How can I control my mom's night eating habits?

so what if she eats more? My own dad with ALZ always forgot he ate. Now in his case, he was losing weight so if he wanted to eat again we would give him good again, so a different situation perhaps. But is there a danger in giving your mom more food if it means she is more happy and comfortable?

The urge to eat more may be a phase of that disease. Melatonin or Tart Cherry helps with better sleep. Instead of sugary snacks, leave fibrous vegetables for snacking.

IF she was eating with a huge bunch of equally demented folks in an asissted living facility--- now is the time to start looking at several of them-- TO SEE--- which place has the best food-- most of the time it comes down to either Sysco or Gordons ( which is the better of the two-------

When i found a GREAT PLASCE for her--- it was because the food was better... and then I found the Memory Care facility was better--

SO do your homework before there is another drop in the decline dept. Good luck. AND yes there is financial help available-- see the Aid and Attendance Program from the VA-- where if you have at least 3 ADLs-- where your loved one needs help daily-- dressing, bathing, eating, anything.. you will qualify for what is now like $1144 per month from Vet Affairs... ( Madison WI) ...

Is it that your mom forgets or at times is she simply hungry? People who are bored often resort to eating more and more often. You might try thinking of something that she will associate with eating, a napkin, favorite saucer, silver utensils, even take a picture with you two in it while she eats......use your imagination......, you can also think of buying 7 oranges that you keep in a bowl on her bedside and she gets 1 orange each day until all are gone. THERE IS NO WAY YO GUANTEE SHE WILL REMEMBER ANYTHING so check with her doctors the staff, the therapist......and others who are around her and know what things she actually remembers ........again YOU JUST DO THE BEST YOU CAN! Dr Jack Grenan

Have you taken her blood sugar reading when she is up in the middle of the night? Is she at that time hypoglycemic? When I wake up with low blood sugar I could eat the entire contents of the fridge, or at least it seems like it. If she is having episodes of low blood sugar, report that to her doctor.

Is she gaining weight? Is she on the verge of obesity? That would be my main concern with this pattern. If her weight is fine, I would keep doing what you are doing. Have you tried cutting back on her portions at dinner? What does she eat between lunch and dinner? It sounds as if she has reverted to infancy when she had to be fed every two hours, night or day! I don't see harm in that if you can keep the portions reasonable.

WeWe use a we use a dry erase board and keep all her meals documented it helps out some but she still swears were starving her most of the time LOL

At ninety, I wouldn't worry to much about your mother's diet, she's pretty much earned to eat what she wants. Keeping it healthy is good. Wandering the kitchen when everyone else is asleep is a little worrying. I'd be concerned she turn on the oven and range.

Pick your battles with the ones that really count - those involving safety.

Best to you and your family.

I say as long as shes breathing let her eat. It gives her something that she still knows how to do. Just try to make most of the snacks healthy. Big Hug to your Mom and you.

HI

I'm hypoglycemic and I eat like this , many small meals / snacks throughout the day , lots of cereal , cheese, milk , meat ...lol.
I exercise three times a week and I'm good , nothing major with my weight.
Mama has dementia and often thinks she hasn't had any food at all . We feed her :
Breakfast 9am ( ovaltine , banana , 1/2 toast with butter, half with jam ) 11 am tea ( scrambled or boiled egg / half toast or crackers with peanut butter ) ,
1 pm lunch ( lasagna , chicken and rice etc whatever I cook )
2 pm snack (fruit or some tiny candy or cake )
3pm tea ( bread and cheese or biscuits and cheese if she had bread earlier
5 pm (chamomile and sandwich . ) the calming down time before bed
8 pm final tea ( chamomile or sleepy time and two cookies )
This diet of course varies some days a big breakfast , some days as I have here .
No caffeine ever for mama and the doctors say chamomile is fine in moderation as she also takes blood pressure meds and chamomile can lower your bp.
Mama has a flask in her room at night with hot milk and a resealable container with a peanut butter sandwich , usually gone by the time I wake her .

