Sleep Disorders in Dementia Care Settings
Summary
In dementia care settings, sleep disturbances are pervasive and multifactorial, often manifesting as difficulty initiating sleep, frequent nocturnal awakenings, fragmented sleep architecture and excessive daytime somnolence. Underlying neurodegenerative changes in sleep–wake regulation combine with comorbid medical conditions, sensory impairment, environmental noise and irregular care routines to undermine circadian alignment. Poor nocturnal rest exacerbates cognitive decline, behavioural symptoms and mood instability in residents, heightens fall risk and impairs daytime functioning. For care staff, persistent night‐time agitation and unscheduled interventions increase workload, stress and care costs. Best practice advocates a holistic approach, integrating environmental light modulation, structured daytime activity, behavioural strategies and, when necessary, targeted pharmacotherapy to reinforce consolidated sleep and restore physiological rhythms. Implementation challenges include variable assessment methods, limited staff training in sleep management and the need for context-specific, cost-effective protocols.
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Sleep Disorders in Dementia Care Settings publication trend
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Technical terms
Actigraphy: Non-invasive method of tracking sleep–wake cycles via a wrist-worn accelerometer.
Sleep efficiency: Percentage ratio of total sleep time to time spent in bed during a sleep period.
Proxy reporting: Assessment of symptoms or behaviours by carers or staff when self-report is unreliable or not possible.
Circadian rhythm: Endogenous 24-hour cycle regulating physiological processes, including the sleep–wake cycle.
References
- Measuring the prevalence of sleep disturbances in people with dementia living in care homes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep (2019).
- The impact of sleep disturbances on care home residents with dementia: the SIESTA qualitative study. International Psychogeriatrics (2020).
- How do care home staff use non-pharmacological strategies to manage sleep disturbances in residents with dementia: The SIESTA qualitative study. PLOS ONE (2022).
- Nurses’ burden caused by sleep disturbances of nursing home residents with dementia: multicenter cross-sectional study. BMC Nursing (2020).
- Factors that Influence Sleep among Residents in Long-Term Care Facilities. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (2020).
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