Health Tip: When Alzheimer's Affects Sleep

:womenshealth.gov

2013/08/01

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(HealthDay News) -- Some people with Alzheimer's disease -- characterized by a loss of brain tissue -- have trouble sleeping and/or nighttime wandering.

The National Sleep Foundation suggests how to improve sleep in people with Alzheimer's:

Make sure the sleep environment is as cool and dark as possible.
Create a consistent schedule of waking and going to bed.
Expose the person with Alzheimer's to bright light soon after waking.
As bedtime nears, keep lighting dim.
Establish regular and simple routines to complete daily chores.
Make sure the home environment is safe -- with no knives, guns or matches in reach.
Keep a relatively busy schedule of activities.
Get some daily exercise.