Understanding What Keeps Dementia Sufferers Awake at Night Sleep Disturbances May Have Several Causes Jacqueline Brooks April 12, 2001 -- Sleep disturbance is a very common and very problematic symptom of dementia. New research indicates that causes of this sleep disturbance may differ in different kinds of dementia. Hopefully, understanding these causes will lead to better treatments. Dementia is a term used to refer to a loss of thinking abilities. Although there are many causes of dementia, it is most often associated with aging. The most common cause of dementia associated with aging is Alzheimer's disease, which affects approximately one in 10 people over age 65 and nearly half of those over age 85. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you have questions about Alzheimer's, check out WebMD's Alzheimer's Disease board. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------"We and many others have observed that patients with dementias [that worsen with time] ... all have sleep disturbance," researcher David G. Harper, PhD, tells WebMD. "It's one of the leading reasons for institutionalization of people with dementia," as the patient is up all night, keeping the caregiver awake. Harper, the author of the study that appears in this month's Archives of General Psychiatry, is a research fellow in psychology in the department of geriatric psychiatry at McLean Hospital in Belmont, Mass., and Harvard University. "Separating the [different causes of] dementia is really important for understanding the mechanisms of the disturbed [sleep/wake cycles] in Alzheimer's disease," expert Edward O'Malley, PhD, tells WebMD. "This [study] can really get at what the nature of that [sleep] disruption is and hopefully offer treatments." Because sleep disturbance is the single greatest reason why caregivers feel obligated to institutionalize their loved ones with dementia, O'Malley s...
