The Aporia · Alan Alda divulges ‘not that well-known’ sleep habit that led to Parkinson’s diagnosis

Alan Alda divulges ‘not that well-known’ sleep habit that led to Parkinson’s diagnosis

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Todisco, E. (2026, October 5). Alan Alda divulges ‘not that well-known’ sleep habit that led to Parkinson’s diagnosis. New York Post. https://pagesix.com/2026/10/05/celebrity-news/alan-alda-reveals-sleep-habit-that-led-to-parkinsons-diagnosis/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

Alan Alda shared on "CBS Mornings" that he experienced REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) as an early sign of Parkinson's disease, which involves physically acting out dreams while sleeping. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2015 but publicly disclosing it three years later, Alda highlighted how his condition led to humorous and frustrating daily challenges, including involuntary movements at the computer. He emphasized maintaining a positive outlook by finding humor in his situation and focusing on practical solutions rather than wishing for a cure.

Written by AI on 2026-10-05, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Alan Alda, known for his role in "M*A*S*H", revealed on CBS Mornings in October 2023 that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2015 but didn't publicly announce it until 2018. Prior to his diagnosis, Alda exhibited an uncommon symptom of the condition—physically acting out his dreams. He described this behavior as throwing a pillow at his wife while dreaming of someone attacking him with potatoes. Alda emphasized that he uses humor to cope with the disease's challenges, personifying "Dr. Parkinson" when his hand moves erratically on the computer keyboard, disrupting his work. This coping mechanism aligns with experts' views on cognitive reframing as a beneficial approach in managing neurological disorders like Parkinson’s.

Written for “Alan Alda Parkinson's Diagnosis” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

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Fox News

Hedges 1 of 36 claims Outlet record 69/100

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sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

0 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

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not political

takes no side on a contested political question

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66/100

New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

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Health

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Who wrote this

Eric Todisco

83 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 83 articles by Eric Todisco →

Claims (24 extracted, 0 hedged)

Alan Alda revealed 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. asserted

he → reveal → disease

“What I was really doing was throwing a pillow at Arlene, my wife,” he added. asserted

he → do → Arlene

Alda — who received his Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2015 but waited three years to reveal the news publicly — said that he initially didn’t have the more common symptoms of the disease. asserted

he → receive → disease

“I had no twitch, no tremor, no problems with my voice,” he said. asserted

he → have → voice

Instead, he was showing signs of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD), where the brain fails to paralyze skeletal muscles during REM sleep, which causes a person to act out their dreams. asserted

person → show → dreams

RBD is often linked to Parkinson’s, though not everyone with the sleep symptom is diagnosed with the neurological disorder. asserted

everyone → link → disorder

Alda explained to “CBS Mornings” that he relies a lot on his sense of humor to cope with how Parkinson’s affects his daily life. asserted

Parkinson → explain → life

“I’ll be at the computer keyboard writing an email, and Dr. Parkinson is moving my hand all over the screen. asserted

Parkinson → write → screen

I have the mouse, and he’s eliminating things and he’s deleting things that I need,” he said with a laugh. asserted

he → have → laugh

“Once in a while, I get frustrated,” the actor continued. asserted

actor → get → while

“But I find what makes me laugh about it, and then I go tell Arlene.” asserted

I → find → Arlene

The Emmy Award winner did admit, however, that he’s hated the fact that his wife of almost 70 years has to help button his shirt every morning. asserted

wife → admit → shirt

“I do hate it, but the only thing that’s helpful is, ‘What haven’t I tried?’ asserted

I → hate → What

And pretty soon, you get the feeling, ‘If I keep looking for new ways to try this, I’ll get a solution,'” he shared. asserted

he → get → solution

Alda also said he tries to remain in “reality” amidst his health battle. asserted

he → say → battle

“I don’t want to wish it away. asserted

I → want → it

I can’t wish it away,” he noted. asserted

he → wish → it

“I can’t hope for a better future. asserted

I → hope → future

I gotta accept what is.” asserted

what → got → ?

Alda added, “I don’t let Parkinson’s define me. asserted

Parkinson → add → me

It’s not who I am. asserted

I → ’ → ?

It’s just a hobby.” asserted

It → ’ → ?

Conversation Your voice matters. asserted

voice → matter → ?

Discussions are moderated for civility. asserted

Discussions → moderate → civility

Alan Alda divulges ‘not that well-known’ sleep habit that led to Parkinson’s diagnosis

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Claims (24 extracted, 0 hedged)