Excessive sleeping

SallyKat

Registered User
Apr 3, 2017
39
0
Hi,

My mum, who has Alzheimer's, sleeps a lot during the day. Is this normal? Do others have experience of this?

She stays awake lonber when there's more stimulation but often says she could just go back to bed or feels dizzy. She's either in bed or sat in her recliner chair.
 

nae sporran

Registered User
Oct 29, 2014
9,213
0
Bristol
Morning Sally. I don't know about normal, with dementia normal goes out the window.:(
My OH who has vascular dementia has been sleeping more than ever before over the last year and a half. Music does help to stimulate, but sometimes she falls asleep again with music on too. Not sure if there's a solution, I have just learned it accept it as long as she is well enough otherwise.
Dizziness is more of a worry though. Have you had her doctor check her for low blood pressure or the side effects of her medication?
 

LynneMcV

Volunteer Moderator
May 9, 2012
6,084
0
south-east London
I find with my husband that, it isn't so much that he nods off during the day, but that he gets up so much later now.

His typical sleep pattern since April has been going to bed at 9pm but not getting up until around 1pm the next day - on a couple of occasions it has been nearer 3pm. It is an extremely deep sleep he goes into and I have next to no hope of getting him up before he is ready because he can turn temporarily violent when disoriented/frustrated.

Once up he is generally happy and alert, enjoying activities and stimulation until bed time comes around again. I try to get him out the house every day, even if it is just a short walk around the block.

This need for extra sleep seems to be a common situation as dementia progresses.
 

Prudence9

Registered User
Oct 8, 2016
478
0
Hi SallyKat, my Mum sleeps for England too and has done for about 4 years now, before we even realised dementia was in the mix. Early days I thought it was the tablets she was on but it really wasn't.

She wakes up mid to late morning, sleeps after her change, wash and breakfast and then she's asleep until about 5-6 pm when we have the next cycle of cups of tea,change, dinner.
After that she'll snooze and wake a little until "proper bedtime" after which she'll sleep through until the next day.

We did have a couple of years of sleepless nights and waking to try to wander round her room and get herself on to the commode - all with accompanying falls and trips to A&E, Ambulance call-outs, but she's been bed-bound for 18 months now (she's also physically disabled with a dreadful back condition and probably dementia progression), so in a way I am relieved that she can no longer fall and hurt herself but so very sad she can't move about of her own free will.

Her sleeping such a lot does mean it's quite stressful trying to get enough food and liquid into her each day, bed-bathing is dependent on when she's awake too as it's really not worth trying to wake her up, she really is exhausted.
Unfortunately.....this also means it's a problem trying to get the chores done - nothing noisy like hoovering or clattering about doing the dishes but hey-ho, there have to be some advantages!

I would agree with having the dizziness checked out though, Mum has had several batteries of tests done over the years and has nothing physically wrong.
Her GP should be able to arrange for blood tests to be done at home if it's a struggle to get her to the surgery.
 

Loopiloo

Registered User
May 10, 2010
6,117
0
Scotland
His typical sleep pattern since April has been going to bed at 9pm but not getting up until around 1pm the next day - on a couple of occasions it has been nearer 3pm. It is an extremely deep sleep he goes into and I have next to no hope of getting him up before he is ready because he can turn temporarily violent when disoriented/frustrated.

@LynneMcV. My husband was (eventually) similar and sometimes was heading for bed at or before 8pm. Particularly difficult during the early dark period of the year. Sometimes I managed to keep him up an hour or so more He would have slept well into afternoon if left. I usually roused him about 12pm but then he began to aggressively object. It is very difficult.

Especially as he had diabetes and up late with a late breakfast, within an hour he'd look at his watch and say it was lunch time. I had to waken him to take his morning medication then he'd promptly go back to sleep again.

I put the sleeping down to dementia and many with dementia do seem to sleep a lot.

Loo
 

LynneMcV

Volunteer Moderator
May 9, 2012
6,084
0
south-east London
Thanks @Loopiloo , yes it does sound very much the same.

I have tried to wake him for his morning meds before letting him go back to sleep. I've had a few successes but he is just so sleepy that I am afraid he'll end up choking, so mostly I give them at around 1pm instead. The main one I try to get into him as early as I can is Quetiapine, which manages his psychotic episodes.

It's all a bit of a juggling act most days but we are managing to keep things under control by the skin of our teeth!
 

Selinacroft

Registered User
Oct 10, 2015
936
0
This is all sounding very similar to dad. He has been sleeping more and more. He is nearly always ready for bed by 9.00 PM and sometimes 8.00 PM. There are occassions of restless nights but more often than not he will sleep through until morning, sometimes be incredibly hard to wake up while carers are washing and changing him, yesterday he didn't wake up enough for morning tablets until 11.30 and didn't want to sit up until 1.30 PM. Today he has been in chair since morning carer but been asleep in chair.
He is meant to have four lots of tablets , 4 hours apart- paracetamol but hard to fit them all in when he isn't awake for that long. If he isn't awake until nearly midday he has a brunch so only fits in 2 meals a day instead of 3 as he simply isn't awake for long enough. I've tried to introduce a mid afternoon snack but if he realises what the time is , he refuses as so driven by certain things happening at particular times.
 

