Could the time change affect "sundowning"?

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Ribbman Asked November 2016

Could the time change affect "sundowning"?

My mom is in what I think is the middle stage of dementia. Over the years, I have noticed an increase in her agitation and anxiety in November, which I attributed to the many unhappy memories she has of November (a son dying, my father dying, one of her brothers dying), but I'm starting to wonder if it isn't the noticeably shorter days coupled with the time change to standard time. Has anyone noticed this?

Alzheimer's & Dementia

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score 0 · Answer 1

For my Dad, sundowning was part of his inner clock. The time change didn't affect it at all.

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score 1 · Answer 2

Hi Ribbman,

We have an excellent blog article that discusses this occurrence in detail. Check it out here: https://www.agingcare.com/articles/daylight-saving-time-can-trigger-sundowning-212605.htm

Additionally, we have an article compiled of tips and tricks from members on how they handle sundowning. Find it here: https://www.agingcare.com/articles/how-to-cope-with-sundowning-tips-from-family-caregivers-200000.htm

Take care,

The AgingCare.com Team

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score 1 · Answer 3

Correction: it was in the 1970s when DST was uniformly applied. I remembered being worried that someone was tampering with time. I mean if you could tamper with time, nothing was sacred.

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score 3 · Answer 4

I wouldn't be surprised at all. I know it puts me in the twilight zone to look outside now at 5:30 and see it's dark. Yike! I hate this time change. I imagine someone with sundowning would be even more affected. I remember back until the days of Reagan, however, when we were on standard time all year. How did we ever survive childhood?? :-O

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score 1 · Answer 5

Yes it is a possibility. Some people don't adjust well to these changes. Ironically it can be just as bad or worse, when the days slowly start getting longer, especially at the end of Jan and all of Feb (which tends to be a dreary month.)

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Could the time change affect "sundowning"?

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