Yesterday she had the sundowning symptoms. She was agitated, angry and wanted to leave. I tried to ask her where she wanted to go and what happened to make her upset, since I was not home at the time.
Now it is 7:30 in the morning and she is still not sleeping. What can I do?
Every person is a different animal. My friend takes 1/2 of a Benadryl and sleeps for 10 hours. Benadryl makes me drowsy, but sure doesn't 'knock me out'. Friend is very worried about addiction, which makes me laugh---Benadryl is so mild.
But, hey, whatever works!! At some point, you have to get sleep or you go crazy. The older I get, the more sleep I need, I think 40 years of being sleep deprived due to family, work, etc., I now sleep like a rock most nights with the aid of Seroquel.
Just throwing out various medications here doesn't help a lot. You still need Rx for most and some are contraindicated, depending on the type of dementia or other medical conditions. Not all meds work for all people, so even if they suggest one, if it doesn't work, go back and see what they can recommend!
If your LO has difficulty sleeping occasionally, you can give Benadryl 25mg at bedtime. If your LO has difficulty sleeping most nights, get a doctor appointment to get prescribed sleeping medication(s).
Don't expect miracles. It's not a sleeping pill that will knock someone out in a few minutes. When I've tried it over the years, it does absolutely nothing for me. But that's probably because I produce enough naturally. Adding more doesn't help.
I've heard of many people having luck with CBD gummies. They don't have THC so they are legal in every state and can be found in many health food stores and online.
Unless her health prohibits it, a small glass of wine might help right now.