Sleeping tablets? Advice please

[Miss A]

Hello,

My Dad, who has vascular dementia and Alzheimer's, is currently living in supported accommodation. His days and nights are completely the wrong way round, a common issue I realise.

This sleep pattern has been going on for some time. As an example he'll go to bed at 6am (after being awake all of the early hours) and will be asleep until 3pm.

He is moving soon into residential care as his needs are too great for his current accommodation. I have visited many care homes recently and I've been told by some that sometimes residents are put on a short course of sleeping tablets to kick start their body into re-setting itself. Has any body reading this done this for their loved one? Does it work/help?

Dad tends to wander into other people's rooms at night and gets very agitated and starts swearing when he's told he can't do that. I don't think he means to disturb I wonder if he's looking for other people in the early hours as he thinks it should be the afternoon.

Any help or advice would be appreciated. I want his move to be as smooth as possible and I'm worried his wandering at night will cause problems in his new home.

Thank you


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[Jessbow]

Hopefully his day will be filled, and he'll then sleep at night once he's in the residential home. It might take a day or two, but with someone to point out that its night, and someone to tell him to get up, is breakfast time, I think he'll soon adjust without medication.

See how it goes

 

[marionq]

My husband took Zopiclone tablets for more than a year for just this problem. He no longer needs them and no harm has been done.

 

[juliajulia]

Hello there,

My mum has the same diagnosis as your dad and currently lives with us.

This is a huge problem to us, in fact, I have been up all night with mum last night.

I asked both the doctor and SW about sleeping tablets and they said this could cause
drowsiness and then my mum (who is already frail) might fall.

I hope you can get some help and I'll watch this post with interest.

With love xx

 

[pamann]

Hello Miss A my husband was taking Zopiclone they were very good for a year, then they stopped working, he will not go to bed hasn't done for 2yrs, he is in a CH l bought him a recliner he sleeps in it for 4 or 5hrs then wanders, it is very difficult to stop them wandering as they get aggressive if stopped. There doesn't seem to be an answer, only sleeping pills when they work.

 

[Red66]

Dad was on Zopiclone too but was also put on the antidepressant mirtazapine at night as it's side effect makes you sleepy.

 

[Witzend]

My mother often wandered around half the night in her (dementia only) care home, but they seemed to cope with it well and never said it was a problem.

Sleeping tablets were never suggested but I would not have had any objections on principle if they had.
Except that the main disadvantage of sleeping tablets that I've heard is that unsurprisingly they are likely to make the person a lot more dozy if they do get up, and thus more likely to fall. I would guess that this is one reason they were never suggested for my mother, who would have been highly likely to get up anyway unless completely zonked out.

 

[angecmc]

Hi, my Mum had various types of sleeping tablets to try and alter her sleep pattern, none of them worked all that happened was she had lots more falls. She is now in a Care home, her sleep pattern has not improved, the mental health consultant will not prescribe sleeping tablets due to the fact that they can cause falls. The night carers try to keep her occupied in the lounge area. She isn't the only one who doesn't sleep at night, you will probably find the same at your Dads home xx

Ange

 

[Miss A]

Thank you so much everybody for your replies and thoughts. Sorry for the late reply it's been a very busy couple of weeks with Dad. X


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[Mannie]

We were prescribed ... a low dose of Trazadone.

In addition th following helped:

****Outdoor exercise, direct daylight resets the body clock****
More activities in the day time
Avoid using recliners in the day time
Coffee in the morning but not after mid afternoon
Lavender aromatherapy eg drops on the corner of the pillowcase

I have also heard that giving Trazadone earlier in the evening say at dinner time, may help, because one doctor told me that it takes a while to kick in.

 

[Martinj]

Circadin

This works well for my wife ,after trying process highlighted here