I haven't been posting for a while. The rules changed at work and we could not access the internet. I did not want to get on-line at home for fear that Robert would "follow" me here and read everything I've written.
Now the internet policy is softening and I have a question. Robert (just to remind everyone) is in the early stages of AD. He has been doing remarkably well since being put on Exelon and Namenda about 9 months ago.
However, lately in the last month, he has started sleeping alot more than normal. He naps a couple of times a day and he goes to bed early. I'm sure he gets up inthe night because he always has, but these naps are really starting to concern me.
Welcome back! Yes, Leighanne, it is. My husband took almost a year to get through that stage. Now he takes a couple of cat naps during the afternoon, and dozes at night (and really doesn't get 5 hours of sleep now - as opposed to 14-17 during that year of sleep).
My DH has started doing the same thing (he is in stage 7). As he is in a facility, I have been observing many of the other residents and ask lots and lots of questions.
The answer to your question is yes, it can be typical behavior. However, you still need to rule out other possibilities - does he have a UTI, is something else physically wrong or do his meds need adjusting.
I did ask those questions and the doctor reassesed his meds the other day and lowered the amount of Zyprexa that they were giving him. Time will tell if that makes a difference or if it is all the disease.
I think part of the reason they sleep so much is that coping with the confusion is as exhausting to them as it is to us. They just want to get away from themselves, so they sleep.
DH nods off all the time while sitting on the couch. Lately I notice that he seems to go into a fog where he's not quite asleep and eventually his head drops and he's out. It's just another depressing symptom of the AD, I think. (He only takes Namenda, nothing for mood or anxiety.)
some meds of course cause sleepiness - if thats ruled out, depending on which area of the brain is affected first, i think with the disease, all areas are eventually affected in a random order. involuntary and voluntary movements, along with organ disfunctions and more than likely, even the sleep patterns are affected during the course of the disease. divvi
My DH has been in a NH about 9 months. The staff is good tko him but seems all he does is sleep. Wakes up for breakfast-goes back to sleep about 10. Is waken up about 11:30 for lunch. Stays awake till about 1:00..then is put back to bed till supper time. If the Aide doesn't put him in bed he falls asleep in his wheelchair. When he sleeps his legs seem to twitter. RN says this is all part of AD. His Vital Stats are still good. Carol
if they are in a NH and sleeping ALL the time, i would definately look at chart (dont ask staff-see for yourself)to see what meds are being administered. they do tend to medicate everyone there some more than others. we see sometimes many of the drugs they get arent really that necessary and can help your loved one function somewhat better if they are removed.divvi
Unfortunately, my DH doesn't sleep all the time right now - he can hardly keep his eyes open during the day. I think I am giving up and will just plan to nap during the day and not expect to get much sleep at night. There always seem to be changes -and I will be glad to see this one pass!
Yes. He falls alseep (or is in that inbetwen stage of sleep and wake frequently. He also complains a lot of being just worn out, exhausted. I'm getting a blood test next week for B vitamins. He can fall asleep right during a conversation. Never finishes watching a TV show.
My wife sits in her reclining chair next to my computer and dozes while I am working or reading. She also dozes if there is nothing going on, or nothing that interests her. I think beenthere is correct that this is a coping mechanism to deal with their confusion. My wife often comments on confusion when I wake her.
Lynn is in late stage 6/early 7 and for the past year or so he will sleep 20 hours a day if I let him! He wasn't on any medication at all, so I was truly worried about this and took him to doctor after doctor. I was told over and over it was just the way his AD was progressing. After every test they could think to run came back ok, I just had to accept this is true.
My husband used to sleep alot during the day, but now just 'dozing' off & on -- if we have an esp busy day, he really needs a nap. By "busy", I'm talking running errands, maybe 3-4 stores for just a few minutes each, but all the getting into/out of the car is exhausting for him...BUT, on the flip side, this is mostly the only exercise he's getting as it's just TOO HOT to do any outside walking here -- Over 100 degrees nearly 2 weeks straight & the next week or so shows no sign of relief. Today my husb went to the movies with our "care-giver" -- they saw "Swing Vote" and now (9:00pm) he went to bed -- no sleeping really all afternoon, but once the sun goes down, he gets 'restless' and when I suggest bed, he's ready to go. No so long ago he HAD to have me in bed with him to get to sleep. I too am thankful for the times I can just "BE" for a few hours while he's sleeping.
natsmom, can you take your husband for walks in an air-conditioned shopping mall? That's what my father used to do with my mother in the middle of the Iowa summers.
My husband wants to sleep all of the time. I read about one of his meds, Risperdal, so just this A.M., I did not give it to him. I am keeping him on the Effexor, as it helps the rages. People make me feel guilty when I tell them he sleeps, they always tell me it is due to the meds. Don't they realize we go through enough without the guilt. Hopefully, he will do well without the Risperdal and with just the Effexor. Maybe without Risperdal, he won't sleep all day. I'll let you know. Sleeping is a "double-edged" sword, if he sleeps and sleeps, I get a moment's peace, if he sleeps, I have absolutely zero husband and am totally alone. Oh well, can't have everything.
