Catching and treating a common sleep disorder early may help prevent Parkinson's disease, a new study shows.

Parkinson's is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that causes tremor, stiffness, slow movement, as well as sleep and mental health issues. About 1.1 million people in the United States have Parkinson's with the number expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030, according to the Parkinson's Foundation .

Obstructive sleep apnea, a sleep disorder affecting approximately 30 million people in the United States, occurs when throat muscles relax, causing people to temporarily stop breathing and briefly wake up as many as five times an hour throughout the night.

A study published Monday in JAMA Neurology describes a link between untreated sleep apnea and Parkinson's that may help

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