Excessive Sleeping

Sleeping can be a way the body heals.  If Grandpa had a recent infection or illness or sleep distruption.   Urinary track infections of course, a common medical issue.  Rule this out.

Sleeping a lot is also a hallmark of the disease.  In later stages, they may only be awake for limited hours during the day.  Does he wake and eat for meals?

Sleeping a lot in later stages can also be a signal that the end, while not necessarily imminent, is approaching.  The final 6 months of my LO's life involved a whole lot of sleeping.

Generally, trying to wake them for daytime activities beyond eating is not productive.

It's how the symptoms go - once underlying medical cause is ruled out.

Never try to feed an asleep PWD.

What comes next?   More sleeping, less rousability.    It is probably a good idea to ask (not wait for an MD to recommend, because most MD's have little understanding of hospice)  to ask for a hospice evaluation.  It adds an extra layer of services that are very helpful for quality of life provided the family is ready to let go of excessive (but not all) medical intervention.

Did they rule out an UTI done with culture?

I would go to a site like drugs.com to investigate the side effects of all drugs including OTC and possible interactions. 

My daddy had been sleeping a large part of the day and night but then started getting up at night so I had to stay up with him. He was getting his days and nights mixed up. His PT suggested I wake him up and make him get up during the day, not just at mealtimes.  

The doctor agreed that he should be woken up and for me to walk beside him if he was stable but otherwise let him sleep or doze in a recliner during the day with the TV on to try to avoid him sleeping too deeply during the day. Doctor also said it was a progression of the disease and would eventually worsen. 

I would definitely get checked out, Lanatori. So many possible causes, vitamin b deficiencies, stress, chronic fatigue, Lyme disease, seasonal allergies, etc. My sister has long Covid syndrome, has been unbelievably fatigued since having Covid in January. Her doc has put her on supplements that have helped her turn the corner, thankfully. Hope you get answers soon.

Mobile, my FIL was sleeping all day (we thought he may be near the end) and now he is awake all day and cannot sit still. I never know what to expect. 

What you're describing, more sleep during the day and still sleeping through the night, matches a well-known pattern in mid-to-late stage dementia. As the brain's internal clock gets disrupted, everyday tasks also take more energy, and both can push total sleep time up. You're not imagining a shift.

Still, worth ruling out things that mimic progression but are actually treatable, especially given the timing right around the fall: UTI, dehydration, thyroid changes, medication effects, or pain from the fall itself. It's worth asking directly whether the fall plus the sleep increase together might point to a stage change, not two separate events.

One practical note: try to avoid sleep medication if it comes up. Non-drug approaches (daylight, routine, limiting late naps) are recommended first, partly because sedatives raise fall risk, the last thing he needs right now.

I hope these resources are useful:
https://hopebridge.care/excessive-sleeping-in-dementia-patients-what-it-means/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_disorder

https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/sleep/managing-sleep-problems-alzheimers-disease

@ARIL - Agree. I also messaged direct with no response. And I flagged this one.

Bringing up old posts, the same cold techno-info, and really, a lack of empathy. ??? The info in and of itself may be just ok, but it is rather cold, in the same format each time.

This makes me feel uncomfortable! This is our safe place. AI does NOT belong here!