I had today :
3 am I just crammed peanut butter with a spoon , I live up here alone don't judge me .
5 am peanut butter and jelly sandwich with milk.
6 am milk tea and toast with butter and cheese
8 am scrambled egg , bowl of cereal , tea
11 am banana and a handful of grapes, some cherries and honey roasted nuts . ( if I eat fruit alone it can crash me so maybe add it to Greek yogurt to make it more filling)
1 pm rice and black beans with barbequed chicken , cucumber salad and corn. Slice of cake .
( it's 1 4: 8 now and I feel pretty good , probably won't eat again until 3 )
I'll probably have a sandwich , more cereal and some soda and so on and so forth


I probably eat something every two to three hours or I get sick and it is a horrible feeling , I get confused , shake , feel like throwing up , headache, angry , the works .
Snacks you can leave out :

vegetable sticks ( carrots, celery ) with hummus .
Good , less sugary cereal : plain Kellogg for instance
honey bunches of oats or corn puffs.
Apple slices with peanut butter
fruit , ham and crackers.
Greek yogurt with berries.
small handful of raisins and mixed nuts or cranberry nut trail mix .
peanut butter and jelly sandwich on whole-grain bread.
Cheese sandwiches
sliced ham sandwiches
A thermos with cocoa or non caffeinated tea . You can also try sleepy time tea I think it's by Celebrations or chamomile before bed .

That said , there have been times I haven't eaten enough and my body will wake me from a dead sleep to munch.
You can get child locks on the cabinets and fridge, that's simple enough but her hypoglycemia will truly make her feel like she's starving and added with the forgetfulness, well that's a formidable combination .

So good luck to you and sorry for the novel !

L

BlueMoon,

I have experienced the same thing. My Mother was drinking a bottle of coffee creamer thinking it was milk. She’s diabetic and I’d freak out. Also, she is hungry all the time. I have found giving her small snacks throughout the day works best for ME! I sometimes give her just half of her dinner because I know she forgets she already had her first.
Its a difficult situation and I’m sorry you are going through this. Please know you are not alone.
I found that locks are great. I felt really bad about it at first but realized it was in her best interest. I also remove the stove knobs before I go to bed, just to be safe. Hang in there, you’re going to do great! :)

It might be one of her medications that is causing her appetite to increase.Look up side effects of meds she is taking. Most Alzheimers patients are the opposite of this and she may not have Alzheimers at all but some other form of dementia, or a psychological issue instead. If your Dr. cant help you, get another Dr. Sounds like she isnt sleeping well at night so boredom may play a role as well.

Think about her life. We older women may do household chores until 11 getting the family, pets, & house ready for bed, and we form a pleasant habit of a quiet snack alone. If not, and I simply go right to bed, sometimes I toss & turn with arthritis or a chill. So I enjoy a little something, maybe with a book or bath, and would be very upset if someone tried to end that. I don't want fruit or cookies, but warm carbs, like toast & tea or a peanut butter & banana sandwich, or a microwaved sweet potato. I'm vegan, which she may enjoy very much, and it has less fat. I lost 40 pounds easily upon switching to vegan, and eat all I want. Delicious avocado butter, a nice munchy bread like Dave's sprouted grain bread. Also natural things without additives like fresh ground peanut butter or Laura Scudders. A melted soy cheese sandwich. After a bit I'm calm, full, and warm, and sleep easily.

Cereal and fruit are carbs - may be fueling her appetite. Half turkey sandwich at bedtime contains tryptophan which will convert to serotonin and calm her down. Also good is half a peanut butter sandwich - no jelly. High protein and higher fat. Will hold off food cravings longer.

Block her access to kitchen. Lock up cabinets and refrigerator.

It ISN'T an appetite. It may be an addiction.
Whatever it is, she is relieving stress and finding immediate gratification.
Food numbs out feelings. With Alzheimer's diagnosis, there are more layers involved in the behavior.

