Dementia Support Line
Advice
Is it typical for people with dementia to sleep a lot during the day?
People with dementia, especially those in the later stages, can often spend a lot of time sleeping. This can sometimes be worrying for carers, friends and family. Find out why a person with dementia might sleep more than an average person of their age.
It is quite common for a person with dementia, especially in the later stages, to spend a lot of their time sleeping – both during the day and night. This can sometimes be distressing for the person’s family and friends, as they may worry that something is wrong.
Sleeping more and more is a common feature of later-stage dementia. As the disease progresses, the damage to a person’s brain becomes more extensive and they gradually become weaker and frailer over time.
As a result, a person with dementia may find it quite exhausting to do relatively simple tasks like communicating, eating or trying to understand what is going on around them. This can make the person sleep more during the day as their symptoms become more severe.
Some medications may contribute to sleepiness. These include some antipsychotics, antidepressants, antihistamines and of course sleeping pills.
Sleeping disorders unrelated to dementia, such as having breathing that occasionally stops during sleep (known as ‘apnoea’), can also contribute to sleeping for longer.
What should I do if a person with dementia is sleeping a lot?
If the person is in the later stages of dementia and they have gradually started sleeping more and more, it is likely to be due to the dementia progressing.
However, if the excessive sleeping has started more suddenly, or the person doesn’t seem well in other ways, it may have another cause.
If this is the case you should speak to the GP, to rule out any infections or conditions that could be affecting the person's sleep.
It may also be worth asking for a medication review with the GP or speaking to a pharmacist as medication can cause a range of side effects.
If the person is sleeping a lot but it isn’t having a negative impact on them it is often best to just go with it and make sure they are comfortable.
Why does dementia affect sleep?
Problems with sleep are very common for people with dementia. They can include:
- sleeping during the day and being awake and restless during the night
- becoming disorientated in the dark if they wake up to use the toilet
- waking up more often and staying awake longer during the night
- getting up in the early hours and thinking it’s day time or time to go to work (disorientation in time)
- not being able to tell the difference between night and day.
Nobody completely understands why dementia affects sleeping patterns. For some people, it may be that their internal ‘biological clock’, which judges what time it is, becomes damaged so the person starts to feel sleepy at the wrong time of day.
There are also other parts of the brain which control whether or not we stay awake, and these may also not work properly if they become damaged.
Sometimes a person with dementia might completely reverse their normal sleep pattern, staying up all night and then sleeping all day.
It's common for people with dementia, especially in the later stages, to spend a lot of their time sleeping
Does quality of sleep matter for people with dementia?
The quality of a person's sleep gradually deteriorates as they get older. They tend to get less deep or ‘slow-wave’ sleep, which helps to keep the brain healthy and refreshed.
Even though a person with dementia may end up sleeping more than a typical person of their age – even as much as 14–15 hours a day – it is unlikely to all be good quality sleep.
Sleeping a lot can also be influenced by people’s sleeping patterns before they had dementia, as some people need more sleep than others.
Sleep for people who have dementia with Lewy bodies and Parkinson’s disease
The type of dementia you have can affect your sleep.
People who have dementia caused by Lewy body disease, such as Parkinsons’ disease (PD) or dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are often sleepy by day but have very restless and disturbed nights. They can suffer from confusion, nightmares and hallucinations. Insomnia, sleep apnoea (breathing difficulties) and restless legs are common symptoms.
A person affected with these types of dementia may often unknowingly ‘act’ out their dreams by shouting and moving around in bed.
They can even cause injury to themselves and/or their sleeping partner. This is called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder or RBD, and tends to happen from the earliest stages of the disease onwards.
This can be exhausting and often leaves the person feeling like they haven’t slept at all, so they are very tired and sleepy during the day.
It can be hard to stay awake during the day after a poor night’s sleep but, if possible, it’s best to try to limit sleep during the day to small bursts or ‘catnaps’. Otherwise the person’s body clock can become very confused and this makes sleeping well during the night even harder.
Read more about sleep and dementia
Learn more about how dementia can affect sleeping patterns, as well as our tips for healthy sleep.
Maureen Shorter
saysSomeone mentioned a compulsion disorder. I've noticed that when my husband is awake he seems to be repeating an action like picking up something and putting it down every few minutes as well as just touching things. He has next to his chair a table with bits from a model boat on it. He keeps touching them and looks at these bits of plastic like he hasn't seen them before. Also I'm not allowed to move them. So is this another symptom of Dementia?
Anonymous
saysHello Maureen, thank you for getting in touch.
Anxiety can interfere with a person’s everyday life. It is the main symptom of several different conditions, including generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, phobias and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). A person with OCD is unsettled by thoughts and obsessive worries that make them feel anxious. Their anxiety may be temporarily relieved when they carry out a compulsive behaviour or ritual (for example, washing their hands or carrying out an activity a certain number of times) - in this case, touching things on a table.
Anxiety is more common in people with dementia than those without, affecting between 5% and 20%. It is common throughout the different stages of dementia.
Here's a free factsheet on this subject, which may be able to explain more: https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/media/931
If you call the National Dementia Helpline, one of our advisers can offer further advice. Call 0300 222 11 22 from Monday to Wednesday (9am-8pm), Thursday to Friday (9am–5pm) and Saturday to Sunday (10am-4pm).
You can also find more information about anxiety and dementia on our website here:
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/symptoms-and-diagnosis/anx…
We hope this helps, Maureen.
