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jibdpear Asked September 2019

How to stop my mom from sitting up in bed (sleepwalking) all night long?

My mom is 77 years old & is a 22 year cancer survivor. In recent years she's been battling COPD (chronic coughs and some bouts of bronchitis) and congestive heart failure. Most recently she's starting with short term memory loss and dementia. We have 24/7 private in-home aides because she can't be alone anymore. She's on several meds but I believe she's been a sleepwalker for many years. She's lived alone for 18 years since my father died. Nobody knew how poorly she sleeps. We've learned that she sits up in bed every night, several times. Sometimes she'll get up and go to the bathroom or walk into another room, but most of the time she sits up in bed and sleeps that way. We're worried she will fall and get hurt. The aides don't get a lot of sleep because they're always trying to get her to lay back down. Any suggestions to help break her of this sleepwalking/sitting up in bed?? Has anyone tried hypnosis for this? Thank you!

againx100 Sep 2019
How many aides do you have? Shouldn't one be sleeping while one is on duty so that someone is actually getting some sleep around there?

Maybe put some pillows under the head of her mattress to incline her upper body which may give her enough relief so that she does not need to sit up. Maybe get bars put on her bed that will make it more difficult, but not impossible, for her to get out of bed?
jibdpear Oct 2019
Thank you for responding. We have two aides that split the week, M-TH & F-SU. So far they have been very willing to get up with her and help us try to find a plan that will work. They are angels. She has a bed where the head elevates, so we've been increasing it gradually. We have the alarm pad under her mattress but she's not actually getting out of bed, just sitting up so it doesn't go off. We also have a baby video monitor . Not sure if the bed rail will work on her bed.
Ahmijoy Sep 2019
If she is on any sleep medications, they can cause sleepwalking. My doctor will no longer prescribe Ambien for just this reason. Other posters have suggested putting the mattress on the floor. That way she won’t fall out of bed and it will be difficult for her to stand up and wander. But, there really is no absolute way to stop her. Just make sure that there are alarms on doors that lead to the outside.
jibdpear Oct 2019
Thank you for responding. We wouldn't put her on a sleep med like Ambien. She's on a very low dose of seroquel and they are slowly increasing it as needed. I've been talking the neurologist's P.A. and he said sleepwalking (which is basically what this is) is a very difficult habit to break. We're hoping that if the seroquel can help her sleep more soundly then she won't get up as much. Fingers crossed!

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luckylu Sep 2019
Maybe it's easier for her to breathe sitting up.My Mother had COPD and Congestive heart failure too and she sat up all the time in her lift chair.I just boxed her in with alot of pillows and made her as comfortable as I could,with her heating pad and a fan blowing on her.
I hope you find something that works for you all too.Soon.
jibdpear Oct 2019
Thank you for responding. Yes, we agree that sitting up may help her breathe easier and cough less. I am going to see if Medicare would cover a medical recliner to put in her bedroom.

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