Dementia Sundowning Helped By Bright Light?

I've been following the research concerning sundowning, which is a term used for the disturbances that often occur anywhere from 3:00 pm - 8:00 pm in persons with dementia who are in the middle or moderate stage of the disease.  The non-technical term of sundowning was coined because some of the behaviors seen at that time such as agitation, restlessness and increased wandering, were felt to be related to the sun going down.

Our bodies do each have a unique 24 hour body clock cycle, called "circadian rhythm".  This is why you have jet lag when you travel to different time zones--your body clock is still reacting to your regular timezone and trying to adjust. 

Researchers feel that sundowning is really a disturbance to the established circadian rhythm of a person with dementia, usually occurring in the middle stages of the disease.  The body is not reading the environmental signals properly.  When the circadian rhythm is mixed up somehow, the person with dementia may demonstrate changes in sleep cycle, temperature, hormone production and alertness.  When it comes to sleep, the person may appear unable to fall asleep and stay asleep, and may have nightime restlessness, causing them to be up and around. Sounds a bit like jet lag, doesn't it?

Sleep aids and sedatives do not work on this situation in persons with dementia and often these medications can have additional side effects that further complicate the matter.

A new study, published in Sleep Review Magazine, has supported the theory that persons with dementia who are exposed to very bright light (preferably natural light) during the day and exposed to darkness at night can see benefits in getting their circadian rhythm or their sleep and wake patterns back on track.  This can seem to be tricky to do but appears to be worth the while.

In the long term care setting, getting the bright light exposure is easier than maintaining a fully dark setting because of safety factors.  It may be easier in the home to adjust the lighting.

Has anyone tested out the bright light theory informally as a way to get the sleep wake cycle regulated in their loved onewith dementia?  We'll keep bringing you more of this research as it becomes available.

Comments

[Kay Brewer]

Thank you. Sounds promising.
Maybe with the Daylight Savings time, things will look up.
Sincerely,
Kay

[Sue]

Hi Kay: I thought it was interesting as well. We had heard about the bright light being a factor but adding in the exposure to darkness as well makes complete sense.

I'm hoping we can hear back from more readers to see if daylight savings time adjustment and other techniques suggested in this research are working.

Thanks for writing! Sue