Sleeping all the time

[hvml]

I get my Dad up at 7.00am, which solves a lot of the problem with early morning bed soil. As soon as he has had his breakfast, his head is nodding. He will (if given the chance) sleep till lunchtime, all afternoon, then look to go to bed at 7.00pm. Unsurprisingly, he has quite a disrupted night and will shout for me until I wake up.

I have been sitting with him longer during the day, putting on his favourite DVDs, watching films and explaining the plot, doing my knitting and coughing loudly when he nods off, but it is all very energy intensive and with nights disrupted..........

Is this just a common feature of dementia, or is there anything else that people have done that can reverse the cycle?

 

[hvml]

Just read the fact sheet in another thread. Should probably have done that first!

 

[little shettie]

It is common I'm afraid. My mum lives with us and is the same. Its a cycle that I too have tried hard to break but fail miserably. Mum is up wandering around the house all night. Now, I have tried to drum it into her that she keeps us awake some nights with all the doors opening and shutting and she shuffles around the house in her slippers, sounds like she has sand paper on the bottom of them!!!!!!! And sometimes she remembers what I've told her and will be quiet actually so hardly disturbs us. Other times she just doesn't get and when shes in a mood, well no one gets any sleep!! Then she goes to sleep as dawn breaks, or sometimes still awake when we get up and then she falls into a deep sleep and sleeps until the carer comes in about 1.30pm. Now sometimes she refuses to get up for the carer once or twice a week as shes still so tired, that's why we have the later call, as they used to come in about 9-10am but no way would mum budge at all. Once shes up and dressed unless she eating something she will fall asleep. I do try and rouse her, but to no avail. I have to say with mum this comes in a cycle, started off for a week then she would be ok in a normal sleeping pattern for weeks months even. But now we've had this for a whole month and we're all shattered!!

 

[hvml]

It's really hard isn't it. I have been having 'stern' chats with my dad at bedtime and so far, it seems to be working. He always thanks me every night for looking after him, so I say, well...you can look after me by letting me have a restful night 's sleep. 2 good nights in a row!! Also, yesterday we had a busy day with Remembrance Sunday and a visit in the afternoon, so he was awake for most of it. I think now that it's dark in the morning it's helping. As you say little shettie, it seems to go in cycles. I'll continue to remind him at bedtime and hope for the best. X

 

[hvml]

Spoke too soon. Headache city. He has the capacity to reason about it during the day. Sundowning. Grrrrr!