Helpful Self-Care Tips If You Have Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease affects around 1 million adults in the U.S. and 8 million worldwide. More people are being diagnosed with this condition than ever before. And with treatment, they’re living long and active lives. 

Medications and surgical procedures help to manage many symptoms. But self-care is also a key part of treatment. Here we’ll explore what the research says about the role of self-care in people with Parkinson’s. And we’ll also share insights from two people who are living with the condition.  

Why is self-care important in Parkinson’s disease?

Self-care means doing things that can improve any aspect of your health. It might be a regular exercise routine. Or taking time to do things that lower stress. 

If you live with a long-term condition like Parkinson’s disease, self-care includes the things you do to manage symptoms in your day-to-day life. 

Treating the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease often requires a care team. That may include doctors, nurses, therapists, and mental health specialists. But the most important member of the team is the person who is living with Parkinson’s. And when it comes to self-care, they are the experts.

Dean Anderson and Amy Colbert, who are living with Parkinson’s disease, know how important self-care is for people with the condition. Here, they share some insights into their self-care perspectives, routines, and challenges —  and how self-care impacts their goals as they navigate life with Parkinson’s disease. 

Movement, flexibility, and balance

Parkinson’s disease affects cells in the brain that make dopamine. This leads to challenges with movement, flexibility, and balance. 

To address this, the Parkinson’s Foundation recommends exercise that includes:

• Aerobic activities, such as walking, running, swimming, or cycling

• Strength training with weights, resistance bands, or your own body weight

• Balance and agility workouts like yoga, tai chi, dancing, or boxing

• Stretching exercises

Colbert, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at the University of Iowa, has found yoga, tai chi, and stretching to be helpful. Mindfulness also helps. “I have learned to take a moment after I stand up before I start moving to regain my balance,” she said. A cane is also useful at times. “I do not need it all the time,” she said. “But it is helpful when I’m walking in low light or on uneven terrain.”

Balance is a common issue for people with Parkinson’s. Exercise is one way to address it. But dizziness and balance problems can also make exercise a challenge.

The intensity of those symptoms has been surprising to Anderson, a retired English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in Madison, Wisconsin. He tried Rock Steady boxing, which is helpful for some people with Parkinson’s. But waves of dizziness during and after the workout forced him to find different ways to exercise.

Colbert also finds dizziness and a fluctuating heart rate to be a challenge. “I am experimenting with exercising in shorter intervals,” she said. 

Blood pressure that falls too much with a change in position is called orthostatic hypotension. It can lead to dizziness or even fainting. And it’s common in people with Parkinson’s disease. If this type of dizziness is a challenge, a physical therapist can explore exercise programs that may work better for you.

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Nutrition

Choosing nutritious foods whenever possible is an important element of self-care. There aren’t specific foods or diets that reverse the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. But good nutrition may slow down its progression. And some foods may help with specific symptoms. 

To incorporate food choice into your self-care routine for Parkinson’s, consider the following recommendations: 

• Be sure your diet emphasizes whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.

• Eat foods that are high in antioxidants, which support the health of brain cells. Think berries, nuts, dark leafy greens, salmon, and tuna.

• If you drink alcohol, limit your intake. Alcohol may make symptoms like dizziness worse. And some medications don’t mix well with alcohol.

• Drink plenty of water and add foods high in fiber. This can help with constipation.

• Talk with your care team if you’re having trouble with chewing or swallowing. They may recommend certain foods or a consultation with a speech and swallow therapist.  

Thinking and memory

It’s not unusual to have challenges with thinking, concentration, and memory. Not everyone with Parkinson’s disease will experience this. And for those who do, it can show up in different ways. Some cognitive challenges in Parkinson’s include: 

• Paying attention to certain tasks or in some settings

• Figuring out a problem, especially if you’re trying to do more than one thing at a time

• Gauging space and distances

Colbert is adjusting to doing some kinds of mental tasks in a different way. “Trying to push through when I’m overstimulated or tired is not effective,” she said. “Additionally, I have learned to avoid multitasking. My thinking and memory are best when I focus on one task at a time and take frequent breaks.”

Anderson doesn’t feel as comfortable outside of his home as he once did. But he finds ways to keep his brain and body active. A retired ESL teacher, he now writes letters to others in Spanish. Anderson also finds other activities helpful, such as:

• Playing word games and board games

• Reading

• Journaling

• Taking walks

• Having pets

• Listening to and playing music

• Having friends visit

The Parkinson’s Foundation also recommends these types of activities. A combination of physical, mental, and social workouts can optimize brain health. Getting enough sleep is also important for thinking and memory. 

Mental and emotional health

Depression and anxiety affect as many as half of all people with Parkinson’s. Living with any chronic condition can be stressful. But Parkinson’s also affects neurotransmitters in the brain. So depression and anxiety are often part of the disease process itself. These symptoms may even begin before other signs of Parkinson’s appear.

Nonmotor symptoms — like depression and anxiety — may be less visible to others. But they have a big impact on day-to-day life. 

For Anderson, anxiety and panic attacks affect his comfort level in public. “That has changed my life drastically, and so I stay home a lot,” he said. But he finds that activities that help with memory and thinking also help to manage anxiety. 

Colbert has found psychotherapy to be especially helpful. “We meet twice a month to work through the grief that I experienced after being diagnosed,” she said. “It has helped me make decisions that preserve my independence, while also taking into account my declining energy and capabilities.”

Like Anderson, Colbert finds journaling to be helpful. She also writes a weekly Substack essay. “Writing helps me to share with others how I am experiencing Parkinson’s disease, and how I am making sense of who I am now,” Colbert said. “The biggest thing I’ve learned is to shift my expectations and be kind to myself.”

Social support

Besides a reliable healthcare team, it’s important to have a personal support system. Having people you can turn to can help you meet your self-care goals. 

Anderson points to his family as his biggest support. “Especially my wife,” he said. “She listens to me and has sat in on many of my doctors’ appointments.” He also appreciates the presence and encouragement of friends.

Colbert also relies on family and a few good friends she can be herself with. “I find it exhausting to be in large crowds, so I prioritize connecting with a few people at a time,” she said. The people in her support system “encourage me to maintain my independence, are always there to listen, and make life more fun.”

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Written by:

Anne Jacobson, MD, MPH

Anne Jacobson, MD, MPH has been a board-certified family physician since 1999. She worked as a full-scope family physician (inpatient, outpatient, obstetrics, and office procedures) in the Cook County Ambulatory Health Network for 15 years.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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