My mom gets up just about every hour at night to go to the restroom. I'm so tired that I get upset with her. What can I do to get her to sleep through the night?

Hi there, I also went thru this with my mom who lives with me. She got up so many times and its drove me crazy after her broken hip and they think maybe from the catheter, never knew. Then, I went thru it with her again about a year later and it lasted almost a year. I will tell you what I did. I begged the doctor to treat my Mom for an UTI even thou the urine culture was negative, it helped off and on. Also, I have her door cut in half with a hook lock on the outside. She got up, stood there and said "hi" and went back to bed at least 15 times a night. (kind of like a Mr Ed door if you remember that show, I can see her from my bed)
3rd, she went on depakote and it relaxed her brain and she started sleeping.
(Have you listened to her, do you hear her pee?) My Mom also wen thru a stage where she dropped her pants and peed all over the floor many times!! I had to make her pajamas she couldnt get off! I think your Moms is probably just aggitation from the dementia but try them all , one WILL work!! I have to tell you, I sometimes didnt sleep more then 2 hours a night , my cna came, and I still went to work. When someone else at work told me they were tired I felt like slugging them! LOL What you are going thru is horrible, but it will end and My Mom also is/was a great Mom so I put up with it. She now sleeps 12 hours a night on depakote and she doesnt have any attitude outbursts. Hang in there, you're a fabulous daughter!

I am really new to this site but have been caring for my grandfather-in-law for the last 5 years off and on but the last 2 years continuously. We had the same problem except we have a 4 year old that without fail he would wake up every single night when he made his rounds. After a few weeks the lack of sleep got to me as well! I tracked the extended potty breaks to 2 things. The first problem was that after he went to the bathroom he wasnt able to go back to sleep because there was nothing going on at 2AM. I went to Walmart and bought some glow in the dark stars that simply stick to the ceiling. I put a few around his room and a few on his ceiling fan. Now when he lays back down he can watch them until he falls back to sleep. (I did the same thing with my daughter) The second reason was he wanted to check on all of us and make sure we were breathing and havent left (which we have never done) in the middle of the night. My solution for that was a baby monitor. I put one in his room and one in ours. I told him that our end was a mic and his was just a speaker so that if anyone got up or if there was a problem he would hear it. The catch is that I never turned our end on. As long as the green light is on in his room he thinks he is able to hear everything that goes on. Then he doesnt worry about us. The monitors dont actually have to work so you could probably find a set on craigslist or worst case scenario they are like $15 new for the cheapest ones!
I know its a little dishonest but I needed sleep! We are going on month 2 of not waking up in the middle of the night!
Hope it helps!

Perhaps one last thing to try!

Regular exposure to bright light at an early-morning hour may help shift the sleep-wake rhythm and exposure to bright light for 30 to 60 minutes in the evening may be beneficial in reinforcing the circadian rhythm.
In sunny climates, outdoor bright light exposure may work just as well.
Minimizing the amount of light in the bedroom also may help.
(Her doctor should review all drugs that your mom is taking to check whether any may induce photosensitivity and to determine whether there are any other disorders that may be exacerbated by light therapy)

Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience reviewed the benefits of melatonin and the effect of environmental light in elderly with dementia. In this study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, melatonin did help with sleep but increased withdrawn dementia-related behavior. The results improved when given in combination with a bright light environment.

There are certain foods that help you sleep, I saw this on Dr. Oz. you gotta love that man. I can only remember MILK is one Oh and wine. Maybe check out his web site and get more info on that.
My Mom (in NH) uses the bathroom alot as well, (as I may have mentioned in an earlier posts). She didn't like the diaper issue at all, used as precautionary purposes, and when she'd go to BR she'd have to remove it so she could go. I think this confused her because at this stage she's aware of what is normal or comfortable. So then they tried pull ups, they serve the purpose and she can go the regular old fashioned way. Funny thing....she told me "these underwear are wierd but it's better than none, this is all I have now, someone stole my regular undies". At least she didn't say that I stole them, this time.
Which reminds me of a Major reason of .....why it is better for both of us that she's in a NH. She is better behaved for the staff as far as making changes in routine for her needs, even her eating habits are better. The NH says this is the way it is, to her, and she listens, no problem, when I was doing that she hated me. I am aware of all the changes and if I see a problem I address it but she just thinks she's independant and we both are less stressed.

Gotta laugh, keeps us sane ! haha My Mom is in late stages now and we can still get her to dance in her recliner /wheelchair and get her to laugh on most nights.
Ya someone wrote in how to make warm socks with jasmine rice, never heard of it.

Hi KJ,
my brother who is my mom's daily caregiver at this time said that he has been giving my mom very little protein as far as meat, fish and chicken go. He was trying to give her more veggies.But according to what I am reading, I think any source of protein would be a concern for the kidneys including those in drinks. http://www.doctoryourself.com/kidney2.html
I was told by the naturalpathic doctor once that a low protein diet would help kidneys function better. Also our new doctor had recommended a new supplement specific for the kidneys called, Premiere Kidney Complex. It sells over the net for $28.95 for a bottle of 60 capsules. She was taking 2 capsules a day. Besides CKD, my mom has HBP, and her labs show high cholesterol but I am not too concerned w/ her cholesterol since it is not the primary cause of heart disease and because her C-reactive protein (an inflammation marker) and Homocysteine tests indicate that she is in the normal range. My mom takes over a dozen supplements each day. We are now working on lowering her HBP. Hope this helps. Take care.

Wuvsicecream, I appreciate your response. So true with my mother as well. She is also better behaved towards the professional staff at her NH. She had issues when I tried to give her meds at her home, or tried to encourage her to use her walker or would offer to help her with incontinence issues. Now the staff can care for her physical needs, and I have the opportunity to take mom on outings, attend church with her at the NH, visit, go on walks, etc. Much less stress for all concerned. I'm so glad we made this decision. My mother would be lonely at her home; wouldn't be able to drive. At the NH she wheels about on her wheelchair throughout the facility, and talks to staff and other residents. If a family can find a good NH, and still be active in their families' lives, they can count their blessings!

Have any of you used a 'geriatric specialist' for a doctor for you Moms/loved ones? I'm considering going to one to see if there are things that they may know or test for that we haven't thought about yet. My Mom has started hallucinating and didin't sleep for 4 days. (I'm not exaggerating) She talked constantly and when we finally took her to the Dr., they gave her a mild sedative. Also ordered the blood test that indicated that she has a reduced kidney function, but not at the level that would cause the hallucinations, etc. The sedative did allow her to sleep and she is doing better, but I think we need someone that deals with this sort of thing all of the time? Would be interested in other's thoughts/experiences. Thanks!

Hi there my name is Rose, and I lost my Daddy 5 Months ago after a long battle with Dementia. I understand fully what you mean about not being able to sleep at night, because I went through the same exact thing. I was my Father's Primary care taker and the major problem for me was him not sleeping at night. A Nurse suggested that I give him every night a Benadryl taken with an Ibuprofen, and it worked. Even though I didnt like medicating my Father that way but it was the other way the both of us got any sleep. I would be so tired until it made it almost impossible for me to work and be productive at work. I understand when you stated that your mood had changed but all of that is a result of you're not getting any rest. Try the Benadryl and Ibuprofen and good luck.