Ask an Expert: How to Sleep Better with Dementia

It’s common for people living with dementia to experience sleep problems. Reasons for this might be because they:

• Sleep more during the day and are awake and restless at night
• Are less active during the daytime so they are not sleepy at night
• Are unable to tell if it’s day or night

Insufficient sleep can lead to changes in behaviour. Care partners may also experience disrupted sleep if the person they’re caring for wakes up during the night, which can lead to them feeling burned out.

There are a few things you can try to help improve sleeping habits for someone living with dementia.

Typically, you want to encourage as much daytime activity and sunlight exposure as you can. Sunlight exposure helps our bodies know it’s time to be awake and active. People living with dementia may not be able to get outside as much as they used to, so light therapy lamps can be a useful tool.

Using a light therapy lamp for 20 minutes around breakfast and again around lunch provides the right amount of daylight exposure. In the evening, keep the lights dim, do calming activities and make sure the person living with dementia doesn’t go to bed too early.

If there’s one thing to focus on, it’s sticking to a bedtime routine. Transition objects can help signal to people living with dementia when it’s time for bed. These can be things like pajamas or a certain hand lotion. Working these objects into your nightly routine – for example, rubbing in hand lotion right before bed – helps the brain prepare for sleep.

Sleep problems can feel overwhelming and these strategies may not work for everyone. If you’re facing challenges around sleep habits, connect with the Alzheimer Society for guidance and further resources.

Join Dr. Cary Brown on June 11, from 2 – 3 pm via Zoom as she speaks more about the relationship between sleep and dementia in our Family Education: Next Steps series.