My 90 year old father with Alzheimer’s is now waking up every hour at night. Any suggestions on what to do?

One of the big issues for AD caregivers is getting enough sleep. If you're up at all hours of the day that will eventually take a toll on you if it hasn't already. Be mindful that if he gets up without your knowing, he could begin to wander and that would be a serious safety issue. Your best bet is to discuss this with his PCP to see if he can prescribe a drug to help your dad sleep. Do not buy any over the counter sleep aids (except melatonin). They all contain a drug that has negative side efects on an AD patient. If your dad is currently on any drugs, make sure you take those with you to the appt. so the doctor doesn't prescribe a sleep aid that would interact act with what dad's already taking.

Talk to his PCP and see of there is something mild that can help him to stay asleep. I take Seroquel and while I still wake up a LOT during the night, I can go back to sleep.

The doc can no doubt give you many options.

You need your sleep! I imagine dad sleeps/dozes all day long and so his circadian rhythms are all off.

I'd like to give you MY problem, or a least a portion of it. My DH (pretty healthy at age 68) and if he is not actively working, he is asleep. I've seen him sleep 22 hours straight, more than once. Then he gets up, eats something, goes to the bathroom and is back in bed for another 22 hour 'nap'. He gets in cycles where he will do this for up to 5 days. Somehow he manages to still work 70+ hrs a week, but he does nothing else.

I wouldn't want your problem, but I'm not a fan of MINE!

Good Luck. This must be exhausting!

Maybe what he needs is a little "white" noise in his room. If he is anxious and hears nothing may feel like he is left alone. There are recordings of waves, soft breezes, etc. that might be soothing. Even the noise from an air purifier or humidifier might be soothing. Even a night light. Think what you would do for a baby.

Thank you all for your suggestions. Yes. He dozes off and on for short times throughout the day. He does not complain of pain while peeing and pisses like a horse. I think he would say because he says “ouch” with the pressure of the blood pressure machine. He moved in with us a month ago from my sister who lives out of town. He goes to his new dr on Monday and I definitely will have him checked for UTI and possibly sleep aids. Heaven help us all with caregiving and Thankful I have a place to come to here.

"He does not complain of pain while peeing and pisses like a horse. I think he would say because he says “ouch” with the pressure of the blood pressure machine."

Yes, you're getting that UTI check, but ask for a culture, if possible. When I first joined the forum and saw all the suggestions for UTI test, I was a skeptic. Mom's first UTI at MC resulted in major sun-downing! No pain, none, just every afternoon/early evening she HAD to get out, she had guests coming and had to go home! She set off every door alarm. In the morning, she was fine. Any relatively sudden change in behavior, habits, demeanor, do check that first. It's easy and cheap, just to rule it out. UTIs (and apparently other infections) can really wreak havoc on elders, without the usual symptoms. This seems to be especially true for those with dementia.

That said, mom's second UTI showed up as night time bed wetting. SOAKING! They would have to change her nightgown, briefs AND bedding! Despite briefs with another pad inserted. Once treated, no more bed wetting.

For the sleep issue, maybe if he has a UTI and it is treated it will resolve. If it doesn't, during mom's first UTI episode they Rxed anti-anxiety, mildest dose. I'm not a big fan of medications, but this worked first time, every time and there's no need to wean off if it doesn't work. It was just enough in the evening to take the "edge" off, but it also helped to keep her asleep. They do warn it can be a fall risk, but mom was still mobile at that time and never had any issues. The only tumbles she ever had there she wasn't taking it - it was only used during the UTI treatment, then kept for "as needed", but they didn't need it.

Hopefully it is a UTI. If not, there should be something they can prescribe to help him sleep. If he still pees like a racehorse, you'll want to add some extra padding on the bed to protect the mattress. Meanwhile they should do more investigation to find out why he goes so much. Definitely need to resolve this so you can SLEEP!

My 96 yr old Dad with dementia does the same.

It helps a little to give him a small snack like a muffin and a glass of milk late when he wakes up.

Also, started giving him 3 mg of melatonin at night.

My Dad doesn't really like being by himself, it's like a child being scared of being left alone and he doesn't eat a lot but seems to want something to eat every 2-3 hrs.

He has now chosen to sleep in his Recliner verses his bed, seems to relax him better.

Prayers

Couple of other things to consider:

Make sure he stays awake the majority of the day. If his sleep needs occur during the day, he will be up at night.

Take him outside into the sunshine daily and make sure he has plenty of light during the day. His circadian rhythm will be better adjusted when he gets plenty of light to recalibrate his wake-sleep cycles.

Limit naps to 20 minutes.

Have his prostrate checked. Enlargement causes the feeling of always needing to pee. This could cause him to wake frequently.

Talk to his doctor about medications to help with sleeping.

Please make sure that all caregivers in the family are getting enough sleep (7-9 hours) themselves. Being on constant "call" will eventually mess with your health.

My Papa had Parkinson’s, as well as some dementia. His getting up and down all day and night turned out to be all anxiety related. His doctor put him on a drug called Trazadone, and it made a world of difference. All of the fidgeting stopped and well as the constant bathroom trips. We didn’t notice any side effects either. Maybe speak to his doctor and see what he thinks. Best of luck.

zzzzzzz

YOU need sleep. I agree with talking to his doc ASAP and seeing if a med can help him sleep more, for your sake. Is he waking up from pain? To pee? Or just who knows why? Maybe try melatonin?

Is there any noise that could be waking him? If so, maybe put a white noise machine in his room? Works for my grandkids!

I had the same issue with my mom. She was getting up every couple of hours to use the bathroom, then every hour, then every 20 minutes. Part of the problem seemed to be that she was irritating her private parts with constant wiping. She also had all her over-the-counter medicines - antibiotic ointment for the irritated area, lotion for arthritis pain, eye-drops, ointment for irritated nasal passages and Chapstick for her lips to apply every time she used the bathroom. (It helped to put the over-the-counter medicines out of sight.)
We checked and checked for UTI, tried melatonin, tried adjusting other medicines, etc.
It all ended when she had a mild stroke towards the end of last summer.
Recently, she had some trouble with hallucinations keeping her up at night. Her hospice nurse advised giving her a very small dose of anti-anxiety medicine at bedtime. It does make her sleepier, even during the day, but she is sleeping through the night now.
I have since wondered if the constant trips to the bathroom and the use of all the over-the-counter medicines was due to anxiety. It's worth thinking about if other remedies don't work.