Topic guides: Sleep and dementia: Content

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Sleep and dementia
We all feel better when we get enough sleep. That’s also true for people living with dementia. But it’s common for people with dementia to have problems with their sleep, particularly in the earlier stages of dementia.

The Dementia Guide by Dementia Australia
Publication Date: 2024; edited 2025

For people living with dementia, their families and carers. The Dementia Guide is an important resource for any person impacted by any form of dementia, of any age. This resource contains information about the impact dementia may have on a person, the treatment, support and services they may need. It is available to read online, download as a pdf, listen to an audio version or request a print copy.

Hold the Moment Podcast by Dementia Australia
Hold the Moment is a podcast by people living with dementia. Episode 5 focuses on sleep.

Dementia and Sleep Challenges
Publication Date: 2022

This booklet was researched and written by the Scottish Dementia Alumni, a group of people who have lived with diagnoses of different dementias for several years. This booklet gathers together sleep experiences and dementia, and the solutions that people have discovered to work for themselves. We have also researched how to access help with problematic sleeping and why a good night’s sleep is important.
Fast Asleep by Michael Mosley
Publication Date: 2020

In Fast Asleep, Dr Michael Mosley brings together the latest science to explain exactly what happens to us when we sleep and why it is so important that we get enough of it. Prone to insomnia, he has taken part in numerous sleep experiments and tested every sleep remedy going. He explains why so many of us struggle with sleep, what works and what doesn't and shares his own myth-busting programme to help you achieve a good night's rest.

Understanding sleep problems, night-time disturbance and dementia / Alzheimer's Society UK
Alzheimer's Society UK resource is written for anyone caring for or supporting a person with dementia. It explains how dementia can affect sleep. It also suggests practical tips you can use to help the person you care for if they are struggling to sleep.

Why we sleep by Matthew Walker
Publication Date: 2017

Why We Sleep delves into everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence.

Fast Asleep by Michael Mosley
Publication Date: 2020

In Fast Asleep, Dr Michael Mosley explains what happens when we sleep, what triggers common sleep problems and why standard advice rarely works.
Prone to insomnia, he has taken part in numerous sleep experiments and tested every remedy going. The result is a radical, four-week programme, based on the latest science, designed to help you re-establish a healthy sleep pattern in record time.
Why we sleep by Matthew Walker
Publication Date: 2017

Why We Sleep delves into everything from what really happens during REM sleep to how caffeine and alcohol affect sleep and why our sleep patterns change across a lifetime, transforming our appreciation of the extraordinary phenomenon that safeguards our existence.

Non-pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbances in people with dementia (2023)
Wilfling, D., Calo, S., Dichter, M. N., Meyer, G., Möhler, R., & Köpke, S. (2023). Non-pharmacological interventions for sleep disturbances in people with dementia. The Cochrane database of systematic reviews, 1(1), CD011881. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011881.pub2
“I think I could have coped if I was sleeping better”: Sleep across the trajectory of caring for a family member with dementia (2023)
Gibson, R., Helm, A., Ross, I., Gander, P., & Breheny, M. (2023). "I think I could have coped if I was sleeping better": Sleep across the trajectory of caring for a family member with dementia. Dementia (London, England), 22(5), 1038–1056. https://doi.org/10.1177/14713012231166744
Sleep disturbances in Lewy body dementia: A systematic review (2022)
Elder, G. J., Lazar, A. S., Alfonso-Miller, P., & Taylor, J. P. (2022). Sleep disturbances in Lewy body dementia: A systematic review. International journal of geriatric psychiatry, 37(10), 10.1002/gps.5814. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.5814
Sleep disturbances in dementia: What they are and what to do (2010)
Rose, K. M., & Lorenz, R. (2010). Sleep disturbances in dementia. Journal of gerontological nursing, 36(5), 9–14. https://doi.org/10.3928/00989134-20100330-05

Dementia and sleep / Dementia UK
Disturbed sleep and difficulties around bedtime are very common in people with dementia. This often means that if you care for someone with dementia, neither of you gets enough sleep.
Dementia and Sleep / Sleep Health Foundation Australia
A fact sheet about Dementia and Sleep. Up to 50% of people with dementia have difficulty sleeping resulting in sleepiness during the day.
Sleep Disorders Australia
Includes fact sheets and videos on sleep disorders and sleep hygiene.
A good night's sleep / Living with dementia toolkit
Information including videos on sleep and dementia.
Is it typical for people with dementia to sleep a lot during the day?
People with dementia, especially those in the later stages, can often spend a lot of time sleeping. This can sometimes be worrying for carers, friends and family. Find out why a person with dementia might sleep more than an average person of their age.

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