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We have mentioned to doctor, who finds his blood work normal and prescribes multi-vitamins. He is also on anti-depressant. He sleeps some 10-12 hrs nightly, naps 2-3 hrs in afternoon, and may sleep in his chair in the a.m. But is "so tired." Is this typical of dementia patients?

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It is typical of some kinds of dementia. Are you seeing a specialist for the dementia? Has a particular type of dementia been mentioned?

How is your husband's sleep at night? Is he restless, acting out his dreams, frequently up?

Does he have any hallucinations?

What drugs (if any) is he taking for dementia?

How old is your husband? What did he do before dementia set in? What does he do now (besides sleep)? How is his demeanor when he is awake? Is he argumentative, calm, agitated, etc.?

Giving us a little more information might result in more helpful answers.

Even though excessive daytime sleepiness is "typical" of certain kinds of dementia, that doesn't mean it can't be treated for better qualify of life.
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As the first comment on this question cites, there may be many reasons for this tiredness. My mother's behavior is very similar. She was never easy in social situations and shrunk back from them during her life, preferring to socialize only with her own blood relations, of which there were luckily many to fulfill her needs. Not so much now. Mom hibernates during the day, totally zones out, and then complains that she cannot sleep at night. Of course the doctor hears that she cannot sleep at night and prescribed sleeping pills. I unwound that and Mom is now taking anti-depressants which have brightened her up a bit during the day, though she still does have days where she sleeps a lot. Old habits. Still, things change over time and I probably should have another analysis of the behavior. One of the contributing factors to the sleepless nights was a too-hot room in the Winter. Mom demands, as many elderly patients do, that the heat should be turned way up in her room. In the Winter, this results in dry throat, coughing throughout the night, and if it isn't countered by me (as I must do every winter) by setting the heat at a reasonable level and taping the control door shut, Mom will have a winter-long chest cold which always baffles the staff. Several years I was told that the medical staff needed to culture Mom's throat because she hasn't responded to any of the medications to address her chest cold. I told them loud and clear "TURN DOWN THE HEAT IN HER ROOM AND KEEP IT DOWN." It took written edicts from the medical staff posted above the heat controls to enforce this. Mom's chest cold was resolved in a few days.
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This is exactly what my husband does but he has Polycythemia Vera, a blood disorder. It gets lonely with him asleep so much!
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Ah, but I should add that exercise has helped greatly. We go to a fitness room at the senior center daily and it has made a huge difference. I talked to the blood lab guy about it and he said that they recommend exercise for fatigue.

