Mum sleeping most of the day

Carlotta

Registered User
Mar 23, 2015
4
0
My Mum who is 85 sleeps much of the day and I am wondering whether this is one of the symptoms of dementia and/or old age. Her nights are for the most part undisturbed and she will sleep for a minimum of 10 hours and during the day she will have several naps of about 3 hours in total. She has been on a low dose of temazapam and is coming off that but sleeping even more. Her doctor is not worried about this and thinks it is a symptom of her dementia.

I would appreciate hearing any thoughts regarding sleep. With many thanks
 

Katrine

Registered User
Jan 20, 2011
2,837
0
England
Hi Carlotta. My mum is nearly 91 and is similar to yours in how much she sleeps. Her GP says she has no physical stamina any more, so any activity tires her. She has no reserves of energy. She is looked after by live-in carers and is seldom able to weight-bear or walk a few steps. She is either in bed, being hoisted, on the commode or in a wheelchair. She is never out of bed for more than 8 hours total in 24, and also sleeps when she is not in bed! This is a typical day.

8.00am - Woken for change of pull-ups, then breakfast in bed.
8.45am - sleep.
10.30am - Woken, hoisted to commode, washed, dressed.
11.00am - Taken to living room in wheelchair, coffee, snack.
11.30am - dozes in chair, but sometimes responds to talk, books, photos, and looking out of the window.
If the weather is good she will be taken outside for 20-40 minutes of fresh air in the garden.
1.00pm - Taken to kitchen for lunch.
1.50pm - Prepared for nap. Often soundly asleep while personal care in done.
2.00pm - sleep.
5.00pm - Woken, hoisted to commode, washed, dressed.
5.20pm - Taken to living room in wheelchair, coffee, snack.
5.45pm - Interacts with carer listening to poetry, looking at books, photos, postcards. Sometimes sleeps.
7.00pm - Taken to kitchen for supper.
7.50pm - Very sleepy now. Taken to bedroom and prepared for bed.
8.15pm - sleep.
 
Last edited:

Carlotta

Registered User
Mar 23, 2015
4
0
Hi Carlotta. My mum is nearly 91 and is similar to yours in how much she sleeps. Her GP says she has no physical stamina any more, so any activity tires her. She has no reserves of energy. She is looked after by live-in carers and is seldom able to weight-bear or walk a few steps. She is either in bed, being hoisted, on the commode or in a wheelchair. She is never out of bed for more than 8 hours total in 24, and also sleeps when she is not in bed! This is a typical day.

8.00am - Woken for change of pull-ups, then breakfast in bed.
8.45am - sleep.
10.30am - Woken, hoisted to commode, washed, dressed.
11.00am - Taken to living room in wheelchair, coffee, snack.
11.30am - dozes in chair, but sometimes responds to talk, books, photos, and looking out of the window.
If the weather is good she will be taken outside for 20-40 minutes of fresh air in the garden.
1.00pm - Taken to kitchen for lunch.
1.50pm - Prepared for nap. Often soundly asleep while personal care in done.
2.00pm - sleep.
5.00pm - Woken, hoisted to commode, washed, dressed.
5.20pm - Taken to living room in wheelchair, coffee, snack.
5.45pm - Interacts with carer listening to poetry, looking at books, photos, postcards. Sometimes sleeps.
7.00pm - Taken to kitchen for supper.
7.50pm - Very sleepy now. Taken to bedroom and prepared for bed.
8.15pm - sleep.
Dear Katrine, I feel sad readying about your Mum and her day though I like the thought of her listening to poetry.
Your post has really helped and reminded me how rapid my Mum's physical decline has been after some major falls over 2 years ago. Thank you
 

JimB

Registered User
Jun 29, 2015
16
0
Hi Carlotta,
My Mum is 86 and up until her fall a couple of weeks ago was spending a lot of her day asleep. Her eyesight prevented her from reading or watching TV and she refused to listen to the radio, listen to music or audio books. It has been very hard trying to stimulate her to do anything different apart from sleep in the morning and the afternoon. Having read other posts on here in the past it does seem to be part of this terrible disease :(
 

Katrine

Registered User
Jan 20, 2011
2,837
0
England
Dear Katrine, I feel sad readying about your Mum and her day though I like the thought of her listening to poetry.
Your post has really helped and reminded me how rapid my Mum's physical decline has been after some major falls over 2 years ago. Thank you

It is sad for me, Carlotta, because my mum can't really speak much any more and doesn't require much from me apart from smiles, hugs and kisses. But, hey, isn't it wonderful that I CAN give her smiles, hugs and kisses? :D It has been a long, gradual decline over 8 years. In the early years I had the pleasure and privilege of many lovely funny happy conversations, and heard many new stories about her early life. We developed a better relationship than ever we had previously.

