In recent years, sleep abnormalities have increasingly been observed in patients with movement disorders. During sleep, most patients with Parkinson's disease also exhibit the movements characteristically seen during the wake period. Movement activity during sleep may impair sleep quality and lead to daytime sleepiness and reduced quality of life. Disordered REM sleep with enhanced muscle tone is common in patients with neurodegenerative disease, and may precede the clinically evident symptoms of Parkinson's disease by years. Sleep disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease are common, and require the application of individual treatment strategies. A further frequent disorder primarily classified as a sleep disorder (dyssomnia) is the restless legs syndrome (RLS), which is closely related to the nocturnal periodic limb movement disorder and affects up to 15% of the population. The present review focuses on nocturnal motor activity and sleep in Parkinson's disease and RLS.