Loopiloo

Registered User
May 10, 2010
6,117
0
Scotland
I've tried to introduce a mid afternoon snack but if he realises what the time is , he refuses as so driven by certain things happening at particular times

My husband was exactly the same. Obsessed about time. Except the time he got up!

Loo x
 

Teddybear12

Registered User
Aug 26, 2016
44
0
London
my mother at 85 has AZ and like most replies sleeps for 14 hours a night and then in the chair throughout what day is left. My worries is the lack of eating but that's the disease so like all carers we do our best.
 

lubyloo

Registered User
Feb 9, 2015
59
0
Worc's
Hi SallyKat, my husband is the same, in fact he woke this morning had breakfast, got him dressed, (does not shower too much, that is a battle), and when I turned round he was fast asleep in the chair, had coffee at 11.0 then fast asleep again till lunch, then asked if he could have a rest and a nap. As he doesn't walk very well do not go out too often which makes me feel upset because think he should be getting some exercise and stimulation. Such a worry. He was in bed by 8.30, which incidentally is on the settee with pillows and quilt.
 

Jo Sutton

Registered User
Jul 8, 2016
215
0
Surrey
Same here with Mum, @SallyKat. She goes to bed at 9pm, which gives me a couple of hours to relax with hubby on our own, and the carers don't come in to get her up until 11am.

Unless she's delusional and up several times during the night, which happens once a week or so, she sleeps right through. She often goes back to bed during the day, or sleeps in her chair in front of the TV. I count it as a blessing, as it means I can relax and get on with my own stuff.

Judging from the other comments, it seems pretty universal. I hope that helps!

Hugs

Jo xx
 

MaryH

Registered User
Jun 16, 2016
120
0
Ottawa, Canada
Mom is sleeping a bit more than usual about 12+ hours. Dad sleeps even more in the hospital. When he was on Memantine, he was basically sleeping more than usual and drowsiness is one of the side effects.

As for dizziness, is it when she gets up from bed or chairs? Maybe she is doing it too fast? You might want to mention it to the GP if it is a new issue or there has been some medication changes recently..
 

SallyKat

Registered User
Apr 3, 2017
39
0
Morning Sally. I don't know about normal, with dementia normal goes out the window.:(
My OH who has vascular dementia has been sleeping more than ever before over the last year and a half. Music does help to stimulate, but sometimes she falls asleep again with music on too. Not sure if there's a solution, I have just learned it accept it as long as she is well enough otherwise.
Dizziness is more of a worry though. Have you had her doctor check her for low blood pressure or the side effects of her medication?
 

SallyKat

Registered User
Apr 3, 2017
39
0
A huge thank you to everyone who has posted on this thread about excessive sleeping. The GP has been out to visit and is taking bloods next week. Her blood pressure is spot on. She's still sleeping a lot and there's been no recent changes in medication. It has been reassuring though to hear similar stories from all the posts and to know it's perhaps part of Alzheimer's.
Thanks again for the support.
 

Alanx

New member
Dec 23, 2017
2
0
Having read all the other comments, I now know i am not alone. I care for my 81 year old father, and have done for the past 4 years, it's only been 2 years since he has really been struggling with lowey body dementia, it's a mix of dementia and parkinson. But for the past 4 months we are seeing a pattern of about every 2 or 3 weeks he tends to go into a deep sleep that can last for around 48 hours. We do sometimes manage to feed him and drink but he never seems fully awake. I will keep posting over the following months now that I have found this great forum. If you want to ask anything or want to chat please feel free.
 

Shedrech

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
12,649
0
UK

Prudence9

Registered User
Oct 8, 2016
478
0
Hi and welcome Alanx, so glad you've found this forum, I don't think I'd have been able to keep Mum in her own home, or saved my sanity without it.

Keep posting. and hope you have a peaceful, happy Christmas.
 

rhubarbtree

Registered User
Jan 7, 2015
501
0
North West
My OH usually sleeps deeply for two hours after the trauma of showering, dressing and breakfast. And then nods off throughout the day. He is not stimulated by music, tv or puzzles. But last week we had visitors staying and he was awake all the time. I wondered if this would affect him i.e. getting tired and bad tempered but he was ok. Visitors gone and he is back to sleeping most of the time. Sounds easy caring but very lonely and depressing.
 

Recent Threads

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
137,809
Messages
1,990,204
Members
89,473
Latest member
SuzieMK27