My mum is very happy and contented, which I cannot say that she was pre-dementia. She loves her bed, and she loves her food. She loves poetry and can still enjoy it being read to her. She loves her garden and can see it out of the window and visit it every day in the warmer months. She has lovely regular carers who make her feel safe and loved. When people say that "she has no quality of life" I say that she actually has a very good quality of life. :)

It's just not what any of us wants for ourselves or our loved ones. The loss of their independence, social life, memory and ultimately dignity is harder for us to observe and adjust to.
 
Last edited:

beverrino

Registered User
Jan 12, 2015
1,110
0
:D

It is sad for me, Carlotta, because my mum can't really speak much any more and doesn't require much from me apart from smiles, hugs and kisses. But, hey, isn't it wonderful that I CAN give her smiles, hugs and kisses? :D It has been a long, gradual decline over 8 years. In the early years I had the pleasure and privilege of many lovely funny happy conversations, and heard many new stories about her early life. We developed a better relationship than ever we had previously.

My mum is very happy and contented, which I cannot say that she was pre-dementia. She loves her bed, and she loves her food. She loves poetry and can still enjoy it being read to her. She loves her garden and can see it out of the window and visit it every day in the warmer months. She has lovely regular carers who make her feel safe and loved. When people say that "she has no quality of life" I say that she actually has a very good quality of life. :)

It's just not what any of us wants for ourselves or our loved ones. The loss of their independence, social life, memory and ultimately dignity is harder for us to observe and adjust to.

That's lovely Katrine - that your mum is happy and contented, we can't ask for more for them at this stage of dementia. That's what I want for my mum :)
 

JimB

Registered User
Jun 29, 2015
16
0
Katrine,
That is lovely to hear that your Mum is happy and contented. As you say that in itself gives a good quality of life. In Mum's ward there is the oldest living person in Britain and she is 112 and has just had a hip operation. Her son, who is 84, was telling me that she still holds a conversation well as she showed in her interviews in hospital with the media last week. She is certainly a marvel and brought home to me how dreadful this illness is which has left my Mum so confused, frightened and frustrated :(
 

sleepless

Registered User
Feb 19, 2010
3,223
0
The Sweet North
Katrine,
That is lovely to hear that your Mum is happy and contented. As you say that in itself gives a good quality of life. In Mum's ward there is the oldest living person in Britain and she is 112 and has just had a hip operation. Her son, who is 84, was telling me that she still holds a conversation well as she showed in her interviews in hospital with the media last week. She is certainly a marvel and brought home to me how dreadful this illness is which has left my Mum so confused, frightened and frustrated :(

There can't be many 84 year olds with a parent still living. I did a double-take on reading that!
It always surprises me when the media interview people of such a great age, as they can usually articulate well etc. But thinking about it, there must be a great many of similar age who are bedbound and unable to be interviewed.
It does accentuate the cruelty of dementia though, to see the difference between those with the disease, and those lucky ones that don't have it even at an advanced age.
 

Spamar

Registered User
Oct 5, 2013
7,723
0
Suffolk
I visited a family friend the other day. She lives in a care home, though only for the past two years. In three weeks time she will be 102.
When I got there, she was reading Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina', a book which had such small print I couldn't have read it. We talked for 90 minutes, before I left. She walked me to the door and waved me off from a nearby window!

I was mightily impressed!

No dementia, BYW.
 

Carlotta

Registered User
Mar 23, 2015
4
0
It is sad for me, Carlotta, because my mum can't really speak much any more and doesn't require much from me apart from smiles, hugs and kisses. But, hey, isn't it wonderful that I CAN give her smiles, hugs and kisses? :D It has been a long, gradual decline over 8 years. In the early years I had the pleasure and privilege of many lovely funny happy conversations, and heard many new stories about her early life. We developed a better relationship than ever we had previously.

My mum is very happy and contented, which I cannot say that she was pre-dementia. She loves her bed, and she loves her food. She loves poetry and can still enjoy it being read to her. She loves her garden and can see it out of the window and visit it every day in the warmer months. She has lovely regular carers who make her feel safe and loved. When people say that "she has no quality of life" I say that she actually has a very good quality of life. :)

It's just not what any of us wants for ourselves or our loved ones. The loss of their independence, social life, memory and ultimately dignity is harder for us to observe and adjust to.
What strikes in this forum is the amount of love that there is from family members.