Sunshyne-That's a good idea & I did have our care-giver take him one day, but she turned it into a 'shopping' thing & he came back saying "gad" so I knew it wasn't fun for him. I might try it again on the days we are together during the week. I'll let you know how it goes.
One more thing -- in the document about dementia on the home page, it talks about the fact that if our loved one is fed, clean, not in want, and moving about off & on, who's to say that having them "sit" is a bad thing...so perhaps "sleeping" alot isn't all that bad ~
My husband sleeps a great deal. Since we have to deal with AD and all of the difficulties it presents, I am glad for him. His sleep is deep at times and he often talks while dreaming. There are times when he laughs and chatters away. It seems positive for him.
I am glad for me as it gives me time to take care of all that I need to do. I miss his companionship so much, but knowing where he is and that he isn't anxious - I can deal with it. When I am at work I worry less because I know he is safe. The dog and cat curl up with him and they all nap together.
The sleeping started to happen long before we had a diagnosis or medications. My impression is that this is part of the disease progression for him.
thanks for all of the responses. I talked with Robert about it and he said that he is just so tired all of the time. So, I guess you guys are right, it's just the disease. Since our talk though, he's been trying to stay awake more. I think there is an element of boredom or escapism to it as well.
I know it's been bothering our daughter. She wants to see her dad doing so well and for the majority of the last year he has been. She just turned 10 and she has began to wet the bed a little bit again. I know it's becuase of seeing the change in her dad.
But he is still mostly his old self. He just has some odd behaviors every once in awhile. So we are really lucky. I think we all just wait for the big changes to start so we freak out when we see a little one.
When I was 9 or 10, my folks got a very ugly divorce and I was sent to live with an aunt. I started to wet the bed at that time. It lasted for one year until my mother was able to take me with her, again.
Bed wetting that starts up after being dry for some time, is usually an indicator of stress. You might want to talke to her pediatritian. He may be able to give h er a little something for the stress, or prescribe some counceling.
Best of luck to you and her. What a sad thing for anyone, especially for a child to see changes in her daddy.
Oh Leighanne, how hard for your 10 year old!! I add my prayers to Mawzy's for you & for your sweet family. I can only imagine how difficult this must be for a 10 year old to grasp! Our 24 year old daughter struggles with it & just cries when she talks to her dad (she lives in NYC). She saw a psychologist & is now on Celexa to cope with her depression. It is so so hard to deal with when someone you love so much goes through something so devestating as this. Again, prayers are with you & your family.
So glad to have seen this . My husband does sleep a lot, I'm hoping to get him started at an adult day care in September. We are going on vacation for 10 days, and when we come back I'm planning this. I figured that it would be a good time to start. Ithought that being in day care, would keep him awake during the day, at least 2 days a week.
I thought "just maybe" my husband's meds, Effexor and Risperdal, were making him sleep all day and then want to be in bed by 6 P.M., were the culprits. I have had enough family "blame" me for it. 2 weeks ago, I gradually took away the medications. It was sort of a "test." His behavior is still good- thank goodness, but he still sleeps, forgets, walks way behind me, stops continually way far back of me, etc., therefore, sleeping must be from the alzheimers- it wasn't just my medicating him.
rglennon...it is indeed a part of the AD experience. There is nothing you can do about and why would you want to....if they are sleeping they are not being agitated, confused, angry or upset. And, the next time someone "blames" you for anything about this disease...tell them "oh thank goodness...I was hoping you would have a better way to care for him...when are you picking him up?" Believe me, when they are asked to participate in the "fun", they will back down very quickly.
Sandi- you are so right. When he is sleeping and I am home with him, at least I have a moment- even though I hate being alone- but being with my husband is now like being with a 62 year old baby that I must care for every second. There is absolutely no one I know who understands the reality of this.
My husband sleeps most of the time and walks behind me all the time. Drives me crazy. In our area we have 65 year old twins who are mentally challenged. They live together and you used to see the walking all the time. Miles a day. One was always in front and the second one about 50' behind. They got the nickname "Frick and Frack" and I tell him that is what we look like. lmohr
Sandi, Imohr, and rglennon, what stages are your DHs in? Leighann says her DH is in the early stages. Is this something that maybe happens in any stage?
In most cases, our spouses are on SO MUCH MEDICATION. I don't know about yours, but every prescription my husband takes says - "Can cause drowsiness". I would think it's a wonder they are awake at all.
Of course, there are other reasons that are specifically related to the AD condition (I'm not familiar with all of them), but I would think that the medications have to play a part in the sleeping.
