At least a half million people in the United States suffer from Parkinson’s disease, the condition best known in the popular imagination as the cause of the persistent muscle tremors affecting actress Katherine Hepburn for the latter part of her life.

Not surprisingly, such a condition often interferes with a victim’s ability to sleep. And so, with Americans living longer than ever (Parkinson’s rarely strikes anyone under the age of 50) and an estimated 50,000 new diagnoses every year, the 36th most populous city in the United States is a perfectly good place to offer a seminar on sleep disorders caused by Parkinson’s and how to manage them.

“We often put sleep last when it comes to our health, but it has a great impact on our lives,” says Tamera Godfrey, the registered polysomnographic and sleep technologist at the MemorialCare Sleep Disorder Center at Long Beach Memorial. “[…] I am going to discuss sleep problems that affect PD patients, and offer some suggestions to get a better night’s sleep. We will be addressing difficulty falling to sleep, staying asleep, movement issues at night, parasomnias that occur (such as nightmares and Periodic Limb Movement Disorder (PLMD)), and other factors, like Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Restless Legs,’ and Insomnia.”

The seminar will also cover more general issues that affect everyone’s sleep.

“We will discuss the circadian rhythm that acts as a time-keeping mechanism in our brains (a clock) and how important it is to stay on a schedule and help our bodies get more sleep,” she says. “[…] The light-dark cycle is the strongest external parameter affecting this clock. It is important to be in light during the day, and dark during the night. Otherwise, we can have severe problems with maintaining sleep.”

The Parkinson’s sleep seminar will be held Wednesday, November 14, from 10AM to 11AM at Long Beach Memorial (2801 Atlantic Ave, LB 90806). The seminar is free, but registration is required. To register, call 714.378.5022.