I become troublesome at night. Is this the sundowning syndrome?

Is it sundown syndrome that makes people upset at night ?

Do you have such an old person around you? As they get older, they often feel sleepy during the day and their memory becomes worse. But when it is almost night, they are no longer sleepy and start to walk around the room with an impatient look. Sometimes, they suddenly forget who they are or where they are. After the family took the old man to the hospital for treatment, they realized that the old man was suffering from "sunset syndrome". So, what is "sunset syndrome"?

Patients with dementia often experience a reversal of day and night, sleeping during the day and staying awake at night. Especially at dusk or when it gets dark, emotional cognitive functions will undergo a series of obvious changes, with abnormal manifestations such as anxiety, irritability, and excitement. Some elderly people may also experience behavioral abnormalities, with a sudden loss of sense of direction, and they may not know where they came from or where they are going while walking. These behaviors usually last for several hours or even the entire night.

So, what factors may cause this to happen to the elderly? According to research, it is usually due to changes in the elderly's living environment, seasonal changes, or excessive fatigue, emotional agitation, jet lag, chronic pain, etc.

Although statistics show that more than 1/5 of Alzheimer's patients will experience sunset syndrome, it is worth noting that even though Alzheimer's patients may be more affected by sunset syndrome, the two cannot be simply equated.

Linda Ercoli, a geriatrician at the Longevity Center of the University of California, Los Angeles, said that sundown syndrome is not actually a disease, but a series of emotional and cognitive changes that occur in the elderly at dusk. In addition to patients with Alzheimer's disease, sundown syndrome may also occur in elderly people without dementia.

(1) Psychological support. The caregiver should remain calm, avoid arguments, tell the elderly that everything is fine, and soothe him.

(2) Change the environment. Let the elderly get more sunlight during the day, turn on the lights earlier in the evening, and use larger and brighter lights to increase indoor lighting and reduce the emotional stimulation caused by insufficient brightness at dusk.

(3) Diet adjustment. Try to limit the elderly’s intake of sugary and caffeinated foods in the morning. Consider preparing fruits, snacks, hot milk, etc. for the elderly in the afternoon and evening to help them relax and relieve hunger discomfort in the evening.

(4) Regular work and rest schedule. Set fixed times for waking up, eating, and sleeping, and try to arrange the things that the elderly need to do every day in the morning or afternoon. Encourage the elderly to participate in some outdoor activities during the day, such as walking, dancing, exercising, etc. Caregivers should also control the elderly's daytime sleep time, preferably not more than two hours.

(5) Close observation . Caregivers should carefully observe and record changes in the elderly’s mood, mental state, physical fitness, thinking, sense of direction, cognitive function, etc. at different times of the day, control the inducing factors, and go to the hospital for treatment when necessary to check for physical and sleep diseases that cause sunset syndrome.