Every person will have different experiences with this symptom, but most people describe a sudden, overwhelming urge to lie down and sleep. While this doesn’t pose much of a danger when you are at home, it can mean the difference between life and death if you are operating a vehicle.
A team of physicians from Austria studied sleep attacks in Parkinson's disease, and published their findings in the journal BMJ. Sleep attacks are often severe, resulting in a sudden and uncontrolable desire to nap.
Most experts believe that this symptom is directly associated with taking dopamine agonist drugs. The article authors found that approximately 6.6 percent of PD patients taking dopamine agonists experience such episodes.
Should I stop taking dopamine agonists?
Do not stop or start taking any medication(s) without the approval of your physician. If you are experiencing this symptom, discuss it as soon as possible with your neurologist.
To learn more about sleep attacks click on the article, "Sleep attacks in patients taking dopamine agonists: review."
Source:
BMJ, June 2002