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They fall asleep on the couch pretty much every night. Just goes out like a light. He gets a lot of sleep at night. Should I be concerned and why is this happening? He's only 63 and I fear this disease is progressing quickly. What should I be looking out for?

Yes, happened with my husband and his Alzheimers, slept most of the day, without medication except for his heart, joints, etc.
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Reply to JosAgingCare
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My husband slept many hours during the day and night. He would sleep all night, then while sitting in his recliner, that's all he did. He would fall asleep just after breakfast, sleep few hours, wake up, eat lunch, or we would go out for mail, etc., come back, sleep in his recliner, have dinner, or go out, and sleep in his recliner few hours later, I would have to wake him to go to bed. He had Alzheimers.
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Reply to JosAgingCare
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I think if you educate yourself regarding dementia you will be able to predict some of the things that are coming. Alz.org a good place to start. When people ask "what to expect" I always answer "the unexpected" because that is how it goes, with each patient as individual in terms of progression as his or her own thumbprint.

As to your sleeping issue, I can assure you that at 81 I need, want, and get more sleep. I sleep easily 9 or 10 hours each night, and if I lie down with a book at about 3 pm, after walk, gardening, shopping, cleaning or whatever I will be gone in a flash. Elders need and want more sleep in general and less food, and that is unconnected often from any dementia being present. It just happens.

A good solid checkup and checkin with your doc once a year, or even more frequently (if there are rapid progressions here every six months is more realistic) is crucial. There a good blood panel should be done, a urinalysis. This will help rule out anything like a blood dyscrasia that may be making one feel "weak".

Good luck. Get all the education you can. It may be scary but it can also be helpful. Consider joining a support group even if only on Facebook.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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A lot of people fall asleep on the couch or in their chair, even without dementia.

Ask his doctor what he/she feels about this, since you are concerned about him sleeping so much.

Did he nap occasionally before having dementia?

Best wishes to you and your husband.
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Reply to NeedHelpWithMom
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Unfortunately Alzheimer's(especially early onset as that can go on for 20+ years)does not progress quickly like some of the other dementias do, so I doubt it's because of his Alzheimer's that he's sleeping more than usual.
Could it be some of the medications he's on, as many medications can cause sleepiness?
Or it could be that he's just bored, or his brain is just tired from having to work so hard for him to now function.
Any concerns you have should be addressed with his doctor as they will know him better then we do.
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Reply to funkygrandma59
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Much more sleep, not with dementia, but in normal aging process as well.
More sleep and less food is the norm.
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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My grandpa and father would say that they weren’t sleeping. They often said, “I am only resting my eyes.”

I didn’t believe grandpa wasn’t sleeping, until he got upset with my grandma for turning his baseball game off.

When grandma would respond with, “You were sleeping!” He would tell her the score of the game. He was only resting his eyes and wasn’t sleeping.

Personally, it’s not unusual for me to watch just about an entire movie and fall asleep five minutes before it ends. 😁

I do agree with funky about people sleeping more if they are bored or taking certain meds.
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Reply to NeedHelpWithMom
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My husband is often sound asleep an hour or two after getting up in the morning, another nap in the afternoon, and an early evening nap. But I don't think this is due to dementia, I think it is because he has heart issues. Perhaps your partner has other health issues that would cause him to sleep more. And honestly, I don't think an evening nap is all that unusual.
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Reply to graygrammie
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LisaMarieA: My mother, who did not have dementia, but heart issues exclaimed "Why am I so tired? I slept well. The only thing I've done is make my bed and eat breakfast." Your partner should see his physician to ensure that there's nothing else going on besides the Alzheimer's.
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Reply to Llamalover47
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Let him sleep it is a Blessing .
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Reply to KNance72
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