He has been wanting to go to bed earlier than normal (starts talking about it around 6 PM) but he almost always gets up ~30 minutes later because he can't get to sleep.
Is he trying to make it dark so he can go to sleep? Or is it some kind of OCD behavior to save electricity? Or...?
He sundowns almost every night, with delusions, sightings of people who aren't there, tasks he thinks he's supposed to have done, etc. but the desire to turn off lights is almost every evening.
Because for us, just as for you, it is anyone's guess.
These are quite typical habitual compulsive habits that seem to form, that may be ongoing or temporary or replaced with other compulsive habits.
Exhaustion and a wish for sleep is typical of the aging whether demented or competent. We need more sleep and long for more sleep in many instances. Doesn't mean the body itself is ready for sleep.
For some seniors doctors try to bit of medical marijuana now, and for some doctors try a low dose anti depressant. I would discuss this with the doc.
The 'kids' kind of laughed about it, but now she's gone and we're trying to figure out where she put so many things--finally after the house was totally empty, we just figured out anything we couldn't 'find' had been thrown away.
And she would not turn on the light inside the house. She was afraid that someone would break in if it looked like the house was occupied.
Honestly? No rhyme or reason for this behavior. We all just gave up.
My husband has PD related dementia. For a long time I tried to keep him up until 8:00pm. When it became a losing battle, I began letting him go to bed at 7:00pm. Some days he begins wanting to go as early as 4:00pm. If we head to the bathroom, he goes straight to the bed as we walk through the bedroom and the struggle begins. Once in the bathroom, sure enough he really needs to go but the bed easily distracts him.
He hasn't given me a problem with the lights but he will go around closing all the blinds. From time to time, he will turn off the TV. He seems to be reverting back to when he closed up the house even locking the doors. Then I found out the doors were not locked, he just fiddled with the keys.
I had numerous frustrating moments reminding him bedtime was not until 7:00pm and showed him the large digital clock right by his chair For his birthday I gave him an analog watch because it was the only one with a stretch band but not sure he could still tell time. I found it actually helped because 6:40pm on a digital clock did not show him how much time was left before 7:00pm. It was amazing how for a while he did not insist he wanted to go to bed early. It did not stop completely but it still works to tell him to check his watch. Of course, as his dementia progresses his concept of time probably will too.
Time changes can certainly affect these behaviors too.
Also, their body clock can get broken so try to give him "tasks" to do that will burn mental & physical energy so he sleeps better at night, like sorting & pairing a large number of nuts and bolts, folding a large vbasket of kitchen towels, sorting colored poker chips. These are all invented tasks that he can do every day. Even twice a day if he doesnt remember doing them earlier.
The light issues seem to taper off as the days get longer. I hope that may happen for your husband.
https://newsroom.uvahealth.com/2023/07/26/alzheimers-discovery-suggests-key-role-for-light-sensitivity/
In part, it says:
New research suggests that enhanced light sensitivity may play an important role in Alzheimer's disease and its progression.
New Alzheimer’s research from UVA Health suggests that enhanced light sensitivity may contribute to “sundowning” – the worsening of symptoms late in the day – and spur sleep disruptions thought to contribute to the disease’s progression.
The new insights into the disruptions of the biological clock seen in Alzheimer’s could have important potential both for the development of treatments and for symptom management, the researchers say. For example, caregivers often struggle with the erratic sleep patterns caused by Alzheimer’s patients’ altered “circadian rhythms,” as the body’s natural daily cycle is known. Light therapy, the new research suggests, might be an effective tool to help manage that.
Further, better understanding Alzheimer’s effects on the biological clock could have implications for preventing the disease. Poor sleep quality in adulthood is a risk factor for Alzheimer’s, as our brains, at rest, naturally cleanse themselves of amyloid beta proteins that are thought to form harmful tangles in Alzheimer’s.
“Circadian disruptions have been recognized in Alzheimer's disease for a long time, but we've never had a very good understanding of what causes them,” said researcher Thaddeus Weigel, a graduate student working with Heather Ferris, MD, PhD, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine’s Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. “
This research points to changes in light sensitivity as a new, interesting possible explanation for some of those circadian symptoms.”
In addition, ask your husband's medical provider.
Gena / Touch Matters
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