OMG I never get any sleep anymore. She sleeps all day and is awake most of the night. Her PCP took her off sleeping pills so I got some OTC sleeping aids. It helps a bit but not much. I cannot get her to stay awake during the day at all. At night she wanders and gets into things and when I wake up there is crap all over the place. What can I do to make this situation more tolerable? She gets mad at me if I go to bed early and keeps complaining about it. I am at wits end.
- portable (tabletop) pedaler. She did it with her feet while watching tv. 20 min.
- folding a large stack of kitchen towels (dedicated towels just for this purpose)
- sorting poker chips by color
- reading to us out loud
- walking her around the house
- playing any card or board games, her rules
She was being given Tylenol PM and it didn't work all the time and eventually wasn't working at all. After starting the tasks she slept great and we stopped the Tylenol PM. She had memory deficit so we'd have her fold the same towels 2x a day. She also watched Pixar and DreamWorks animated movies with the captions on and read the entire movie to herself. I hope you can find something that works!
Mother's PCP discontinued her sleeping medication - yet you are medicating your Mother with OTC medications?
Go back to the PCP.
Tell the PCP you are not coping.
Makes me feel a little guilty for complaining about taking care of my mom daily but not 24/7
I'm honestly not a religious person, but want to say God bless all us wonderful people that care so much.
Getting her busy and engaged during the day may help with her getting to sleep at night.
A side note if the OTC sleep aids contain Benadryl they can make an already "foggy" brain more foggy. And they can also make her a fall risk.
My mother went to bed at a decent hour but she had nightmares that would awaken her.
There was a time when she was wondering at night. The doctor prescribed Ativan and Seroquel and the wondering stopped.
Have you discussed other medications besides sleeping pills with her doctor?
Also, look at side effects of any medication that she is taking. My brother had to take certain medications for health issues. One of the side effects was not being able to sleep.
Gentle - make her go to bed a little earlier every day and stay up a little longer during the day. Requires that she get stimulation - activities, walks, listen to music, watch movies, hobbies... Eventually, she will be on a schedule that is more manageable.
Quick - set firm times for rest and wake periods. Make sure she does not sleep during a "wake" period by any means necessary. In about 3 days or so, she will adjust to the new schedule. Please note that she - and maybe you - will not be as pleasant to be with during this transition period.
See All Answers