HEALTHAlan Alda Admits 'Not That Well-Known' Sleep Disorder Symptom Preceded His Parkinson's Diagnosis by Years
Alan Alda came clean about the 'not so well-known' sleep disorder symptoms.
Oct. 6 2026, Updated 9:40 a.m. ET
Alan Alda is opening up about his sleep disorder symptoms.
In a new interview with CBS Mornings, Alda shared how he was physically “acting out [his] dreams,” which he described as a “not that well-known” symptom of Parkinson’s, before he was diagnosed with the neurodegenerative disease.
“I had a dream that somebody was attacking me. And I picked up a sack of potatoes and threw it at ’em,” Alda shared.
“What I was really doing was throwing a pillow at Arlene, my wife,” he added.
Alan Alda opened up about his sleep disorder symptoms.
The M*A*S*H actor also said that he initially didn’t have the more common symptoms of the disease.
“I had no twitch, no tremor, no problems with my voice,” he revealed.
Instead, he was showing signs of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD). In this condition, the brain fails to paralyze skeletal muscles during REM sleep, which causes a person to act out their dreams.
While RBD is often linked to Parkinson's disease, not everyone diagnosed with the sleep symptom is also diagnosed with the neurological disorder.
Alan Alda Deals With Parkinson's Using His Sense of Humor
Alan Alda said that he initially didn’t have the more common symptoms of the disease.
Alda continued to share in the interview that he relies a lot on his sense of humor to cope with how Parkinson’s disease affects his daily life.
“I’ll be at the computer keyboard writing an email, and Dr. Parkinson is moving my hand all over the screen. I have the mouse, and he’s eliminating things, and he’s deleting things that I need,” he said with a laugh.
“Once in a while, I get frustrated,” the actor continued. “But I find what makes me laugh about it, and then I go tell Arlene.”
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Alda Shared What He Hates About His Disease
Alan Alda was showing signs of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD).
At the same time, Alda also admitted that he hates the fact that Arlene, his wife of almost 70 years, has to help button his shirt every morning due to his neurological condition.
“I do hate it, but the only thing that’s helpful is, ‘What haven’t I tried?’ And pretty soon, you get the feeling, ‘If I keep looking for new ways to try this, I’ll get a solution,'” he shared.
Alan Alda also admitted that he hates the fact that Arlene, his wife of almost 70 years, has to help button his shirt every morning.
Alda further emphasized that he tries to remain in “reality” amidst his health battle.
“I don’t want to wish it away. I can’t wish it away,” he noted. “I can’t hope for a better future. I gotta accept what is.”
He also added, “I don’t let Parkinson’s define me. It’s not who I am. It’s just a hobby.”
