Sleep Problems Understanding Dementia “My mum would get angry if we woke her up, so we let her stay in bed till lunchtime. By 9pm my wife and I wanted to sleep but my mum would be wide awake. She would yell and want attention until she eventually fell asleep at 4am – it was exhausting! So we started getting her up five minutes earlier every day and her body clock slowly adjusted. Now she wakes up at 8am and goes to bed at midnight. I can now go to work without falling asleep!” How are Dementia & Sleep linked? Sleep problems are common in older people and dementia can make this worse. Being able to sleep well gets harder as thinking skills are lost and dementia progresses.
What causes it? Physical causes • Medical and mental illnesses. • Side-effects of medication. • Sleep disorders such as sleep. apnoea (breathing diff iculties while asleep) and restless leg syndrome. • Not enough exercise during the day. • Going to bed hungry. Their environment • Being too warm or too cold. • Not enough exposure to light during the day. • Bedroom is too bright or noisy at night. • Changes to the environment. Poor sleep hygiene • Spending too much time in bed during the day. • Taking too many naps during the day. • Having too much stimulation before bedtime. • Taking too much caffeine or alcohol.