-
Alzheimer's Society blog team
Maureen Shorter
saysWhat a relief to read these posts! I was worried about what I was supposed to do. The only problem is that he is drinking less while sleeping more and getting urinary infections so I have to increase his fluids while awake. On the plus side I'm having some quiet time to shower, breakfast and read a bit as well as think. Conversation is minimal now so I make the most of his awake time.
CIndy
saysMy husband is in a later stage of early onset and in a memory unit. Today he went back to bed after breakfast, I got him up for lunch and he was nodding off. Back to bed after lunch. He has had good night sleep this week and a few very low key days. Was thinking someone gave him the wrong meds, but I saw him finishing his Depakote sprinkles in ice cream when I arrived. He has been slowing down from his normally energetic self, but today seems odd.
Kat
saysVery helpful and informative article. A similar issue is happening with my relative. This helps us understand it better although we will get the GP to review his medication and check him, it’s comforting to realise that this is a normal stage that he’s going through and does not appear to be suffering.
Mrs Wood
saysI too am very relieved to read this article. My mother has Vascular dementia and Alzheimer's. She has over the last year been getting up later and later in the day, this last 3 weeks not before lunchtime, she then naps throughout the afternoon and only stays awake between 3pm -9pm when she goes back to bed. She sleeps all night except for 'toilet breaks' ( at the moment). I queried this with the Older Person's Mental Health Clinic who told me they couldn't comment as they had discharged her, my only other option offered was to see a doctor at a nearby surgery (not ours) who she doesn't know, I was fretting about this as it would upset her. I'm happy now that it appears to be 'normal' ( as she is happy enough when awake, no discomfort etc). Thank you for the reassurance!
GJ
saysDuring a stay in hospital, my father has suffered from Delirium which has now impacted upon his Altzheimers.
he now sleeps 23 hours a day and hasn't opened his eyes for more than 5minutes at one time in the past 4 weeks. hes nolonger eating or drinking and has a chest infection. after discussion with Speech and language therapists by trying to wake him to drink and eat we are doing more harm than good
Amanda Mehmet
saysMy mum has been in a care home for the last 5 years, she cannot communicate any more she has to be feed and is double incontinent, the last 6 months she has been sleeping a lot during the day and night and doesn't even open her eyes when being Feed. Prior to going into the home she was in bed for 3 years so in total I think she has had Alzheimer's for at least 9 years. Does sleeping a lot mean she is in the latter stages of Alzheimer's and things are packing up? Please let me know your thoughts.
Cheryl Rolt
saysI run a beautiful care home for people living with dementia. Some of the practices you have described at other care homes saddens me.
My team and I would love to meet and reassure you that not all care homes fail people like your loved ones whom you talk about.
Sadly you only get to hear about ‘bad’ care there’s lots of ‘outstanding’ care out there too.
Walberton Place Care Home - West Sussex
Miriam R fox
saysWe are waiting to get diagnosis for memory loss. Getting mri results tomorrow and had blood tests. Meanwhile my partner is sleeping 15 hours day and night. He has diabetes 2 but not severe . he doesnt eat much and not nutritious diet. Has eeg scheduled and sleep study scheduled. Everything takes so long. I am so nervous. I am going to have to get him up to go to the doctors appointment. My partner also has a mental illness. Thanks
Betty
saysWhen my husband is awake at night, for hours, we play memory games. He sleeps for hours during the day and I lie beside him, getting chores, cooking, bills etc done in between. Have been together since teenagers in 1947. If he is comfortable sleeping “ So be it”. This site lets me know I am not alone. Thanks Guys!
Evelyn Steel
saysMy mum is now refusing to get out of bed. Wonr eat ir drink doesnt take medication. This has happened really quickly. I fear its now end stage dementia
Jane Harding
saysMy mum sleeps at least 15 hours a day. Reading everything on here has really helped. Most sites say about how they have disturbed sleep which definitely isn’t happening to mum so this has put my mind at rest
Wendy Hiiemae
saysMy mum was diagnosed just over 2 years ago. We’ve noticed her go to lie down quite often - most times when I visit she is in her room lying down asleep. Sometimes she’ll sleep in the chair and cannot be woken.
Cheryl
saysMy mother has Alzheimer’s and we are caring for her at home. I want to say it would be so easy to put her in a home but we are not doing that! I looked this sleep blog up yesterday when she was sleeping all day so thank you all for your comments. My sister quit her job and I bought a second home near her to help too. No strangers for my mom. They don’t make enough money to care for our elderly and they don’t care!!! C diff is contracted by feces to mouth!!! One of you said your mom got C diff from a facility. Those places are so dirty too please read my comment and think twice about caring for your own parent ❤️ It’s worth it.
Sue Tourle
saysCan anyone advise me please My husband was diagnosed with vascular dementia and over the last week or so seems to be nearly normal.
Is this the calm before the storm.
Alzheimer's Society
saysHi Sue,
I'm very sorry to hear about your husband. If you call our helpline one of our advisers would be glad to discuss this with you and offer advice.
Our Helpline is open Monday to Wednesday (9am-8pm), Thursday to Friday (9am–5pm) and Saturday to Sunday (10am-4pm), and can be reached on 0300 222 11 22.
You can also find more information about sleep and dementia on our website here:
https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-dementia/risk-factors-and-preventio…
Thank you