Can't hurt to try--although getting my mom (90) to do the exercises was like getting a mule up a ladder. I finally gave up.
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Both of my parents slept about 15 hours a day with their Alzheimer's. The rest of the day, they sat in a wheelchair. Initially they each struggled with depression until their doctors prescribed anti-depressants. Both my parents experienced balance difficulties and dizzieness, which led to frequent falls. Their medications contributed to these issues. Within just a few weeks of exhibiting these symptoms, my parents required wheelchairs. My parents developed more infections as their movements declined. It can be very difficult separate the medication side effects and the Alzheimer's symptoms. I reported these issues to my parents' medical team, but my mother declined quickly and passed away in February 2015. My father continues to decline at a VA nursing home. Physical therapy did slow the progression of the disease, but didn't resolve it. Keep close contact with medical professions.
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My 90 year old Dad started to sleep all the time about a year ago and passed away from liver cancer Nov. 2, 2015. Sometimes it is part of the dying process and the body shutting down slowly. But you only find that out after the fact. At least that is what the doctors tried to tell me. Both my parents have or had dementia. Mom who turns 91 today looks like she is following the same pattern. She is so mean when she is awake. Never happy.
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It could be the antidepressant. Could be a heart condition. Could be depression.
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That's nothing. My father sleeps 9-10 hours in bed and all but a few hours of the rest of the time asleep in his recliner. Aside from meals, bathroom, and getting the mail, he lives in his chair for two years now (actually, mom died exactly two years ago the Sunday before Thanksgiving which would be equal to today). The TV is often on but he's rarely actually watching it. He barely communicates (doesn't want to) and refuses to go to the doctor (does see psych nurse though who won't talk to me) or do anything. He won't allow me to hire people to fix the house. I do everything that he used to except getting the mail and unloading the dishwasher. He looks and smells dead but I am sure now that he is immortal (hence the Zombie name for this account).
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My husband has vascular dementia following a stroke 13 years ago. His sleeping has increased to 20 hrs a day and cognitive functioning decreased over the years. He's been diagnosed with congestive heart failure, and has been put on hospice care, which is a great gift to both of us. It's hard to get enough food in him when he's awake so little, but I can prolong his awake time with rides in the car or playing cards or warching M*A*S*H or a movie on TV. He's very pleasant to be with, always joking or thanking me for what I can do for him. I found out from experience that it's impt to weigh him often to see if he's retaining liquid. That's a symptom of heart failure. It's a slow journey, but we're trying to make the most of it.
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Landlocked, my mom is 92 and has had Alzheimer's for a number of years. She has a few other health issues that come into play - only one kidney that is functioning just under 50%, meningioma (a non-cancerous tumour in left frontal lobe, and a thyroidectomy for which she relies on synthroid. She also had a hip replacement that was botched up, leaving one leg shorter than the other, so she has balance and mobility problems, as well as high blood pressure and chronic mastoid discharge from her ear with almost total deafness. Not surprisingly, she is depressed and miserable also when she is awake. She, too, complains of constant tiredness during the day, and her refrain during the night is, "It's so good to get into bed." Also, like you, I'm baffled by nothing showing up on the blood tests. I was given a copy by the emergency department when mom fell on the escalator, and basically took an online crash course in haematology trying to figure out if I can find any subtle pattern. The thing about blood tests is that the results are calibrated on a range from a low to a high continuum. Doctors usually say nothing showed up, or the results were normal. On my mom's blood test, kidney functioning at 49% was not "normal". I believe there was a slightly lower or elevated count on some other factors I think like white blood cell count. Surprisingly her iron and red blood cell count were normal. So I have to look for explanations elsewhere, like inertness, musculoskeletal or mental/emotional fatigue from confusion, anxiety and depression. Maybe the pattern of excessive sleepiness has something to do with the effect of Alzheimer's on the part of the brain that controls consciousness and the sleep/wake cycle (I believe it is in the brain stem). At any rate, what I am trying to say is my mother sleeps a lot and is extremely fatigued and no explanation can be found from blood tests either.
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Yes, it is. Also, despite the fact that your doctor said all blood work is great, I would not hold on it. What is great for some people can be not so great for others. He might need a little boost with Iron, Vitamins D and B, and most of all -- daily great protein shake. But not that sold in a store and filled with processed GMO (sugar) ingredients. You should consider making one with hemp/chia seeds (three spoons = 10 gr of protein) and organic protein powder (I buy mine in Costco). Blend it all with frozen bananas, avocado, orange/mango juice.... or invent your own recipe!
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Have the Dr check his B-12 levels.
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It's ok for him to sleep. This stage will also pass. Or he may be bored. It is hard to find something for folks to do . They need to like to do it, and be capable of doing it. Some like puzzles for a while or drawing or coloring in coloring books. If you take him outside he may be revived a bit. A visitor stimulates folks for a short time. Sometimes what they want is complany, just to sit on the sofa with him and hold his hand.
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My almosy 93 yo MIL sleeps about 20 hours a day. She gets up for coffee, stays awake an hour or 2 to have lunch, naps in the afetrnoon, eats dinner 4-5 pm, and is back in bed asleep by 7. She's also almost always cold (wears 4-5 layers). The only med she takes is zoloft, which reduced her anxiety and argumentativeness. Her blood pressure and everything else is fine.

She is slowly dying and this is her body shutting down. We have seen a slow steady - now accelerating decline - since she moved in with us 14 months ago. She has said that she hopes to die in her sleep.
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try vit.b12 and folic acid together
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This sounds like my husband, who has Lewy Body Dementia. Meds helped for a while, but for the past two days, he only wakes up to take them. I hope your husband doesn't have this horrid disease.
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Globetrotter: You sound like me. I call myself The Google Doctor. For years I've been trying to diagnose my father (now passed) and my mother because their doctors are pretty useless, except for writing prescriptions. Know what I discovered? That Google-doctoring is a huge mental stress and gets me nowhere. My dad had a meningioma on his right frontal lobe, and IT wound up killing him this past June. He became SO weak on the entire left side of his body, that he fell & broke a hip, and then wound up falling 11x during the ensuing 10 months he remained alive. With all of these health issues, it's impossible to figure out what's causing what, and what to do about it. Palliative care wound up being THE best treatment for Dad, and physical therapy (which gave him Hope that he'd get out of the wheelchair one day, which he did not).

My mother has about 10 health issues with 'vertigo' being the newest and most confusing/troubling of all. She fell last Sunday, I took her to the ER (she lives in an ALF), and the doc said ALL her tests were 'normal' and that she's fine. Meanwhile, she wobbles & teeters around, losing her balance and 'almost' falling continuously. The treatment for vertigo is Valium, which exacerbates the wobbling & teetering BIG time. So I've decided to stop playing Google Doctor, put Mom on the medication administering program at the ALF, and put the rest in God's hands.

