Improving Sleep for People with Alzheimer's Disease

People often assume as we get older, we need less sleep (this is true for many people). However the opposite can be said for others. Basically everyone has their own sleeping pattern which suits them best. Nevertheless, it is generally assumed that older people need lesser sleep. This basic assumption can manifest itself in how we view the sleep requirements of people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Since the sleep pattern of patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease get distorted, we need to look at issues related to improving sleep for people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Often a sufferer from Alzheimer’s disease will wander from room to room at night waking their family members and exposing themselves to risk of getting hurt. This not only exhausts themselves but also creates a bad time for their caregivers.

Other associated problems of sleep disorder in Alzheimer’s disease patients are:

Fortunately, all of these are treatable separately and symptomatically, giving considerable relief to the patient and the carer.

The sleep needs of an Alzheimer’s disease sufferer may not change, but what often happens is their cycle becomes reversed. In other words, they may want to sleep all day and be wide awake at night.

This isn’t a problem in itself though it can be very distressing (and tiring) for their carers especially if they become disruptive and noisy by moving around in the main acting as though it is the daytime.

It’s very tempting to use medication to help the Alzheimer’s disease sufferer sleep at night though eventually it may become necessary. Sleeping sedatives can often exacerbate their confusional mental state which then makes the person more difficult to care for.

A small glass of their favourite tipple is often a good idea, as is a warm drink, though remember urinary incontinence may need to be considered.

It’s much more appropriate to keep the alzheimer’s sufferer awake as long as possible during the day though it’s often tempting to let them sleep for long periods as it gives the carer some respite to do chores have a few minutes, or even take a nap themselves.

Make sure it isn’t other problems causing the restless nights; this could include incontinence, night cramps or joint pain. Sometimes even two paracetamol just before bedtime can alleviate some of these problems, so it’s worth checking out.

Keeping the alzheimer sufferer gently active during the day is a good way of helping them to re-establish a sleeping pattern where they settle again at night.

If this proves to be unworkable, many people use night sitting services. These can be very useful as the alzheimer sufferer is able to wander about closely supervised, and the carer is able to have a few nights undisturbed sleep.

Even if a service like this can only be used for one or two nights a week, at least the carer is getting some quality sleep.