My Mum is far more loving to others now than she ever was prior to dementia and this has helped in taking care of her when her lovely carer needs time off. I have had to become more skilled in living in the moment with her, speak very clearly because of her deafness and keep my sentences and language simple. Although she is frustrated at her lack of independence and being "muddled" she still has her humour which is a great blessing.
 

IsabelsMum

Registered User
Nov 13, 2011
2
0
Lincolnshire
Sleeping .............

My darling Mum who is 87 has Alzheimers and Vascula Dementia and has just begun to sleep much more than she has in the past - yesterday after many attempts to wake her she eventually woke at 2 p.m. She was up and dressed and sitting in her chair looking bright when I visited her again at 3 p.m. She didn't remember being in bed at 2 p.m. at all. She lives opposite me so I'm constantly popping in and out which in itself becomes exhausting - I keep having to remind myself to go and see her. Mum still communicates but repeats herself dreadfully, still cares for herself in showering and so on, but sleeps so late in the morning. I worry that I'm not doing everything that I can, she doesn't want to go to groups but needs something to stimulate her so I started knitting with her but she shows little interest or forgets. This is such a cruel disease. I realise I've rambled, sorry. Mum is taking Donepezil. No help from other members of the family, its not an option and the services say that Mum isn't yet bad enough for carers to attend on a daily basis. I expect they will once I'm worn out. Sorry for rambling, thank you for taking the time to read.:confused:
 

Louby65

Registered User
Mar 26, 2014
620
0
Scotland
Oh what lovely thoughts of our mums on this thread . I have similar experiences . My wonderful 'wee mum' is 84 this year ( on Christmas Day !) when I look back on her life and the struggles that she had , I am so full of admiration for her. She has always been a well liked person and I am amazed at the amount of people who ask after her and when they meet her they want to cuddle her . I have to point out here that her dementia has robbed her of her memory of knowing who they are , but she still receives all kisses and cuddles with such warmth . I have never known anyone who , from instantly opening her eyes in the morning , greets you with the biggest smile ( I know I could never do this as I'm certainly not a morning person - must take after my dad!) . She tells me many times throughout the day how much she loves me and thanks me for everything I do. She can't talk very much due to having a stroke so I miss all her stories that she used to tell me ( I wish I had wrote them down at the time , they would make a marvellous story) . I have had many challenging times over the years while both of us have been coping with this horrible disease but as long as my mum gives me those smiles in the morning and tells me she loves me , then I know we will cope. Best wishes everyone . Lou
 

maggimoon

Registered User
Oct 25, 2015
4
0
york
Mums just been diagnosed

Hi everyone,
Not sure if I'm doing this right, but here goes.
My mum is 88 and has been active up until 18 months ago when she started falling whilst out shopping in may this yr she went for a brain scan which we only found out this week! And has been diagnosed with vascular dementia, in the past week she has called for an ambulance and been admitted into hospital and then discharged herself and called the doctor out 6 times . My mum lives in Manchester and my sister and I live in Filey and York , over the past 5 yrs we have tried to bring her closer to us but she insisted on staying in Manchester.
I have brought mum to york to try a ease her anxiety regarding her ailments which she was ringing the doctor at all hours day and night which are constipation and feeling sick . Her gp has been great and has called in to her supported living accommodation to speak to her and the warden and explained that she needs to keep active and continue to be independent but I have noticed since she came on Friday night that she sits and just looks down twiddling her thumbs , I believe that she is depressed she is already on anti depressants, we have spoke about her just sitting and stewing and she agrees that she needs to do more .
She has just woke me up asking for me to ring an ambulance as she is constipated and her legs are numb , we've had a chat and she settled back to bed . I'm at a loss at what to do as I know that if she doesn't get her own way she'll demand to go back to Manchester.
Mum is very aware as it's only mild at the moment but she's fixated with what's wrong with her, my husband and I have talked with mum that she 88 and that the level of her independence is excellent for her age and this dementia is age related and to keep active and do word search etc to help to exercise her brain.
Has anyone got any experience of this or a similar situation please and suggest what to do , my instinct is to move her closer to us but my sister says that moving here may make her deteriate quicker
Regards Maggi
 

