MCI and sleeping

Welcome, Peg. Sorry you need the forum, but it's a good one where you will get a lot of support. That seems to be an awful lot of sleeping for very early stage. Maybe you should have him checked for a UTI. They can cause a lot of problems, and not show the typical symptoms. But they can really cause a lot of different symptoms, although I haven't heard of sleeping that long being caused by a UTI. But since it's so easy to check for, it is worth doing when you have no other answer. I wish you luck. If you do have it checked, ask for the specimen to be sent to a lab. They will probably tell you the results right away, but sometimes the lab will prove the initial findings wrong.

Could he be suffering from depression?

2 things come to mind about this. The first is that with memory loss comes being overwhelmed and anxious. They are losing control and just want to sleep. Like babies. The second is depression. My DH was diagnosed 2 years ago and recently been depressed. Working with a Geriatric Psychiatrist. First medication didn't work. Going to try something else when we see her on the 17th. Can you get him up during the day more? I find that if I keep him busy and engaged he doesn't sleep as much during the day and sleeps better at night. I set the clock and wake him up at exactly the same time every morning after I fix his breakfast. I calmly tell him that his breakfast is ready. If he balks at getting up, I tell him that he needs to get up to take his medication and then he can go back to bed. That usually works. If I catch him napping in his chair I make noise or ask him a question to wake him up and ask him to do me a favor. I would definitely talk to the doctor. Sleeping that much isn't good.

My wife was diagnosed with probably early stage Alzheimers last November. Looking back, one of the earliest signs that something wasn't right was her desire to go to bed in the early afternoon and sleep for 10-12 hours. I fought this for a year and a half up until 6 months after her diagnosis, when I realized that the only person bothered by it was me; I was causing myself grief by resisting this change in her behavior. Now I just accept it and tuck her in. The result is that instead of an argument, I get a kiss, a hug and an "I love you." I'm not saying that there isn't something else at work in your husband, but I do know that changes in sleep patterns is a symptom of dementia.

Yep. Early in the MCI diagnosis, my SO began sleeping a LOT. She'd never even been able to nap before. Now she sleeps frequently during the day. I know part of it is depression. I also believe the other part is how hard her poor brain is having to work to do normal things. That's gotta wear a person out.