Nighttime sleep disruption

karenhag

My DH with Alzheimers has recently been experiencing disruptive sleep.  He will awake feeling quite anxious and restless, feeling like he can't get a breath.  He will get up and wander around, turn on lights and then return to bed.  No sooner does he lie down and the pattern repeats itself less than five minutes later. It might start at 2am, 3am, or 4am, no set pattern.  Once this starts it lasts through the night into the morning.  He's on sleep medication and I am limiting his sleep time during the.  He's very inactive, bored and restless and anxious most of the day.  Will not go to an Adult Center.  I am expected to be his full time entertainer. Obviously my sleep is also disrupted making it much harder to be patient with the quirks of this disease.

My question: is does this sound like a new phase in his decline?

Thank you in advance for your comments.

Quilting brings calm

It’s definitely another symptom.  My LO is on Xanax and Trazodone to help her sleep and combat agitation because she was getting upset and also getting up at those hours last fall. We have a doctors appointment for her coming to because I think she needs different medication altogether for her anxiety and depression.

M1

Karen, do you think there could be any degree of emphysema or congestive heart failure?  Both of these things could make him feel short of breath at night when lying down.  Just a thought, might be worth asking his doc.

I also wonder if you would do better sleeping in another room, if you could get him settled down.  Maybe with a monitor?  Your ability to sleep is important too so you don't wear completely out.

PanamaFarmer

My mother had a similar thing where she'd get up and walk back and forth to the bathroom and then organize her purse in the middle of the night over and over again.  I follow a naturopathic protocol mostly and I have been very pleased with making sure her room is conducive for a good night sleep such as dark and a little cool with a night light and essential oils such as lavender in a diffuser. I also covered the mirrors as she thought it was a door and someone could come through it. She also takes the Ayurvedic supplement Ashwaganda and Melatonin and has since slept the whole night through for the last few weeks. There may be a night or two that is disruptive but the majority of her nights are a full 8-9 hours of good sound sleep.

karenhag

Thank you for these suggestions.  I will definitely begin researching these possibilities.

karenhag

Panama Farmer, I have not heard of Ashwaganda but will look into it.  DH is on so much prescription meds I like searching for alternative methods to assist his sleep.  I will definitely use the lavender oil diffuser.  It is such a calming scent.

Thank you for your response and willingness to help so many that are dealing with a horrible disease.

Jo C.

Hello Karen, M1 has given good input.  Your DH needs to be medically checked out for breathing issues of which there are multiple different kinds.

Another thing you need to have looked at, are the meds he is on; especially the nighttime meds.  Have the doctor; especially the dementia specialist check them out, BUT also look up each one and what the possible side effects are so you can discuss that more thoroughly with the doctor.

NOTE:  Never, ever, ever start any sort of herbal or other supplement without speaking to the doctor first. Most all such substances can interact with prescription or other OTC medications which can happen either right away or over time  and cause bad outcomes.  First rule is always:  Do No Harm.   Some mistake the idea that if a substance is "natural" that makes it fine; it absolutely does not. 

It may be that after a thorough medical assessment and adjustment of all meds, he will improve.  Having him seen by both his primary care MD for the physical and his dementia specialist for his dementia medications would probably give the most thorough and best results.

Wanted to say; we can Post on any of the Forums we wish to; there is also the Spousal/Partner Forum where you may also find some good input. 

With best wishes being sent your way,

J.

PanamaFarmer

I agree with Jo C to not start on any herbal or natural protocol without speaking to your doctor first. Some herbs interact with medications. In my mom's case she has a medical geriatric doctor and a naturopathic dementia doctor. We use the medical doctor for testing only and when he prescribes any medications we go to the naturopathic doctor to find what the alternative natural solution would be. Now she hasn't taken any medications in several years so that does make a difference. But in your research you will see Ashwaganda is a staple in Ayurvedic medicine which has been around for thousands of years. Some people might think of it as quakery but there is something to be said about one of the world's oldest medical systems.

Stuck in the middle

Natural medicine is not quackery.  A lot of our manufactured medications came from natural medicines.  For example, aspirin is found in tree bark.  However, if you are taking prescription belladonna for heart rhythm disturbance and brewing foxglove tea, you are getting a double dose without knowing it.  My wife's grandmother nearly died from doing just that.

RihanaB

You can also include essential oils to anchor yourself to calm thoughts, and that can work for hours afterwards if you put a couple of drops on your pillow or use a diffuser (I like the diffuser by https://volant.no/)

ButterflyWings

UTI??  Whenever we have a had major behavior change suddenly, that has been why.

Also, I just had to say my heart goes out to you. Last night my DH was up every hour, heading for the bathroom where he sits for 30 mins, nothing happening. Except interrupted sleep for both of us until I can convince him to get off the commode & back to bed. Only to repeat it the next hour. Despite his Melatonin dose. Exhausting & irritating.  

He fell recently and is very unsteady with the sore knee but forgets that until he tries to stand on it and almost collapses.  Every time. So I have to get up with him to ensure he doesn’t fall again.

I hope you get this resolved soon so you both can sleep. 

Gisel

My mom was waking at least once or twice a month at 3am, 4am, and 5am two or three times a month. Thought maybe it coincided with full moon. She even managed to get out of bed on her own twice but fell both times, eventually we had to put in bed guards after she broke her nose in the last fall. I tried to adjust her meal times, letting her sleep in till 11am sometimes, lunch at 3pm, dinner just before bed at 9:30pm. Had some success but not 100% so i talked with her doc and nurse about meds, we tried gabapentin and lorazepam but she was groggy the better part of the following day; we settled on 5mg of melatonin.

DrinaJGB

My DH had not slept through the night for 12 nearly 12 years. I read a study done in Tokyo that melatonin has shown to also help with memory as the pineal gland of the brain reduces production of it as we age. I started giving him 5mg. and noticed he now seeps longer and deeper. His memory has not declined either. His doctors are fully aware and agree it may help him. He still gets up at night to go to the bathroom, but goes right back to sleep.

George O'Brien

New here but thought I would share what I provided my wife. She went through a period of less than adequate sleep and, like most of us, I researched on line. Ashwaganda gummies was initiated. Then I discovered Zsleep which is a dermal patch that I put on her back nightly. Contains Melatonin, potassium, Zind, Magnesium and what they call a Dream Patch Comples(Ashwaganda extract, Chamonile, Passion Flower, Valerian Root Extracts and Hops and L-Theanine. She went from a mixed periods of sleep at night, varied, to hardly ever less than 8 Hours and sometimes bumps 9. Not a perfect tool but we monitor her sleep with an apple watch and Iphone App. Have suspended the ashwaganda gummies and use the patch. You can find it on Amazon and review the ratings and comments. I find it a bit pricey but if she sleeps then I sleep.

eaglemom

As others have said, I wouldn't start anything new without first discussing it with his physician. Is the physician aware of this? How often he's waking? I'm sure your tired of suggestions, but if you can keep him awake during the evening that might help. A brief walk before its dark?

When its bedtime do you have a routine? That always helps. Also music. My DH gets in bed and immediately I put on soft calming music. Its not loud, just in the background, something he hears. Like white noise, only music. That way if he wakes up he hears the music and is calm and drifts back off. Its at least worth a try.

You need your rest also.

eagle

George O'Brien

I agree with eaglemom on checking with a physician. We checked with her cariologist on the ashwagandha and he was all in favor of it. Before we started the patch she was using spray magnesium and taking melatonin and vitamins. She stopped the melatonin as well when she started the patch