Sandi,
LOVE THE COMEBACK about coming to get him to take better care of him. LOVE IT.
I'm also thinking it's the medication, Joan. My DH says he feels bad all the time. If they feel bad, sleeping is the only thing they feel like doing. Feeling lousy also can make them depressed (another common thing here.)
Mine was only on namenda and one 100 mg neurontin when he started sleeping all the time. With now two neurontins and a bedtime seroquel, he does sleep through the night, I guess, but some days he's up all day; if he lies down for a nap he's back up in twenty minutes thinking it's tomorrow. SO I think we're back to the everyone's individual thing.
Leighanne, so happy that you are back...I was wondering how you and Robert were doing. My husband was sleeping about 12 hrs per night in the early stages. I think now he is entering into moderate and sleeps about 10 hrs a nite.
Dazed, one of the first symptoms that scared me to death was my husband sleeping all of the time. This was in 2003, two years before he was diagnosed, and before he was on any medicine at all. He sleeps a lot less now that he is being treated.
I think sleep is one of those things that you have to keep experimenting to find out whether it's due to a med, or to depression and/or stress, or to the AD itself ... and you may never know why.
Most of the time now, if DH is awake for over an hour he starts having panic attacks. I don't care what he takes - just so that stops. We are now trying trazadone rather than seroquel at night. The seroquel ended up making him anxious, didn't make him sleep. Last night was our first on the trazadone. It didn't work that well, and he thought I was some man, but he was content with that. I'd rather have him think I'm a man than take the seroquel, know who I am, and be anxious as h... Actually, it doesn't seem we have great choices,does it?
I think too it has a lot to do with what stage they are in. Lynn has been sleeping A LOT for the past 2 years... NO medications, so it has to be the AD. He only started the seroquel last month, he isn't sleeping more. But he IS sleeping through the night and seems more rested. His doctor said in the later stages it happens. Sort of like the eating, but still losing weight. *sigh
Frand I hope the trazadone works for your husband.
Andrea was on all those medications...risperdal, namenda, you name it, and still she was able to stay up for 5 days straight. Rarely slept at night, and tiny naps here and there. It may be medication causing the sleep/no sleep, but it's still going to affect each person differently. If you know one person with AD.....well, you know how that ends.
LOL Yes, I think I know how that ends *wink I was remembering you telling us how Andrea had stayed awake for 5 days! It may seem selfish, but I am glad that hasn't happened to Lynn. At least while he is asleep, I know he is safe. That had to have been so hard on you!!
The doctor lowered some of my husbands meds when I questioned the amount of meds and the amount he was sleeping (15-16 hours a day). What I have noticed since then is that he is still sleeping a lot but much more alert when he is awake. Not sure if more meds need to be lowered too but will continue to monitor the situation and ask lots and lots of questions.
well, here we still are, sleeping so much, he just can't get up at all. And I admit, sometimes, I don't mind, it gives me time for me.... but today, I want to go to my daughter's for my grandson't birthday, and he hasn't showered in over a week, I pleadded with him yesterday to shower, but he didn't and he stinks, so I came home from church, wanting him to shower and dress, but he can't get his eyes open.... so I told him to go back to bed, but i'm just annoyed. yesterday my son and his family came over DH slept all day, got up when they came, still in PJ's , no shower, no shave. I gess you can't have your cake and eat it. You can't expect him to sleep and then expect him to get up, and truthfully, most of the time I don't mind when he sleeps, but this is no life. And he doesn't eat either. Just his ensure in the morning. What the heck can I do.....
my DH would sleep all day if i let him too. i have found that getting him up and moving right after breakfast is helping alot to get the blood flowing and his need to nap is less. if mine sleeps over an hr he is up and back/forth to play in the bathroom all nite. -if he doesnt get a nap which i have been doing this week he is sleeping much more soundly. too soundly actually:) the tradeoff is he wets the depends hes so sleepy to get up! and yes our neuro says its part of the disease to start napping all day. sad. divvi
We should find out tomorrow or Tues from PET Scan results more info on what stage Jim is in. He also sleeps alot. Bedtime is aroud 10:00 and he gets up around 6 am then naps 4 hours a more during the day, more if he has been at all active. He takes Paxil for depression and Ativan for anxiety. I sure they add to the sleepiness that drepression brings, but without them he is in a constant state of anxiety/panic. I've noticed that he suddenly has accepted and talked about AD. I was shocked to say the least. He says he just wants the results of the scan so that he can have a better idea of when he will "walk into the fog and not come back." I'm wondering if this sudden acceptance and awareness is due to the addition of Aricept two weeks ago. Is it to soon? Some days he can make coffee and run the snowblower, other days he can't run the dishwasher. We meet with a new psychiatrist who is going to manage his depression meds and we meet with the neuro on Wed. So much to think about and worry about.