6 Ways to Manage Your Loved One’s Sundown Syndrome

Have you heard the terms “sundowning”, “sundowners”, or “sundown syndrome”? These refer to the cognitive and emotional challenges that arise in the evening for seniors with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. While we don’t know for sure what causes sundown syndrome, there are ways to help counteract its effects. This article from Visiting Angels of Riverside County will look at the causes of, symptoms of, and solutions to “sundown syndrome” or “sundowning”.

What Are the Symptoms of Sundown Syndrome?

Sundown syndrome can cause symptoms like emotional distress, disorientation, agitation, delusions, insomnia, and even visual and auditory hallucinations. Every senior is different, so the specific set of symptoms will vary from person to person, but these are the most typical effects.

What Causes Sundown Syndrome?

Unfortunately, we don’t have a solid answer about what triggers sundowning or sundown syndrome. Certain things have been observed to trigger sundowning syndrome in elderly people, however. For instance, extra activity at night has been associated with episodes of sundown syndrome. The Alzheimer’s Association has also identified end-of-day exhaustion, circadian rhythm disruptions, rooms with more shadows, frustrated body language from caregivers, and vivid dreams that seniors confuse with reality as other potential triggers for sundown syndrome.

6 Tips for Coping with Sundown Syndrome

Because the causes are unknown, treatments are not well established. There is no pill to take to make sundown syndrome more manageable. There are, however, things you can do to help your loved one cope.

Keep a Regular Daily Routine

Keeping morning, mealtime, afternoon, and bedtime routines can reduce the chance of your loved one experiencing a sundown syndrome episode. With a regular schedule, your loved one’s mind and body are potentially less likely to get disoriented.

Maintain a Healthy Circadian Rhythm

To help your loved one have an easier time falling asleep and waking up, ensure that they go to bed and wake up around the same time each day. Also, avoid naps during the day, as this can throw off your loved one’s circadian rhythm and lead to sleep disturbances.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Certain foods can also trigger sundown syndrome. Specifically, caffeine and sugar have been known to cause issues for seniors with dementia around bedtime. Other foods can also potentially trigger sundown syndrome for your loved one, though, so it’s important to carefully monitor which foods they eat in order to identify any potential trigger foods.

Reduce stimulation in the evening

Ideally, the evening should be as relaxing and stress-free for your senior loved one. To create a low-stress bedtime environment, avoid leaving televisions, computers, tablets, and other devices in the bedroom. If your loved one wants to listen to music in the evening, stick to calming stations and playlists.

Utilize Proper Lighting

Turn your loved one’s home lights on early in the evening and use night

Lights so the transition from light to dark environments is more gradual. Also, remember that excessive shadows can cause sundown syndrome episodes, and plan accordingly–keep lights away from places where they may cast longer shadows in your loved one’s room.

Consider a professional caregiver

Providing care for a senior loved one with dementia can be challenging, and can often lead to caregiver burnout, which can cause further episodes of sundown syndrome. To help prevent this, consider calling on a professional caregiving agency like Visiting Angels of Riverside County. Our professional caregivers are ready to provide your loved one with non-medical memory care services as often as necessary!

Learn More About How Visiting Angels Can Help Your With Sundown Syndrome

Are you interested in finding out more about our in-home care services? Our team is ready to provide you with a free care consultation and answer all of your questions about our care options. To schedule your complimentary care evaluation, fill out our online contact form or call us at (951) 727-4357!