Phone: 866-718-5757 Fax: 866-718-5759 Email: careers@lifecaretherapy.com
Introduction
People with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias frequently have sleep disturbances. The most common is “sundowning,” so called because the person gets agitated later in the day and often has trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep once in bed. This leads, of course, to lack of sleep in caregivers, and is one of the most common reasons for a caregiver to place a care receiver in a facility. Lack of sleep also makes people irritable and impatient, which makes caregiving even harder.
Strategies for Success
Internal Factors That May Contribute:
Mental and physical exhaustion from a full day of activities.
A mixed-up "internal body clock." The person living with Alzheimer's may feel tired during the day and awake at night.
Dreaming while sleeping can cause disorientation, including confusion about what's a dream and what's real.
Environmental Factors:
Low lighting can increase shadows, which may cause the person to become confused by what they see. They may experience hallucinations and become more agitated.
Loud noises such as televisions;
Noticing stress or frustration in those around them may cause the person living with dementia to become stressed as well.
Tips to Help
Encourage the person living with dementia to get plenty of rest.
Schedule activities such as doctor appointments, trips and bathing in the morning or early afternoon hours when the person living with dementia is more alert.
Encourage a regular routine of waking up, eating meals and going to bed.
When possible, spend time outside in the sunlight during the day.
Make notes about what happens before sundowning events and try to identify triggers.
Reduce stimulation during the evening hours. For example, avoid watching TV, doing chores or listening to loud music. These distractions may add to the person’s confusion.
Offer a larger meal at lunch and keep the evening meal lighter.
Try to identify activities that are soothing to the person, such as listening to calming music, looking at photographs or watching a favorite movie.
Take a walk with the person to help reduce their restlessness.
Talk to the person's doctor about the best times of day for taking medication.
Try to limit daytime naps if the person has trouble sleeping at night.
Reduce or avoid alcohol, caffeine and nicotine, which can all affect the ability to sleep.