The night before last, DH talked--sometimes understandable, sometimes gibberish, sometimes singing--in his sleep from 11:30 pm to 2 am. When he woke and wanted the urinal, I gave him another Seroquel 25 mg. as instructed per Hospice, and he then slept quietly for awhile. Then yesterday, after the aide gave him shower and lunch, he went to sleep on the sofa for eight straight hours, dead to the world except for sitting up one time to ask for the urinal. I then put him to bed, where he slept a good eight hours except for urinal x 3. Perhaps the Seroquel is catching up with him, causing all this sleep--although he was doing it in February and March, too…before the big deterioration and change in condition where he couldn't walk anymore. Has anybody else seen that crazy talking for hours in their sleep…and what do you think it might be related to?
yes Elizabeth, my husband will often talk in his sleep...I can have full conversations with him if I pick up on something he's saying. His speech is very clear (unlike when he's awake) and the conversation is somewhat logical, but doesn't always make sense. He never did this before his dx.
I just assume the sleep talking is due to the meds he's on (more than just Seroquel).
It's hard to say the reason for all the sleeping; it could very well be the Seroquel but could also be the disease progression. My husband takes Seroquel 3x/day and I always notice he gets tired/sleepy about 1/2 hour after he's taken it, except of course at night when I want him to be sleepy.
I didn't realize there were whole threads of postings about this matter. Obviously I'm not alone. It seems to be either the disease or the Seroquel--or both. What was very sweet--during some of the parts that were clear--was that he was talking to his first wife, who was killed in a car accident at age 48 in 1975…and to his only child, their son, who died unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 36 in 1990. It made me feel good to hear the happiness in his voice as he bantered with them in a silly, relaxed way--obviously sharing "in" jokes with them…although it didn't last long, as he went back to the gibberish. I felt like I had a nice little visit into the world of his first family.
I wish my husband had done that because I would have tape recorded him so I would have the memory of his voice. He is in LTC now, so even if he started doing it now, I would not be able to record him.
Before he went to the Memory Care unit, I enjoyed hearing my husband talk in his sleep. His voice was strong and clear...and he'd even speak in complete and logical sentences! He had been a high school basketball coach, and he usually seemed to be speaking to his team. He sounded so confident! I'd lost him so gradually that I really had forgotten that he used to be a leader instead of the feeble and confused old fellow that he is today. Elizabeth, I loved your sweet post about your husband's conversations with those who had gone "before."