night time wanderings. How do you handle it?

cvannor · February 10

Last night my husband got up 11 times between 2am and 6am, turned on all the lights each time, tried to get dressed, moved random things around the house. By the 7th time I was in an absolute rage. It doesn't matter if I'm kind or angry, sensible or insistent, the behavior just continues and good grief I need some sleep! Now, it 8 in the morning, I gave up trying at 6, and of course, he is sound asleep. I've been crying all morning and am exhausted. How do you handle this? I think I'm going to lose my mind.

Violetemily · February 10

It’s so hard to cope with. My husband was up and dressed wandering around the house at 2 am this morning looking for people he said. Luckily it’s not happening too often and after settling him down again he slept until 7 am this morning. Husband. I dread being in your situation. He can talk about it rationally the next day, but really has no control over what he’s doing as he’s very confused. I too am looking for ideas to help the situation. Does it happen every night?

TyroneSlothrop · February 10

cvannor, I am so sorry! This would drive me crazy! I can’t imagine what you could do without help. You need respite promptly or you’ll lose your own mind.

Quilting brings calm · February 10

Please call your doctor and ask for something to help him sleep. If he’s already on something. It’s either not working or needs a higher dose.

My mom did this when she had a UTI. So getting his urine tested wouldn’t be a bad idea either

kgorlick · February 10

I totally understand how awful that must have been. My husband, while I'm in a different room, was up and down til 2:30 am and I just wanted to cry from exhaustion. I was so concerned he would get hurt which he did but not too bad. He now has Seroquel 50-75 mg at bedtime and it has made a tremendous difference to check with your doctor. It is classified as an anti-psychotic, but it is also used to calm someone down. I'm so sorry... it's too much at times!

mommafour · February 10

cvannor - So sorry you're going through this. I know it's exhausting because my DH does this too - almost every night. He wakes up anytime between 12:00-2:00 a.m. and stays awake for a few hours, turning on all the lights and making enough noise to wake up our dogs. He never recalls these episodes the next day. I'm so glad that I recently retired and no longer need to go to work with a severe lack of sleep.

I think the advice of Quilting brings calm to ask if the doctor can prescribe something for sleep is a good idea. I will bring that up to DH's doctor at his upcoming appt.

LindaLouise · February 10

I am so sorry and know just how you feel! I have the same issue - not every night but maybe two or three times a week. I can't connect it to anything we do or eat, but the waking up and moving around looking for people is very hard on me. He eventually will go back to sleep, but I have a much harder time and spend a lot of the day exhausted. It does help to know I am not alone in this challenge...

M1 · February 10

As cgorlick said-medication is probably the answer. Sleep fragmentation is pretty common, it has to do with disease damage to the reticular activating center in the brainstem. My partner was started on 25mg of Seroquel for this and is has worked like a charm, she sleeps all night. Talk to his doctor right away. And welcome to the forum.

mommafour · February 10

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/197726#Comment_197726

M1 - thanks for the explanation of the sleep issue. I wondered about the cause. DH is on 200 mg of Seroquel for anger/delusions/hallucinations but still waking during the night occasionally. I'm wondering if he needs a slight dosage increase or if there is something else safe to take along with the Seroquel. He has a doctor appointment coming up and I will ask about medication adjustment.

M1 · February 10

Yes mammafour, there are other sleep medications that could be added to the Seroquel--definitely ask. Mirtazepine comes to mind, for one; trazodone is another, but it can have anticholinergic side effects like dry mouth and constipation.

Daughter of a Marine · February 11

My DH was on Mirtazepine which does have a sedating effect and is also an appetite stimulant. He gained 11 lbs in one month so we tapered off. He's now taking 50mg of Seroquel at bedtime which helps him fall asleep but his sleep is still fragmented. He wakes up a few times during the night - talks to the dog, uses the bathroom, etc. I put my reading light on when he leaves room so he can find his way back which means I also have fragmented sleep. Such is our story.

night time wanderings. How do you handle it?

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