maggimoon

Registered User
Oct 25, 2015
4
0
york
Mums just been diagnosed

Hi everyone,
Not sure if I'm doing this right, but here goes.
My mum is 88 and has been active up until 18 months ago when she started falling whilst out shopping in may this yr she went for a brain scan which we only found out this week! And has been diagnosed with vascular dementia, in the past week she has called for an ambulance and been admitted into hospital and then discharged herself and called the doctor out 6 times . My mum lives in Manchester and my sister and I live in Filey and York , over the past 5 yrs we have tried to bring her closer to us but she insisted on staying in Manchester.
I have brought mum to york to try a ease her anxiety regarding her ailments which she was ringing the doctor at all hours day and night which are constipation and feeling sick . Her gp has been great and has called in to her supported living accommodation to speak to her and the warden and explained that she needs to keep active and continue to be independent but I have noticed since she came on Friday night that she sits and just looks down twiddling her thumbs , I believe that she is depressed she is already on anti depressants, we have spoke about her just sitting and stewing and she agrees that she needs to do more .
She has just woke me up asking for me to ring an ambulance as she is constipated and her legs are numb , we've had a chat and she settled back to bed . I'm at a loss at what to do as I know that if she doesn't get her own way she'll demand to go back to Manchester.
Mum is very aware as it's only mild at the moment but she's fixated with what's wrong with her, my husband and I have talked with mum that she 88 and that the level of her independence is excellent for her age and this dementia is age related and to keep active and do word search etc to help to exercise her brain.
Has anyone got any experience of this or a similar situation please and suggest what to do , my instinct is to move her closer to us but my sister says that moving here may make her deteriate quicker
Regards Maggi
 

maggimoon

Registered User
Oct 25, 2015
4
0
york
Hi everyone,
Not sure if I'm doing this right, but here goes.
My mum is 88 and has been active up until 18 months ago when she started falling whilst out shopping in may this yr she went for a brain scan which we only found out this week! And has been diagnosed with vascular dementia, in the past week she has called for an ambulance and been admitted into hospital and then discharged herself and called the doctor out 6 times . My mum lives in Manchester and my sister and I live in Filey and York , over the past 5 yrs we have tried to bring her closer to us but she insisted on staying in Manchester.
I have brought mum to york to try a ease her anxiety regarding her ailments which she was ringing the doctor at all hours day and night which are constipation and feeling sick . Her gp has been great and has called in to her supported living accommodation to speak to her and the warden and explained that she needs to keep active and continue to be independent but I have noticed since she came on Friday night that she sits and just looks down twiddling her thumbs , I believe that she is depressed she is already on anti depressants, we have spoke about her just sitting and stewing and she agrees that she needs to do more .
She has just woke me up asking for me to ring an ambulance as she is constipated and her legs are numb , we've had a chat and she settled back to bed . I'm at a loss at what to do as I know that if she doesn't get her own way she'll demand to go back to Manchester.
Mum is very aware as it's only mild at the moment but she's fixated with what's wrong with her, my husband and I have talked with mum that she 88 and that the level of her independence is excellent for her age and this dementia is age related and to keep active and do word search etc to help to exercise her brain.
Has anyone got any experience of this or a similar situation please and suggest what to do , my instinct is to move her closer to us but my sister says that moving here may make her deteriate quicker
Regards Maggi[/QUOTE]
 

gypsy jo lee

Registered User
May 18, 2016
1
0
dads too.....

Hi all, new to the forum and this may sound odd, but I am so relieved that sleeping a lot is common.

Dad was diagnosed 3 years ago and he and mum muddle through - mum not great physically and dad with all the Alzheimer's complications mean that they almost make a whole person between them :)

Mum was taken to hospital a couple of days ago and there is no way I would leave my lovely, lovely dad on his own so I came to stay. This is a wonderful chap who in the past would survive on 5-7 hours sleep a night.

Last night - after we visited mum in hospital - he slept for about 8 1/2 hours, he went off for a nap today at about 11 (he did always tend to have 40 winks previously) and I woke him up at 2 to give him his lunch, he drifted off again at the hospital at 4pm, and he went up to bed again for the night about half an hour ago!

I am really hopeful that he just has a lot of sleep to catch up on or its a bit of a symptom - it would break my heart to think that he is spending so much time in bed because my being here and taking him out of his routine is causing him to hide away in his room.

Thanks to anyone who has "listened" and if there are any thoughts on whether its ok/not ok to let him sleep so much I'd love to hear them
 

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