Disturbing changes in sleep

[jaimebaby]

Hi everyone

I am new to this forum and needed a place to ask a little advice.

My grandmother has had dementia in some form for 10 years. We do not believe it is full blown Alzheimer's.

My question is about changes in sleep patterns in people with worsening dementia.

My grandmother has always been a good sleeper. She has always talked in her sleep often. Lately she is sleeping more and more. Sometimes all day. She also has colon cancer and unable to have cancer treatments so the fatigue might also be related to that. Lately I have noticed some really disturbing changes in her sleep. She has started falling asleep with her eyes open. Her body just twitches all over and she even snores. But then she'll be sort of awake at the same time. It's like she's semi-conscious.

Her sleep-talking has become more and more frequent and is contributing to her confusion because her dreams seem so vivid that she cannot distinguish what is real and what she dreams about. The other night I was informed of a very disturbing thing she has started to do, which is to have basically split personalities in one conversation in her sleep. She is having a full conversation between two people and one of the voices is her and the other is her voice changing into usually a man's voice. Often they are arguing. It sounds so real that people think there are two people in the room instead of just one.

I can't help but be very unsettled by these changes in her sleep. I have never seen anything like it. If anyone has experience with this or can offer advice I would GREATLY appreciate it.

 

[Lifebuoy44]

Hi Jamiebaby

It's very difficult to understand what our loved ones are going through when their sleep is punctuated by such unexpected activities. My wife has Alzheimer's and was diagnosed three years ago. Mostly, she copes well, but night times are the hardest for me, because she sometimes sits up and screams loudly. It is really scary to be woken so abruptly and loudly, gives me the shakes for a while! However, my wife is blissfully unaware of it and I usually kiss her shoulder and hold her hand until the event passes (rarely longer than a few seconds at a time). Mercifully, she never remembers her dream in the morning,so the damage to her sleep and health seems nil. This is the most important thing for me, and I hope you'll be able to realise that, whatever your Gran presents, it is unlikely to cause her any further stress, so try to relax and not be troubled for her. The important things for you to concentrate on are her physical safety and well-being. Report your observations to the medical or care-home staff, and then allow their knowledge and experience take over. Your worries will not help her; and they will certainly not help YOU, either. But thank goodness there are family members like you to surround her with love and concern. Be proud of your love, but try to step back from believing you have to take total responsibility. You are not a Super-Being (unless you make a habit of fast clothing changes in a phonebox, or posses x-ray vision!) Best wishes always. Lifebuoy44.

 

[jaymor]

When my husband was in his nursing home the man across the corridor from him did the talking to and answering. The answering was always in a different voice.

 

[Chemmy]

When my husband was in his nursing home the man across the corridor from him did the talking to and answering. The answering was always in a different voice.

One of the ladies in Mum's CH talked out loud all day, (and I mean all day), and it was a clearly an ongoing conversation between two different people.

Thinking about it, maybe it's the verbal equivalent of visual delusions or hallucinations? I tend to think of these things as a bit of mixed-up wiring in the damaged brain, which is simply trying to makes sense of what it is seeing or hearing.