Not sure why you are leaving her snacks if she is cleaning out the cabinets - ?
She might need medication to relax her / put her to sleep at night.

Do understand this has little to nothing to do with an 'appetite'.
You may not be able to control her behavior unless you lock up all the food or limit her access to where the food is, i.e., the kitchen.

I agree you should check with the doctor. Alzheimer’s is such a strange disease that it might be affecting the part of the brain that controls hunger sensation. Not to bring too much anxiety to this but a colleague’s wife choked on food at night and passed away. She had the same symptoms as your mom, eating everything in sight. It is sad because I believe they FEEL hungry and hopefully the Doctor can suggest something to make her feel full

Imho, of more concern is her being a fall risk with these midnight food binges.

Good luck. I gave up trying to stop my husband from getting up and making toast at 2am. Lots and lots of toast. Toast with butter and cinnamon sugar all over the kitchen. Literally. I tried hiding the bread an butter. That didn't work; he would go out to the freezer and bring in another loaf and another pound of butter. Sometimes he would eat it all and sometimes he'd just eat 2 pieces and leave the other 24 pieces on paper plates.

And coffee - when he could no longer figure out how to make coffee in the coffee pot (and he'd wake me up at 2am to make it) I bought a Keurig. So he makes 3 or 4 cups of coffee to go with all the toast. And he drinks sip.or two, and makes another cup.
I tried leaving him sandwiches or cereal with fruit etc, and he'd eat it while he made toast.
So I gave up. He feels happy that he's doing something and he is eating, although not very nutritional. His PCP said to keep protein shakes on hand and make him drink at least one a day.
The PCP said i shouldn't be so rigid about what he eats, because of the ultimate outcome. Just my 2 cents.

I would give her a healthy bedtime snack and put a lock on the refrigerator and food.......do NOT let this continue as you are enabling her problems. Perhaps the doctor can give her something to sleep better during the night. Do NOT add excess weight to the problems she already has.

Is her weight normal? If so, keep on doing what you are doing.

If her weight is high and she has health problems due to her weight, slowly taper what you are leaving as a snack.

If her doctor thinks she is underweight, increase the calories in the snack.

A nutritionist informed me that everyone should have 3 meals and 2 snacks daily for the beat metabolic functioning. A snack should generally have half the calories of a meal with 3 of the following components: fruit, vegetable, protein, dairy and/or fat. The recommended calories per meal vary by age/height/weight.

An elderly person with a healthy appetite is a blessing! My mom stopped eating completely once and we started her eating again, but this was a very scary time. In order to switch on her appetite, we were instructed to encourage higher fat content and more caloric foods.

Another relative struggled through anorexia with a “fear” of food - be so grateful that your mom doesn’t have these terrifying and sometimes fatal health problems.

With Alzheimer’s, she cannot enjoy life as she once did, it is so nice that she is enjoying food.

My dad had a good appetite for quite awhile but would wake up hungry. We left him very healthy snacks to pick from and he was happy. He’d eat then would go back to bed. No weight problems. You don’t say if your mom has AZ or dementia. If so, be lots more careful with her diet. Alzheimers is like diabetes of the brain. Consuming too much sugar will help keep a person up and exacerbate the situation- behavior can be greatly affected, too. Dad’s sleep and demeanor vastly improved as we tweaked his diet.
choice is always nice- good luck!

Sounds like she needs more water. Water will fill her belly and keep her busy. Have her drink a big glass of water before meals. Serve healthy foods, a big leafy salad, lots of veggies and a snack of celery. You can give her a big bowl of popcorn ( no butter) too.
If using more water and trying lots more veggies, doesn't work, consult her doctor.

I think it depends a lot on where your mom is, at what stage of life, her health, etc. If she has obvious weight problems, you should consult a doctor. If she's not suffering with obesity, I'd say let her eat if she's hungry.
She's either eating out of boredom, or she is actually hungry. Try introducing something new and fun to her to occupy her mind (you'll need to get creative) and if/when mom nears the end of her years, my opinion is to let her have whatever she wants to eat, and let her enjoy it. Obviously people live on a budget, and you'll need to find your own personal balance there, but keeping her happy and comfortable would be my 1st priority, even though a doctor may say it's best to control her eating, he/she likely would say the same thing when she's living out her final time..........Best of luck, don't forget to remind her that you love her every day......

