Sleeping at night

jrman · August 13

My DW has recently begun sleeping for 10-12 hours at night. We usually go to bed around 10:00 - 10:30 pm. She fights getting in bed but once I get her in bed she immediately falls to sleep. She doesn’t wake up until anywhere around 10:30 to 11:30 am. She then lied in bed and gets angry with me if I encourage her to get up for breakfast or lunch. Is this something that others experience?

SDianeL · August 13

yes many with dementia sleep a lot. I would get up earlier, fix my DH breakfast and then wake him about 9am and tell him his breakfast was ready and it was time to get up. I would tell him what was for breakfast and if that didn’t work I would promise going somewhere for a treat after breakfast. Here’s why they sleep more:

Disease progression:As dementia progresses, the brain's ability to regulate sleep-wake cycles can be disrupted, leading to increased sleep duration and daytime napping.
Circadian rhythm disruption:Dementia can interfere with the body's natural sleep-wake cycle, causing the person to sleep more during the day and wake up more at night.

Maru · August 13

Please forgive my ignorance…but what is the problem with sleeping 12-13 hours? My DH with AD has not yet reached that stage and I don't see that as being a big problem. Hope that someone has an answer to my question.

CindyBum · August 13

I'm with you, Maru. But, I also understand the worry about the huge increase in sleeping. All that said, when my DW takes one of her many naps and sleeps in, I kind of rejoice. She's sleeping and not all stirred up and anxious and I get a break. To me, it's one of the few win/wins we can get on this cursed journey.

Timmyd · August 14

My DW seems to want to sleep more as her ALZ progresses. However her shadowing is intense so she is always requiring that I am with her when she sleeps. My sleeping hours are often better than my waking hours, but I really don't need 12 hours a day in bed.

BPS · August 14

Before my wife went MC she would sleep all night and up to about 2:00 or later in the afternoon. I talked to her doctor about it not knowing if it was good to let her sleep that long. He said that as long as we were both OK with it that under the circumstances it was not a problem. Now that she is in MC they wake her up in the mornings to take her medications but most of the time she doesn't want to get up so she will sleep until lunch time when they wake her again. She eats a little lunch then usually by 2:30 or 3 she wants to take a nap. Some people stay up wandering all night. I was lucky that she was a sleeper not a wonderer. It talks about this in the book 36 hour day.

CMC62 · August 14

My husband will sleep until 2pm when given the chance, and he will still dose off when he sits in his chair to read. Several days a week he needs to be up to go to programs I have signed him up for, and which he enjoys. But when he does not have one of the programs I just let him sleep. He has always stayed up much later than me, and that is still true now. I enjoy my mornings all alone.

Eloise0304 · August 15

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/73755/sleeping-at-night

Be glad they stay in bed, better than them wondering

Carl46 · August 15

The need for more sleep is very common in dementia. My wife slept more than she was awake for the last few years of her life and was awake only about 6-8 hours a day in the last year. I fed her whenever she was hungry, but it amounted to only two small meals a day. Since she wasn't very active, it was enough.

Jojoe98 · August 17

Has anyone here tried TCH or CBD gummies? My DH is in middle stages and started thrashing a lot at night. When he takes 5mg of THC gummy, he sleeps much better. I don't know if this will continue to work, but so far so good.

RetiredTeacher · August 17

I have not tried that but seriously considering it for him or me. He is 77 and thinks pot, THC, CBD are pot are "drugs" and wants no part of it. I need help with his interrupted sleep. Going on 6 yrs now. I know he will not take them although they are legal in my state. Perhaps it could help me sleep through the night. At least one of us would be sleeping.

BPS · August 18

Jojoe98 Member Posts: 1 Member3:09PMHas anyone here tried TCH or CBD gummies? My DH is in middle stages and started thrashing a lot at night. When he takes 5mg of THC gummy, he sleeps much better. I don't know if this will continue to work, but so far so good.FlagReplyInsightfulLikeCare

Member4:47PMI have not tried that but seriously considering it for him or me. He is 77 and thinks pot, THC, CBD are pot are "drugs" and wants no part of it. I need help with his interrupted sleep. Going on 6 yrs now. I know he will not take them although they are legal in my state. Perhaps it could help me sleep through the night. At least one of us

My dad had cancer and the chemo made him not want to eat. The Dr recommended pot to stimulate his appetite, but my dad who was an alcoholic wasn't going to take "drugs". He would have died from the cancer but he basically starved himself to death first.

SDianeL · August 18

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/250890#Comment_250890

yes. I gave my DH 2 CBD gummies every day. It calmed him and helped with pain and sleep. The doctor said it was OK. I now take nighttime CBD gummies with melatonin every night to help me sleep.

michiganpat · August 18

My DH has slept 11 to 11 and a half hours a night for most of the 8 years of his dementia. We are upper middle stages and his has been slow progression. This has been my saving grace as when he's awake he's obsessing or angry about something or other. He refuses medication. I figure his brain must get tired with all the turmoil and he needs the rest,

tboard · August 18

as a rule I never wake my DH up because if I do there is heck to pay. Unlike most people in their late 70’s with mid to late stage dementia my DH rarely sleeps through the night and he is often able to stay up all day and most of the night. I rarely get enough sleep. He can’t be left alone at this point. He is often angry and very hard to communicate with. He can’t really do anything. Sometimes he will sit quietly and watch TV. I would love it if just once he would go to bed at 10:00 PM and sleep until 6:00 AM. My mother had Alzheimer's and she seemed to sleep more and more as time went on. Sometimes she would fall asleep while she was eating.

Ronk246 · August 21

My DW is stage 3 or 4, and exactly like her mother 22 years ago, she is sleeping more as the disease progresses. Two days ago she slept at least 18 hours, yesterday, 15 hours. Our GP told me there is no reason to force her to be awake more than she wants to be. Fortunately, she is very happy most of the time, and she makes it easy for me to care for her. I love her more today than when we married 57 years ago.

BikingOldMan · August 25

My DW of 60 years has always needed more sleep than I, and has never been a morning person. Recently, however, she has begun to go to bed earlier than ever and that has concerned me. Thank you for this post and insight that you've shared. I also have been fortunate in that "…she makes it easy for me to care for her". What I struggle most with is seeing this bright woman unable to avoid the confusion brought on by this disease.

Sleeping at night

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