Moderate Alzheimer's, Frequent Resting and Napping

My husband had viral encephalitis in 2011. Now, ten years later, he has dementia and also sleeps a lot. He will do things like set the table or help me carry in groceries, when I ask, but otherwise dozes in his recliner during the day and then sleeps at least 10 hours per night. I’m going to ask his neurologist about it when we see him. Lou always liked his sleep, but this is a lot more sleep than ever before. I’ll post what the neurologist says, later. I am concerned, to say the least and do not know what, if anything, I can do.

Larry, you are a gift from God to so many. I understand my sweet husband much better because of you. I cannot imagine writing from "in there'" but am grateful that your gift of the written word is precise, pertinent and practically perfect.
I did not realize that my husband's daytime sleep is a way to escape the demands/expectations of the day or a way to cope with his depression/anxiety. His nighttime antics prevent me from sleeping, but I am committed to being with him to try to keep him from hurting himself and because I love him dearly...and this causes another problem in that I don't get enough sleep because I am sort of sleeping lightly to keep an ear out for him and to protect myself. (He punched me in the hip the other night and it is still sore.. broken nose, punched ribs, etc...but it is ok because he doesn't know he does these things until afterwards when I scream out or he wakes up.) He does have a CPAP and that has been wonderful in that it seems to keep him in one place. and he sleeps under a weighted blanket and that does help him. We also invested in a king size tempurpedic mattress and this helps me sleep because he jerks and shakes as if he is having seizures all night long; this mattress absorbs this part of his sleep .. I would like to add that before the diagnosis of LBD he slept well, and could not sleep during the day. He had zero anxiety or depression - he was absolutely the most confident, energetic, pleasant and happy person. Now, the LBD has changed him in so many ways, and it is a hard road for all of us- but he does it with character, grace, and hope. I am honored to walk this journey with him.

Hello teacher502, My husband has been diagnosed MCI due to AD. We participated in the Mayo Habit program a year ago. From that contact we are a part of alumni support groups. From a lovely woman who’s husband, like yours, has LBD we’ve learned so many clever accommodations for what she experiences. One such tip that might be useful for you is that the two start out in their bed together being sure th end the day cuddling and sharing embraces. Then he sleeps on a mattress laid on the floor next to her side of the bed. This has prevented the nighttime thrashing and injuries she used to sustain.

Good morning, @tsc I am sorry to read of your husband's diagnosis, but I'm pleased you found Mayo Connect and that @colleenyoung moved this discussion to the Caregivers group.

My name is Scott and I was one of the caregivers for my MIL who had dementia as well as for my wife whose brain cancer gave her many dementia-similar symptoms.

I understand all patients, their diseases, and journeys are different, I'd like to share what I observed with my wife and MIL.

In both their cases their sleeping patterns changed and changed often. Sometimes these changes occurred in rapid succession, sometimes with plateaus in between them. With both of them (and this is just what I did) I let them define their own sleep patterns and then provided them with as much mental stimulation as they could enjoy while awake. While my MIL tended to sleep in longer periods, my wife never slept for longer than two hours. I did a lot of one-sided talking for sure, but when they were awake did my best to keep them engaged.

Early in my wife's journey, her neuro-oncologist told us that it was only when she was sleeping that her brain could work on figuring out how it could possibly 'rewire' itself to work better in its everchanging environment as the disease progressed within its synapses.

I am more than happy to answer any questions you might have if you think it would be helpful for you.

Strength, Courage, & Peace

I have trouble getting my wife up in the morning to give her a high proten breakfast. The verbal responses get nasty. After some verbal fisticuffs she finally gets up. How hard do I push this? After she is up, everything gets better fast.

I have trouble getting my wife up in the morning to give her a high proten breakfast. The verbal responses get nasty. After some verbal fisticuffs she finally gets up. How hard do I push this? After she is up, everything gets better fast.

Hi, @goodold I know every patient is different but in my wife's case I let her wake up and bedtimes slip to what she was most comfortable with.

I remember her neuro doctor telling us that the brain worked much harder when broken and it was only during periods of sleep that it could try and 'rewire'. With this in mind, I let her kind of dictate her daily wake-up, nap, and bedtime routines.

Strength, Courage, & Peace

@goodold Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! I’m glad you found this site. How long have you been caring for your wife? What other problems do you have that the members could help you with?

Thank you for your reply! How do you get anything done? My wife will sleep until afternoon and stay up until 2 or 3 AM. With those hours, I'm afraid to leave the house with her asleep. Then I poop out after midnight. She also has a very leaky bladder. And that causes lots of washing/dryer cycles a day. They want to put a device in her back in hopes it will reduce massive leakage. I'm resisting because I don't really want to cause her more disconfort.