.

OSA or SDB both cause a hypoxic condition in the brain. This lowering of oxygen causes damage to the brain's neurons, increase inflammation and interfere with the brain's ability to clear out waste, allowing toxic proteins to accumulate. And every time this occurs during sleep you are damaging your brain which can lead to Parkinson's later on.

This study and others have shown that early detection of OSA and SDB and treatment with CPAP or PAP for Central Sleep Apnea, CSA, improves the odds significantly of not getting Parkinson's Disease.

The vast majority of people with OSA or SDB cause this by sleeping on their backs. While approximately 75% of humans sleep on their side, and approximately 25% will spend part of their sleep on their backs, virtually no one sleeps 100% of the time on their backs unless you are forced to wearing a mask or you turn to your back during the night.

Now why do you have OSA or SDB and what is its prevalence?

In the US, approximately 25% of the population have OSA or SDB. That is the same percentage of occasional back sleepers.

And when does OSA or SDB occur? For the vast majority of people diagnosed with OSA or SDB it only occurs when they are sleeping on their backs. Up to 70% and most of these are men. Some have OSA or SDB while on their sides but that is rarer.

Now why do men end up on their backs which causes OBS or SDB, and snoring.

I believe that has to do with using a traditional pillow. Take me for example. I have been a physician for 30 years and have sent countless men and women for sleep studies.

And if I lay on my back long enough, I will snore and wake up choking because I cannot breathe. I am the classic Sleep Disorder Breather, SDB, who's tongue falls back and obstructs my breathing while sleeping on my back.

So why do men roll to their backs?

Because on a traditional pillow, part of our nose is obstructed and it causes us to sleep with an open mouth to breathe. But eventually the brain with lowering oxygen tells us to move, so we go to our backs. This actually makes the problem worse and we either snore or stop breathing all together.

How many wives have nudged their husband and told them to roll over because he is sleeping on his back, snoring or gasping for breath. Rolling over will work for a while until he can't breathe well sleeping on his side with the traditional pillow and his brain tells him to move again, and he rolls to his back once again.

This cycle repeats itself every night for years. No wonder men get more Parkinson's Disease than women.     

So how do you stop this cycle.

I did it with the new pillow I designed, Cleopatra's Pillow. I changed the shape so I did not have anything obstructing my breathing while sleeping on my side. Nothing touches my face now while I sleep. I not only stopped snoring, but I now sleep with my mouth CLOSED. I get plenty of oxygen through my nose and my brain does NOT tell me to move.

Not only that, but I now sleep 1 to 2 hours longer each night. I use to be a 5 1/2 to 6 hours of restless sleep, tossing and turning. I now sleep 7 to 8 hours at least every night. And I no longer end up on my back struggling to breathe.

Cleopatra's Pillow will retrain you to sleep on your side, because that is where you get the most oxygen. During the night, your brain will not tell you to move. And many times, you will wake up in the same position you went to sleep in and you will feel great.

 I no longer have severe fatigue during the day. I feel sharper mentally, and I have more energy.

For those of you who must use CPAP, you must keep using it. But for those of you who only have OSA when you are sleeping on your backs, you need to give this pillow a try.

Go to Cleopatraspillow.com. There is a Thanksgiving and Black Friday sale on now. Each pillow is hand-made in the USA.

God Bless,

Dr. Norman Wood                                                                                                        Inventor of Cleopatra's Pillow