Is your loved one with dementia sleeping a lot (too much)?

Well, here it is a week later and his sleeping is now kinda wonky. Some days he's up by 10am and others its 1pm. I also like the opportunity of alone time while he's sleeping but i have to remind myself to go in and wake him up at some point...to take his meds, eat and to just enjoy the day. Im fortunate in that he doesn't panic when I'm not with him every moment of the day, but he needs to know generally where I am when we're at home. But I know at some point it may get to him panicking.
As caregivers we are doing the best we can and I feel your fatigue as well. We are all experiencing different levels and phases of this journey and i'm glad that we can get advice and support for each other. I have a hard time getting to in-person support group, and am so thankful for this site. Thank you for sharing.

Yes, I used to be able to get to a dementia caregiver's meeting once a month for a couple of hours which was very helpful, hearing how others have dealt with such similar situations. Also surprising how unique each case is also. We moved from Wisconsin to Illinois for closeness to our children and grandchildren 10 years ago but some of them moved back to Wisconsin and the visits have become more and more rare, I assume because they are so uncomfortable seeing their mom/grandma deteriorate mentally. Anyway it's somehow comforting, although sad, that others are fighting this battle too.

When I was up most of the nights I began drinking sleepy time tea but it was not enough and I learned it contained Valarian root so a couple of years ago I tried powdered root but didn’t like the form. I then discovered the Gaia liquid capsules and two at night are just right for ease in sleeping. Have taken them for about 15 months.

Yes, recently my husband was sleeping most of the day and again at night. Went to three of his doctors, but no answers. Then I started looking at his meds and noticed he was on 2 anxiety pills daily. So he stopped one for awhile and he is now awake most of the day, maybe an occasional nap. What a difference! He was being overmedicated!

Well, Tom is still not sleeping regularly. At his last dr appt his neurologist switched his donepezil from bedtime to morning because she said it could act as a stimulator, but i don't see much of a difference. But there have been some behavior differences and i think he may be starting to develop or developed delirium. I'm looking back on dr. notes about this AND some internet research and he showing signs. So Ive got an email into her to get her take on it and set up another appointment. Maybe we need to switch meds again or add to some or delete some? I don't know, but i don't like this part cuz it's kinda scary.. scarier than the diagnosis, if you can believe that. And i'm still not sleeping,,,,uggghh 🙁
Hugs and prayers to all!

Hi bayviewgirl,
I am sorry to hear your Tom is having problems with his meds. I was also afraid to have Will stop taking one of his two anxiety pills because of what it might do to him, but he was miserable and depressed and so was I. After going to 3 of his doctors and getting no answer, I asked the cardiologist if the sleepiness could be caused by one of the meds, and he agreed, but again no answer. I found Will was taking 2 anxiety pills, so I asked Will if he would start taking one pill every other day, and then stop. He began to feel like himself again and it is now going on 3 weeks and he is doing very well. I notified his doctors that Will stopped taking the anxiety med and that he was feeling much better. If this med had not helped, I would have asked the doctors again to help find the meds causing the sleepiness because it really was so painful for me see him so unhappy and giving up his quality of life. It is scary to change meds, and maybe the dosage could be changed. I would encourage you to keep asking Tom’s doctors to find an answer because I do believe it is in the meds.
Please let me know what you find out.
God’s blessings to both of you.

8 years? You are a saint. No guilt for you! Only kudis! You need her naps to give you the strength to carry on. Do you have any help?

I used to have a family member take her to lunch and shopping once a month so I could attend a caregiver support meeting at the senior center. Unfortunately, that is no longer possible. She can't tolerate being away from me for more than a couple hours so having someone come in to our home really isn't an option.

Oh I am sorry, that is so much pressure on you. What if you ease someone in? Start with an hour while you are there…etc.? I’m sure you tried many things. Don’t feel guilty about a thing! Hey does the caregiver support group have the ability to use a laptop and include you via zoom? During a nap
Maybe you could attend remotely?🤷‍♀️

Thank you so much for these ideas, my own creativity seems stifled lately and too many things have no apparent solutions. In fact, I do have a couple of other musicians coming to our house tomorrow for some jamming, and this will become more frequent, hopefully, and possibly lead to my wife becoming more comfortable with the idea of making a friend or two. She isn't a musician, but loves listening.
The caregiver group hasn't done anything remote, but that's an excellent idea, I know the group leader fairly well as she sings with me sometimes at nursing home events, so I will talk to her.