Waking up at time like it is daytime

Denise1847

My DH is waking up at 2 or 3 am, getting showered and going downstairs. He then stays up for an hour and goes back to sleep. He says he doesn't understand why he gets up.

Is this sundowning or something else? He goes to bed at 8:30 or 9 p.m. every night without any behavior issues in the evening. Any suggestions/thoughts?

Davegrant

Denise 1847,

No real suggestions but my DW goes to sleep in the evening on the couch when I sit down to watch tv. She has little interest in the tv as she has trouble following the story and actually does better with sporting events on tv. When I go to bed around 10:00 pm she then gets up. She roams the kitchen and the computer room and inventories contents and reorganizes them. I often find the canned soup in the refrigerator, for example and dishes relocated to different shelves. In the computer room she unplugs cords on the computer, the router. I think that she believes the red lights mean that it is on, and she wants to turn it off. I have powered the computer off, so it is safe from pushing keys. DW does the same with the tv and disconnects it from the power source.

I am not comfortable with this situation, but I really don't know what to do about it. I considerate it a safety issue. She has not left the house. I stay alert to the noises, but I do not consider myself a light sleeper. I could lock the computer room but don't want to deal with her anger over it, to be honest. She did wreck one computer by pushing keys and I had to purchase as new one. It was over ten years old. But most things I can correct in the morning, so far.

Dave

Denise1847

Dear Dave,

Wow! I don't know how you sleep. I am a really light sleeper due to a failed back surgery and neuropathy. I would be worried about what I will find in the am. I am wondering if the doctor could prescribed something for what appears to be OCM perhaps an anti-anxiety med. This has got to wreak havoc on your health. Remember if you are not well, you cannot take care of her.

MN Chickadee

My mother did this. She would get up for the day at 3 in the morning. Finding the right sleep medication made a big difference. It can take some time and tinkering to find the right one and the right dose, but is definitely worth investigating. I would discuss with his physician. Some caregivers also find they need some night respite if they can't find meds that help. Hiring an aide a couple nights a week or having a family member come over to be on duty while you sleep in a different room with white noise to drown out whatever is going on might give you some breaks to get uninterrupted sleep.

Jeanne C.

Might be worth discussing with your husband's doc? My DH was waking around 4 am (meaning I was too) seemingly just coming out of some vivid dreams he thought were real. And then we'd have another hour or so of him perseverating something from the dream. His doc switched the anti-anxiety/antidepressant he takes before bed and he now sleeps much better. Still wakes up occasionally but rarely wanders.