Dad is very foggy during the day and wants to sleep all the time. Some of this is his newly diagnosed anemia (we are seeking treatments) but he has always gotten up at 3 or 4 in the morning and gone to bed around 7 pm. Now he is up and down starting at 10 pm through 5 am and he watches tv and gets into candy, cookies, anything sweet. If he can't find candy or cookies, he'll eat sugar straight from the bowl. His sugar is very high because of this. He is then very sleepy for extended periods all day. He'll be a couple of hours in bed, then a couple hours dozing in his lounger and back to bed and back to lounger all day, even if we get him up, washed and dressed and give him is OJ and tea and some breakfast at the usual time. During the day, it is nearly impossible to get him to eat anything, but he will drink Glucerna shakes or eat pudding and sometimes a deviled egg or a bit of chicken. He has recently started using a walker and had very limited strength due to the anemia and the lack of solid food and we are very concerned about his ability to handle himself at night now. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated.
I hear your concern for your dad. It's very hard to see these changes in our parents and trying to understand what is causing this. I wonder if this could be a side effects of medications he is on. I know you mentioned the anemia and his sugar levels. I found this post:
Why do old people stay up all night and sleep all day?
Around 20% of older people experience excessive daytime sleepiness, which may be a sign of an underlying health condition rather than merely old age. Excessive daytime sleepiness in older adults may be a symptom of health issues like sleep apnea, cognitive impairment, or cardiovascular issues.Oct. 23, 2020
Have you talked to the family doctor? Have they done some bloodwork?
I hope others will come forward with more suggestions.
She encouraged us to cut any sweets out after lunch, and get dad more exercise. We offered healthy snacks. He was in a wheelchair, but we took him for walks encouraging him to use his arms more and help propel himself. He did! We got him outside to watch the birds, water and clean the flower pots, and be out and watch people go by. He was 90 and lived with 24/7 help in an apt. We had him go to bed between 9 and 10:00 each nite. It really helped! We sort of retrained him into a schedule.
Dad still woke & needed potty breaks sometimes, but they were quick and then straight back to bed- no refrigerator stops for sweet things. He was less restless & agitated, more rested the next day and seemed clearer. I’d encourage you to try it out. Good luck!!
Gentle (for him) method - have Dad go to bed at a reasonable time.
Night Shift: Somebody must be willing to get up with him every time. This person will keep redirecting back to bed and will keep him from eating. A drink of water and helping him to and from bathroom is OK. Do not allow him to do anything else and keep the lights dim.
Day Shift: Do not let him doze for more than 30 minutes. Keep on brighter lights. Get him into the sunshine. Feed him regular meals with plenty of iron and vitamin C to build up from anemia. Have doctor check his B12 levels. If low, he will need to get shots. Do not allow "junk food" and try to limit glucerna to "scheduled snacks". The goal is to get his blood sugar levels in normal limits and to get him "awake" during the day.
Fast Method: Same plan for night shift.
Day Shift: No naps during the day. He will be tired in the evening and probably crabby, but he will sleep.
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