Alzheimer's and Sleep
Posted by Roger Cunningham on Wed, Jul 06, 2011 @ 02:12 PM
I have a friend who just discovered that she has Alzheimer's disease (AD), a brain disorder that affects a person's thoughts, memory, speech, and ability to carry out daily activities. With AD the loss of brain tissue that leads to loss of mental abilities may also disrupt the sleep/wake cycle, which may cause sleep problems, nighttime wandering, and agitation. She is a very active person and this news is devestating. Her AD is very agressive and already she is having great difficulty with her natural sleep cycle, which only aggrevates her illness and causes even greater frustration.
"One feature of AD is "sundowning," a term used to describe an increase in agitated behavior that occurs in the evening. This increased agitation may be explained by sleepiness or it may be that agitated behavior is more troublesome to caregivers after sun down. Whatever their causes, agitation and sleep problems result in severe stress for caregivers and are among the top reasons AD patients are given care in nursing homes instead of at home."
"Getting adequate sleep on a regular schedule is also critical to the management of AD symptoms. Behavioral therapies, including those for sleep problems, also target families and caregivers of AD patients and can be an important part of the treatment plan for AD. If nighttime awakening is a problem, try to avoid or curtail naps." For more information about Alzheimer's and Sleep go to click here.