My mother has moderate dementia and she began with what they call sundowning, where just before dinner she would get agitated and it would progress into nervousness and it was like she was having a panic and anxiety attack. She would not go to bed or go to sleep!!! She was in my bedroom 25 times a night to check on the dog, flipping on my light and waking me up, trying to feed the dog that was sleeping.....it was horrible!!!
It got to the point that none of us were sleeping at we were all at each others throat because we were exhausted and could not longer cope. I found a Gerontologist and got her in to see him ASAP and he prescribed two medications which one is taken morning and the other evening.... they are for depression and they work great! Mom is not excessively tired, but the bad behavior stopped and she goes to bed and falls asleep and gets up regular time, eats breakfast, reads newspaper and may take a mid morning nap, but these medications are all that saved her from being put into a nursing home! I truly think she feels better now that she is actually GETTING SLEEP!!!!
It depends on the cause. Look up "sundowning" and you will see this is a common occurrence and in varying degrees. It can be bladder urges, it can be low blood sugar, it can be the bright light of a full moon, or advancing Alzheimer's. With mom, one glass of red wine seems to work well. She is 86 and doesn't give a hoot if someone objects. I'm 62 and do not sleep through the night. As long as the person is not wandering off the premises, let it be.
What is the nature of the sleep disorder? Not being able to fall asleep? Not being able to stay asleep? Sleeping during the day but not at night? Restless movement during sleep? Sleepwalking? Night terrors? Movement of the legs? Snoring?
There are lots of different kind of sleep disorders, and most of them can afflict people of any age.
For some disorders a primary care doctor may be able to help with a solution. For others, being diagnosed at a sleep clinic can be extremely helpful.
There isn't any single proper solution that will work well for everyone. Very few things are bad for everyone under every circumstance, and sometimes things that work great for most people wont do it for you, not because they are bad things but because people have variations in their genes and biochemistry that no one fully understands yet.
Sleep problems are common in the elderly. older people need 30 to 60 minutes less sleep than younger people. A healthy 70 year old may wake up four times during the night without it being due to disease. There are many easy solutions on sleeping disorders that is Sleeping in a quiet place and drinking a glass of warm milk before bed may the symptoms.Avoid stimulants such as caffeine.
It got to the point that none of us were sleeping at we were all at each others throat because we were exhausted and could not longer cope. I found a Gerontologist and got her in to see him ASAP and he prescribed two medications which one is taken morning and the other evening.... they are for depression and they work great! Mom is not excessively tired, but the bad behavior stopped and she goes to bed and falls asleep and gets up regular time, eats breakfast, reads newspaper and may take a mid morning nap, but these medications are all that saved her from being put into a nursing home! I truly think she feels better now that she is actually GETTING SLEEP!!!!
God Bless you all!
There are lots of different kind of sleep disorders, and most of them can afflict people of any age.
For some disorders a primary care doctor may be able to help with a solution. For others, being diagnosed at a sleep clinic can be extremely helpful.