Wishing you the very best of luck with your Mom, my friend.
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Hubby is 92. I think he sleeps some days is because of 3 reasons 1) he's up 3 and 4 times a night to use the bathroom; 2) when he's bored (like at a Church service; and 3) his body is starting to shut down. Blood tests and meds are ok. Get them checked once every 3 months. He's always awake when the caregiver is here on Wed and Fri mornings. He talks a lot about his past; and, bless her heart, she listens to the same stories again and again. He really enjoys reading past war books of plans he used to work on during WW 2. Yes, he can stay home from the service; but he really does like to go because he sees his friends and goes out to breakfast with them after Church.
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Try earphones with light music during the day, get him to hum, feed the patient small bites more frequently, engage in conversation, seek visitors especially old friends. The boredom of exclusion is evident the patient needs a pinch of life and be certain to practice polypharmacy.
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Polypharmacy? What's that?
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Sorry it has recently entered into the vocabulary. It means spacing the intake of medicine at intervals and not take them in one gulp at the same time. This avoids interactions and is worth trying.
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Polypharmacy refers to the effects of taking multiple medications concurrently to manage coexisting health problems, such as diabetes and hypertension. Too often, polypharmacy becomes problematic, such as when patients are prescribed too many medications by multiple healthcare providers working independently of each other. Also, drug interactions can occur if no single healthcare provider knows the patient's complete medication picture.
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I know it's difficult to watch your loved one go down hill, but dementia is a robber of any quality of life! I've heard it said that dementia is like a book, every day you tear a page out till there are gone! My mom is terrible mean, an now has a short window of any niceness to me. She still has times that she can be very nice to my siblings, that visit on occasion! She thinks l'm her maid, an her family pays me well! Mom does dothing any more but set, eat, sleep! She gets very angry with me if l ask anything of her. So sad, not any quality of life here.
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There is nothing "typical" about dementia persons who are unique, but the anti-depressant would be suspect to me and thyroid levels can be checked by an endocrinologist. There is some dispute about what level one should have for hypothyroidism in order to take Synthroid medication. He needs to be stimulated every day so he is not sleeping that much, so get him up and exercising physically and mentally. My husband does word problems and reads history books. Do what he still likes...
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My mom is almost 91 and sleeps alot..She is awake to eat and then naps. She is in AL and when we visit her she usually falls asleep. She rarely gets visitors. She is in her own little world. Sits in a w/c all day aside from naps. Its all part of alzheimers. She was diagnosed 5 plus years ago..So sad....
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When reason diminishes patients only respond to the person who feeds them identity fades. It is difficult for loved ones to see how the patient is breaking down. Other than keeping the patient medicated until necessary is some relief for the caregiver but signals what we expect. We caregivers must continue our role no matter what the difficulties are presented. A minute extra in life without pain is a lifetime. I feel guilty when I reflect on the times I lost my patience. I know I regret every minute now that she is gone when I lost my temper this is a stain I live with. I know better now how this illness works.
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My 85 yr husband W dementia can sleep till 3 or 4pm getting up to potty & try to get a meal in there. He reluctantly gets up when we must go somewhere & will stay awake. As soon as it is near dark he wants to go to bed but not w/o me. He is great W 100 pc puzzles so when he's up I keep one out so he may do 5 a nite. I prolong bed at least until 8 then turn bdrm TV on hgtv or cooking & he may watch or go to sleep. He is on aricept & anti depressent. I stay calm he stays calm & makes life happy where we are. The doc sees nothing wrong W his sleep so better than being bored. His exercise is walking from car to store & he gets worn out. We know what's at the end so make him happy at what he likes including sweets & sleeping.
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Personally, with a person gets in their 90's, I think all their sleeping is they are just tired of living. Most of their friends have died off, most of the family members are gone and they are in a nursing home just waiting... They get depressed because they used to be so busy and moving around and now, the only movement they have is adjusting in their wheelchair. Take them outside in the fresh air and at first they may not like it but later, in their room, they will feel better for being outside in the sun. The sun does wonders for the body and soul and it doesn't take but a half hour out there. Give them extra vitamin D, enough pain med to get by for a few hours and sit out there with them and talk to them. Bring up past get-togethers that were fun and full of laughter. Bring pets to see them and maybe even babies. They are usually left out of everyday life and they are just waiting to die. Don't let them get to that point. My dad lived with me until he was 80. Every day we sat and talked even though I didn't always see his point, I knew he felt like talking about things 50-60 years ago. We would go out to eat even though it was a little hard for him to walk but we went. we stayed in the land of the living is what I'm trying to say. I would take him to toe mall and sit him in the middle on the benches while I went from store to store and I moved him bench to bench but he was always ready to go. Once they get in the nursing home, everyone is so busy with chores, they let them stay in the wheelchairs for hours on end and rarely talked to them about anything other than what they need to do. Think about what you would want someone to do if you were the patient in the NH sitting and waiting...
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His sleeping so much is also one of my concerns.
I keep the room at night cool and dark.
Now I open up the curtains, shut off the fan and put on the TV or music and let him decide when to get up Some days he sleeps until 3 and others days he gets up at 12 or 1. We go out in the evenings. I try to have him dance twice a week minimum. I now try to get him to walk. I try exercise at home. Sometimes it works sometimes it does not. I found a program where I can get his fitness assessed and few tips on exercise. I hope that helps. He is 83. Was diagnosed 6 ears ago but changes were noticed 10 years ago.I think it depends on the days, the weather and the activities of the day. Some days I can attribute it to boredom, depression, discouragement, confusion and just being tired. I take it one day at a time, check to see if there are infections or other issues and then go with the flow. We just finished two days of constant sleeping and now he is up and at 'em and ready to go. I will take my cues from him for a while and see how it goes.
I use the morning time when he sleeps to go out and exercise and go out and do errands. I leave a big note and make sure I am back within 2 hours. He now sees it as routine.
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Many different can make him lethargic.
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