I noticed that you usually put out foods that are high in carbohydrates. They pump sugar into our bloodstreams, our bodies burn the sugar up and leaves us hungry again in an hour or two. If she has any insulin resistance, the signals get even more confused. Try putting out snacks that are high in protean and fat. It takes more time to digest them and she won't get so much of a sugar peak. I would suggest adding a piece of cheese or peanut butter to her 9pm snack.
Then, make sure she isn't eating because of anxiety or boredom.

You should first check with her Dr to see if there is any underlining health reasons she might be feeling hungry, then...

If she isn't fat, I wouldn't worry about leaving her good healthy snacks.

Also for her night snack before you go to bed, try a bowl of oatmeal because it'll make her stomach stay fuller longer.

You could also have her drink a cup of sleepy time tea and check with her Dr to see if she can take a 5 mil of over the counter melontonin as a sleep Aide.

Keep leaving her a healthy snacks in her room so she won't go roaming around the kitchen.

If all the above doesn't work, the last alternative is to put locks on your pantry and refrigerator so you can lock everything up at night.

I have a 96 yr old Dad that likes snacks during the night too.

He lives in his own home with 24 hr Care. I buy easy healthy snacks like mini muffins, breakfast drink,, breakfast bar,, yogurt, applesauce for them to give him whenever he wants, even Midnight or 4 AM.

I figure at 96, he deserves to do what he wants .

Is she overweight? If she isn’t then I wouldn’t be very concerned.

I would ask her doctor what foods would be best for her.

You may even do better if you call a hospital and ask to speak to the dietitian on staff. They are more knowledgeable about nutrition.

Time to put locks on the refrigerator and cabinets. Also consult her doctor to let him/her know that your mom has problems with satiety, feeling full.

IMO, the only thing you can do is locks...on the cupboards, fridge or kitchen door. We need to do it but my father refuses, not wanting to lock her out of the kitchen because she likes to look out the window over the kitchen sink. The fact that she gets in the fridge and is drinking/consuming condiments like salad dressings or the ingredients for a meal I've yet to make or thinking fresh eggs are hardboiled and biting into them, doesn't phase him. At least you have no one to stop you from what will help!

Has she gained weight? Most people who know me think MY eating habits are “crazy”, but I don’t.

I think you’re doing fine- maybe take the sugary stuff with you when you go to bed but fruit, cereal, all sounds good. If she hasn’t actually gained too much weight so far, I think you’re doing right by her.


You sound like the Angel’s Angel! She’s lucky to have you!

I don't see anything wrong it what ur doing. But I would just leave one thing out for her. You seem to be giving her choices which she can no longer do. We used to take my Mom out with us. After a time she would just stare at the menu. Since I knew what she liked, I would give her 2 choices. When that stopped working, I just ordered her favorite thing, liver and onions. She was happy.

The brain no longer tells the body its full. And like u said, she forgets. All part of the desease. Oh yes, baby lock everything.

You can get locks for cabinets. There are magnetic ones that are placed on the inside of the cabinet so they are not visible.
You can get a child lock for the refrigerator, or just a light weight chain and a lock. If you have a separate pantry a hook and eye lock should work. Place it very high so it is out of sight. Or a hasp and lock will work well. (I placed one on the bathroom linen closet where I stored medications so my Husband could not get to things.)
Do not give in to giving her food after you have told her no more.
Do not leave food out for her to find.
Start getting her on a schedule and try getting her a bit ore active. A walk before or after dinner. A walk before or after lunch.
Talk to her doctor about her waking up and wandering around at night.
I would be concerned about her wandering around at night. Is there ANY possibility that she could get out of the house and wander away?