The Professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School, Dr David White, says inadequate sleep can lead to increased hunger and weight gain, decreased immune function, increased blood pressure, increased incidence of heart attacks, and poor glucose regulation. The Philips Healthcare 2010 Australian Health and Wellbeing Index reported 48% of the sleep deprived said it affected relationships and 44% said it affected mental health. So when sleep starts being effected as part of dementia, the implications are our physical health will be significantly impacted, and the relationships we have, which for many are already under significant strain, will be further negatively impacted. The outlook is a bit grim really, one more good thing to look forward to!! Alzheimer’s and other dementias may also reverse a person’s sleep-wake cycle, causing daytime drowsiness and night-time restlessness (sundowning), and these sleep disturbances often increase as the disease progresses, and eventually, round-the-clock naps might replace deep, restorative night time sleep. One has to ask, are they part of the reason why dementia progresses, rather than the other way around, as not sleeping well has so many deleterious effects on our body and brain? Not sleeping could also be a sign of other things at play, for example sleep apnoea, depression or pain, and research is clearly supports that people with dementia are often overlooked for other problems like sleep apnoea or new diseases or disorder, or pain. Thanks to Transcendental Meditation I have not needed as much sleep as many people I know for well over 30 years, but am now noticing slight signs of sundowning in the late afternoon and evenings. Increasing my physical exercise in the mornings, and having a rest after lunch is definitely helping this, so I hope to be able to keep it at bay for a while yet. At least at night when I can’t sleep, I can come downstairs and turn on my trusty little pc and keep myself amused, rather than wake up my husband to help me shift the furniture around!!