I know many of you are far ahead of me in dealing with sundowning and everyone's causes and situations are different. The net effect is a disruption in the sleep/wake cycle that may also include agitation and anger.
My 90 yr old father has mixed dementia with some alzhiemers due to a hemorrhagic stroke 18 months ago and his sundowning has been getting worse over the last 3-4 months. We have him on a variety of meds and they don't seem to help much.
Due to his stroke he's fully dependant on my mom and this is really straining her getting him to bed and he doesn't always sleep through the night. I question could his boredom that causes him to nap/sleep most of the day be a bigger cause of his disrupted sleep so at night he's energized and unable to sleep even with meds?
I'd like to give him meds that would put him to sleep and keep him down for 8 hours so I wonder if anyone has been able to work through this and what you did?
Thanks
If your dad is napping and sleeping most of the day, then that is likely a HUGE contributor to his poor sleep habits at night. Can your mom keep him awake and occupied during the day? That should help a lot...........but it's not always possible to actually DO! They love to sleep and to nap, which does disrupt their body clocks and create a mess for everyone. A routine is important to follow, as well as a bedtime ritual that doesn't change. Here is a link to some info on the subject & some tips as well: https://www.alz.org/alzheimers-dementia/treatments/for-sleep-changes
You can try Melatonin. My dad had good results with it. My mother takes a pain pill at 10 pm which does make her tired and help her to fall asleep initially. But nothing so far has worked to keep her asleep all night. And she does not nap much at all during the day. In fact, she prides herself on NEVER taking a nap, which isn't true.........she just likes to think so.
It's a difficult thing to deal with, I know. Wishing you and your mom the best of luck trying to find an answer!
My mom took Seroquel which worked great to calm the anxiety that came with her sundowning. It helped with her sleep too.
, they show signs of agitation, forgetfulness. etc. In the later stages, its a time the symtoms worsen or are more agitated than usual. The symtoms maybe heightened. Some people experience it in loved ones late afternoon. Its called "Sundowning" because it usually happens that time of day. When the Sun goes down.
What your Dad is experiencing is like a child, they get days and nights mixed up. I think anyone living with a person suffering from Dementia, has that person getting up at least once during the night. My Mom it was at 3am thinking it was time to start a new day. I told her if its dark outside, not time to get up.
On the days he doesn't take 250 mg of magnesium and 1000 IU of vitamin D, he gets alert and agitated at bedtime. When he takes them regularly, bedtime is easier.
Dr. Google lists them both as home remedies for sundowning. Your results may vary.
Thanks