If your senior mom or dad has Alzheimer’s and you’ve noticed that their sleeping patterns have changed recently the change could be the result of Alzheimer’s.
There are a lot of things that can disrupt a senior’s sleep like medications or health conditions. However, seniors who have Alzheimer’s often have sleeping problems because of the way that Alzheimer’s impacts their brains.
If your senior parent who has Alzheimer’s is living alone, you should consider Alzheimer’s care at home for them. Alzheimer’s care is specialized care for seniors who have Alzheimer’s.
The care providers have education, experience, and training to help them understand the way that Alzheimer’s impacts seniors.
Alzheimer’s care means that your senior parent will get a higher quality of care at home. You and your family members can learn a lot about how this disease is impacting your mom or dad and changing their health and behavior.
Some of the most common sleep changes that seniors experience because of Alzheimer’s include:
Difficulty Falling Asleep
Alzheimer’s can cause changes in the brain’s regulatory mechanisms that control sleep, making it harder for seniors to fall asleep. If your senior parent is having trouble falling asleep establishing a bedtime routine and going to bed at the same time each night might help.
Frequent Nighttime Awakenings
Disruptions in brain function can lead to fragmented sleep, causing seniors to wake up multiple times during the night. If your mom or dad is starting to wake up frequently throughout the night they should have a caregiver in the home with them around the clock so they don’t become frightened being alone at night.
Daytime Sleepiness
Poor sleep quality and frequent awakenings at night can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness and napping, further disrupting the sleep-wake cycle. Alzheimer’s can also affect your mom or dad’s Circadian rhythm and make them sleep during the day and awake at night.
Sundowning Syndrome
Some seniors with Alzheimer’s experience increased confusion, agitation, and restlessness in the late afternoon and evening, which can interfere with their ability to settle down and sleep at night.
Regular nighttime rituals like having a warm bath before bed, watching a certain TV show, or listening to certain music before bed can help your senior parent calm down enough to fall asleep.
Altered Sleep-Wake Cycle
Alzheimer’s can affect the body’s internal clock (circadian rhythms), leading to changes in the natural sleep-wake cycle, resulting in seniors feeling sleepy at unusual times. A clock that wakes up seniors with natural light that mimics the sunrise may be able to help your senior parent get back on a regular sleep schedule.
Increased Nighttime Activity
Some individuals with Alzheimer’s may become more active or restless at night, wandering or engaging in other behaviors that disturb their sleep and that of their caregivers. If your senior parent has 24-hour home care someone will always be with them who can help prevent nighttime falls and get your mom or dad back to bed if they wander at night.
Sleep Apnea
Alzheimer’s can be associated with sleep disorders like sleep apnea or excessive snoring which can make it difficult for seniors to sleep. Talk to your mom or dad’s doctor about treatment for sleep apnea if it’s regularly disrupting their sleep.