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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.

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Dear Redhead1950,

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.
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Maybe he has a UTI? This is common sundowning behavior. Is he seeing a geriatric care MD? If not, change docs.
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My dad had AZ and for the last five years he struggled with being up at night and then sleeping off and on throughout the day. He too loved sweets and would snack on them. His hospice nurse said AZ is like diabetes of the brain.
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!!
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My grandma started doing this same thing. I bring her some sweets once a week but I've hid everything else or removed it from the home. Does your dad have dementia? It sounds like he may at least have some diminished self-awareness. Unfortunately, while it might feel a bit nefarious at first, you probably have to just intervene and cut the sugar down to a minimum. Also, it sounds like he may be headed for some type of long-term care arrangement if he is losing the ability to be ambulatory.
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It is not unusual for Alzheimer’s and dementia people to have erratic and inconsistent sleep and awake cycles. I suggestion for you to try maintain a consistent schedule mostly for the benefit of yourself and your family. I would also suggest that you keep all your windows uncovered so your Dad can visually observe daylight and night times as much as possible; including his bedroom. It also would be helpful to have outside daylight activities with him during the day. A large clock should be present where he will notice it whether he cares about the time or not. These things may not solve his problem, but maybe helpful.
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Seems he has gotten into a "bad sleep pattern." It can be turned around either gently or fast.

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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When my mom had Alzheimer's, she'd have a.m. p. m. confusion. We got her a clock that would specify a.m. and p.m. and I explained to her what that meant, and at the beginning of things she understood, but she moved in with us shortly thereafter. I even wrote a book about our travails called, "My Mother Has Alzheimer's and My Dog Has Tapeworms: A Caregiver's Tale." I have a chapter entitled " I a.m. confused," because she could get confused about time, all the time. For her, even 2 teaspoonfuls of banana pudding, slightly sweet, after dinner, could keep her up for hours, as we learned after 1 serving. I agree with the other posters: maybe limit or remove sweets, perhaps keep him as engaged as possible during the day, so he'll be tired at night. Hopefully once the anemia is under control, his overall health will improve. Best of luck.
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Circadian rhythm is screwed up is what my mom’s nurse called her staying awake all night and sleeping all day. Good advice given from other posts such as getting him out in the sunlight for 2 hours, limiting naps at least 4 hours prior to bedtime, limiting sweets at bedtime especially, and keeping him actively engaged during the day. I use a sun lamp during rainy days to trick my mom’s body into believing it’s a sunny day. Try to keep him on a set pattern each day so that his body becomes accustomed to normal daily routines.
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M mom is 98 and has been doing this for the past year. However, when I tried to keep her more on a schedule she started getting upset because she wanted to sleep during the day. I have always been one to go to bed early and get up early, so I am staying up a little later and watching tv with her and reminding her that I need to go to bed and she can play her computer games on her phone or watch tv. She accepts it but she does complain about not sleeping at night. I haven't found a win/win. yet. I did buy her a clock - states weekday and morning or pm.... she looks at it once in a while. I wish you the bets.
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Interrupt his napping -- keep him awake all day. He will be so tired the first night he'll sleep right through. Then follow through every day getting him turned around. It's not really unusual for seniors to get days and nights mixed up. But it doesn't work because we can't schedule medical appointments in the night hours. It's not that hard to turn him around -- just keep him up and put him to bed after a long day of no sleep and he will adjust. PS Shutting off the TV at least an hour before bedtime and not letting him look at phone or other device screens, an evening bath then brushing his teeth as part of routine to wind down and settle him in for sleep will help, too. Start getting him ready for bed about 8pm with no TV, bathtime, brush teeth and read a little (but NOT with e-reader!) to make his eyes tired. Lights out. ZZZZZZZZZZZ
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My husband did this until the doc prescribed trazodone an hour before bed and a dissolvable melatonin at bedtime. No more an issue for us.
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I feel aside from obvious physical problems dementia has and is setting in and I am not sure there is anything you can do. Perhaps some kind of medication might make him sleep at night but I doubt it. A caretaker with him might be able to control his habit, I just don't know. I think the time has come for you to consider placement. His behavior and mentality will have a very negative effect on you and I don't know how to fix this problem. Please think about that.
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Redhead1950: Imho, his circadian rhythm pattern needs to be readjusted. In addition, eating a large amount of sugar food products as well as straight sugar from the sugar bowl will definitely upset his sleeping patterns. Try to increase his protein intake with larger pieces of chicken. A person who is in bed should not constantly arise and go to the refrigerator in search of food products. No wonder his sleep is affected.
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You will have to start waking him as he dozes off during the day so he will be tired at night. His internal clock is messed up with the day naps. It may take several days to readjust. When my mom starts napping too much in day time, same thing happens. I make noises that will wake her. I found that telling her to wake up seems to irritate her - just like it would me if I found a little down time and someone woke me to ask a question or to talk.

I, personally, have a huge craving for sweets - especially chocolate - very late at night. His might be craving or just boredom eating because he is waking when everyone else is asleep. You might be able to find some healthy snacks without all the sugar that would satisfy the sweet tooth. Leave those handy so he doesn't have to search for snacks.
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My parents’ neurologist told me that any daytime nap longer than an hour is detrimental to the brain.

I would avoid seeking or using sleep aids, as that might compound your problems.

Try your best to help return him to a more stable sleep schedule. Increase his daytime activities and exercise. Sibce I personally suffer from insomnia, I understand how it can seem impossible.

Close up the kitchen at night. Store stimulants such as sugar and caffeine in inaccessible places. Discontinuing food and drink access at a reasonable time may prevent late-night indigestion and eliminate extra bathroom visits.

Adopt a routine - like we are told when caring for children to help them relax.

Watch TV, read together as a winding-down activity, play relaxing music, try a sound machine. use blackout curtains (only at night)
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