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.
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. The Guide contains information about the impact dementia may have on a person, the treatment, support and services they may need.
The 4th edition of this guide is now available to read online, download a pdf, listen to an audio version or request a print copy.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
Videos and Podcasts
Sleep Disturbance and Dementia Webinar / Australian Dementia Network (2021)
Dementia and Altered Sleep Cycles Podcast/ Teepa Snow
Sleep Disturbances / Dementia Centre for Research Collaboration & Dementia Training Australia Symposium
Hold the Moment Podcast by Dementia Australia Episode 5: Hold on to sleep – Why dementia disrupts sleep and what to do about it
Hold the Moment Podcast by Dementia Australia Helpline: Tips for managing changes in sleep with a dementia diagnosis
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
The Dementia Guide by 
Fast Asleep by 
Why we sleep by 
