5 Tips to Improve Sleep for People with Dementia

For the person living with dementia and the caregiver by their side, a good night’s sleep can feel like an elusive dream. The disorienting brain changes of dementia often shatter the natural sleep-wake cycle, leading to restless nights, confusing wakefulness, and exhausting days for everyone involved.

This creates a challenging cycle where poor sleep worsens dementia symptoms, and worsening symptoms further disrupt sleep. But what if the path to better rest doesn’t start at bedtime, but hours earlier?

Grounded in scientific research, these five practical and compassionate strategies offer a blueprint to break the cycle, helping to create the conditions for more peaceful nights and brighter days.

Dementia is associated with brain changes that can worsen sleep. Someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia can experience frequent waking, troubled sleep, or being awake at night. To help them (and you) get better rest at night, gerontologist Julia Larimer shares five tips that improve sleep in dementia.

Dementia Worsens Sleep – and Poor Sleep Worsens Dementia

A good night’s sleep slows cognitive decline, prevents falls and injuries, improves mood, and helps balance the sleep-wake cycle.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, nearly 7 out of 10 people with dementia experience sleep issues.

It’s a vicious cycle: dementia worsens sleep, and poor sleep worsens dementia. 

Thankfully, scientific research has shown several ways to mitigate this harmful cycle.

Signs That Someone with Dementia Has Trouble Sleeping

Unless you’re sharing a bed with the person or have a monitor like a FitBit to track sleep, it might be hard to tell if your loved one has trouble sleeping. 

Waking up three or more times during the night is one example of poor sleep. 

Troubled sleep can also mean waiting more than an hour to fall asleep or more than 30 minutes to fall back asleep.

If you can’t monitor their sleep at night, look for these symptoms: aggression, excessive daytime sleeping, increased confusion or trouble finding the right words, falling out of bed at night, or the obvious – they’re awake and active during the night.

What can we do to promote better sleep? By preparing for it all day.

Here we share five evidence-based tips.

1. Consider the lighting

Our minds depend on natural light to help maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle. Help your loved one experience light during the daytime and darkness at night. 

Using a light therapy lamp in the mornings is a good habit to develop since we can’t always count on sunny days.

Then, in the evening, be sure the curtains or blinds are closed to help cue your loved one that it will soon be time to sleep.

2. Be active and exercise for at least 30 minutes per day

The Alzheimer’s Association recommends exercising at least 4 hours before bedtime.

Researchers found that daily use of a light therapy lamp and walking helped people with dementia sleep 32% more at night. Moreover, they woke up an average of 5 times fewer times during the night.

So walk, lift weights or canned goods, do some seated exercises, or work on some chores together. 

Staying active will help your loved one to be tired by bedtime.

3. Make sure their physical needs are met before going to bed

Have they gone to the bathroom? Did they brush their teeth? Is the temperature comfortable? 

Are their pajamas comfortable? Or – and this might be uncomfortable for you to consider – perhaps they prefer not to wear pajamas to bed at all.

Go with their preferences and routine. 

The primary focus is to ensure they are comfortable and in a “ready for bed” mindset when they actually go to bed, and that they don’t feel the need to get up during the night.

4. Play relaxing sounds before and during bedtime

Listening to music has been shown to increase deep sleep and REM stages, which restore energy, relax the muscles, and lower blood pressure.

Don’t stress about finding the perfect soothing sound for your loved one; focus on something low and slow without lyrics. 

It could be music, nature sounds, or just static white noise. 

While some people like listening to audiobooks, podcasts, or even the TV as they fall asleep, for many people with dementia, listening to another person’s voice (especially at night in the dark) can be energizing, distracting, or even frightening.

5. Use aromatherapy and hand rubs

Research shows that breathing in certain essential oils like lavender, sweet orange, and cedarwood helps people with dementia to have longer, uninterrupted periods of sleep throughout the night. 

You can disperse the oils using a diffuser, by putting a few drops on a towel draped over the pillow at bedtime, or even using an aromatherapy lotion.

Hand rubs, particularly those incorporating aromatherapy, have been shown to help people with dementia relax and wake fewer times during the night. 

When your loved one sleeps better, you will sleep better too.

Final Thoughts on Improving Sleep for People with Dementia

Improving sleep when dementia is involved is a journey of gentle consistency, not a single quick fix. By weaving these evidence-based tips into the daily routine, you are building a foundation for better rest.

Remember, each small step you take to smooth the transition from day to night is a profound act of care that benefits both your loved one’s well-being and your own resilience. When they sleep more soundly, you can too. Here’s to reclaiming the rest you both deserve and finding more moments of peace in the days and nights ahead.

Recommended for you:

• 11 Tips to Improve Senior Sleep by Reducing Pain and Discomfort
• 3 Top Benefits of a Daily Routine for Seniors
• 7 Ways to Reduce Dementia Sundowning Symptoms

 

Guest contributor: Julia Larimer, LNHA, ADC is a gerontologist and founder of ShopAlzWell.com (note: website no longer exists). Alz Well helps people with dementia and their families celebrate more good days through an evidence-based Sleep Kit and Caregiver Guide.

 

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