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LuvRLabs2 Asked March 2018

Not sleeping at night, what to do?

Something new has arisen. At home he often didn't sleep nights..nor did I. He has been in memory care assisted living 6 months and recently for about a week he has not slept one night through. He gets up, comes out of the room for a bit..back to bed and repeats this throughout the night. No behavior issues, just not sleeping. He gets trazadone at 2 pm daily which relaxes him before sundowners and he seems sleepy after this pill. The nurse will see him Monday and maybe they could give him something to help him sleep at night. (I asked why he couldn't get the trazadone at bedtime instead of 2pm but they said he takes it to help sundowning.). He doesn't take very many drugs at all. Might melatonin maybe help and is it pretty benign to take? Otherwise he seems as usual, eating well, confused, yes, but no more than he usually is. Things are going ok I think, just I get upset hearing he doesn't seem to sleep at night. I try to keep him awake and moving when I visit daily and they advise the recliner rather than the bed daytime...but he slips into bed when their backs are turned. I love the care he gets, just wonder if melatonin might do the trick? Any other suggestions? How bad is it if he dozes in the day but not at night. Is he getting enough rest?

anonymous775098 Mar 2018
Please, please be educated about the side effects of trazedone.

Isabelsdaughter Mar 2018
My Mom took risperone and namenda. It helped a lot. Also ativan.

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Llamalover47 Mar 2018
I do understand that he's taking the Trazodone for Sundowner's, but it is altering his circadiun rhythm. Ideally, if taken at bedtime, the medication works well.

Elcaregiver1010 Mar 2018
Hi my daughter has early onset alzheimers. I am her 24/7 caregiver. She was going though sleepless nights also. I started with 3mg of melatonin then 5mg now she is taking 10mg at bedtime and she sleeps all night . Hope this will.help you.also.

anonymous775098 Mar 2018
We took my Dad off Trazodone. He dozed all day and he wasn’t sleeping through the night. He acted very tired and drugged during the day. He was also having hallucinations. Since being off the Trazodone he has been more alert during the day and no hallucinations. He also seems to be sleeping fairly well at night.

RayLinStephens Mar 2018
From what I have been reading, turning night & day around seems to be common. It's not always easy to get them back on the "day shift" but I managed with my DH by having his sit in his Lift-Sleep chair during the day and the bed is only for sleeping at night.

He still takes naps but he's doing better about sleeping at night now. As another commented, when they age, they do tend to sleep a lot more. Think a really big baby to get the idea. Babies sleep a lot the first year - and seniors sleep a lot the last years.

cwillie Mar 2018
Whatever you might like to try you are going to have to get a doctor to prescribe it or staff won't be able to give it to him, that could be a sticking point depending on the doctor's attitude.

Countrymouse Mar 2018
Bach do night-time rescue remedy capsules, too, Savitaa (they're not strictly speaking homeopathic, by the way) which worked for me. In spite of my own scepticism! :)

LuvR2, if this isn't troubling your husband and it isn't something the staff at the unit are concerned about - I expect they are well used to dealing with night-time wakefulness - then perhaps you should try not to let it worry you so much?

anonymous476223 Mar 2018
Homeopathic oral spray, Bach's Rescue Remedy (health food store).
Works wonders on my da.

Isabelsdaughter Mar 2018
My Mom never slept at night, she slept during at day. She had LBD. Their biological clocks are off. The only problem was, at night when everybody else was trying to sleep, she was screaming my name and wandering around the house. Hard to get any sleep.

Buddy57 Mar 2018
My husband has Alzheimer's and he use to stay up all night,as did I !!!His doctor said to try melatonin. (6mg) at bedtime. Worked great..Four nights for us, hope it continues. Good luck..

geewiz Mar 2018
luv, many folks with any form of dementia sleep a LOT! So, I think he will sleep when he is ready. To help that, can you encourage as much activity as possible when you and others visit? Whatever he is capable of --- lifting his legs (marching in place) raising his arms (reaching for the sky), swinging his arms (rowing a boat). Can he walk? This all helps with other bodily functions as well.

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