Why does mom sleep around the clock?
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She may be up for an hour or so, but falls asleep in her chair or goes back to bed. Is this a sign of late stage Alzheimer’s/dementia?
She may be up for an hour or so, but falls asleep in her chair or goes back to bed. Is this a sign of late stage Alzheimer’s/dementia?
Has your mom ever been clinically diagnosed with ALZ or dementia by her doc? Is your mom on any medications? Maybe meds now too strong? Maybe she is physically ill and can't show/express it, too weak? I guess a question you need to ask yourself is, if she is sleeping because she is physically ill, what outcome for her do you think is best? Launching exams and medical tests may be stressful and exhausting for both of you. Wishing you wise answers!
We get this question fairly often on the forum.
Here is a good thread with several different points of view.
https://www.agingcare.com/questions/is-desire-to-sleep-all-day-and-night-a-sleep-disorder-430292.htm?orderby=recent
One thing to remember is there could be one set of problems causing her to sleep so much, but the fact that she is not moving about can lead to more problems.
My mom and dad and several relatives lived to great age and did not sleep during the day beyond an occasional nap in their chair. They went to bed and got up each morning like clock work. My husband can go to sleep in a nano second and always has so I know it’s not just from being old that some people do this.
Neither are our loved ones with dementia exempt from other health problems. Sometimes I attribute almost everything that my aunt does to her dementia and it could be completely unrelated.
Sleep is so important so I hope you find some answers that help your mom.