Sundowning

Sundowning

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Sundowning

Sundowning means the appearance and worsening of neuropsychiatric syndromes that occur in the late afternoon and also in the early hours of the evening. This is very common and well recognized health condition for a long time especially in the field of dementing illness and also in the healthcare providers who specifically deal with dementia. This is a common condition in people who suffer from Alzheimer disease and other related health condition. Patients who suffer from Sundowning syndrome, a variety of behavioral problems start to occur while the sun is setting and also in the evening time. It can cause a variety of behaviors which includes confusion, anxiety and also ignoring directions. This particular condition can also cause wandering and also pacing. It not only affects the patients but this condition also affects the caregivers ADDIN ZOTERO_ITEM CSL_CITATION {"citationID":"dQeSr9xE","properties":{"formattedCitation":"(Canevelli et al., 2016)","plainCitation":"(Canevelli et al., 2016)","noteIndex":0},"citationItems":[{"id":1706,"uris":["http://zotero.org/users/local/4C6u8dIT/items/VVCFUVR4"],"uri":["http://zotero.org/users/local/4C6u8dIT/items/VVCFUVR4"],"itemData":{"id":1706,"type":"article-journal","title":"Sundowning in dementia: clinical relevance, pathophysiological determinants, and therapeutic approaches","container-title":"Frontiers in medicine","page":"73","volume":"3","author":[{"family":"Canevelli","given":"Marco"},{"family":"Valletta","given":"Martina"},{"family":"Trebbastoni","given":"Alessandro"},{"family":"Sarli","given":"Giuseppe"},{"family":"D’Antonio","given":"Fabrizia"},{"family":"Tariciotti","given":"Leonardo"},{"family":"Lena","given":"Carlo","non-dropping-particle":"de"},{"family":"Bruno","given":"Giuseppe"}],"issued":{"date-parts":[["2016"]]}}}],"schema":"https://github.com/citation-style-language/schema/raw/master/csl-citation.json"} (Canevelli et al., 2016). The caregivers have to be extra careful while treating with sundowners; they have to look after the patient especially during the evening times. The caregiver or nurse must look where the patient is going and what behavioral changes occur in the patient. In these patients fading light acts likes a trigger and the symptoms can get worse during the night times so the caregiver must make sure to stay awake during the late hours because there are chances that the patients may harm themselves because one of the symptoms of sundowning is sleepwalking. Sundowning in individuals also continues during the night times which make it quite difficult to sleep especially in those people who are suffering from Alzheimer disease. As a result of this sleep deprivation, it becomes quite difficult for the patients and also the caregivers to get enough sleep and it also affects their functioning during the day times (Volicer et al., 2001).

There are various tests that are currently in use in order to diagnose the sleep disorder such in case of sundowning one of the test that is most common is called the polysomnography which is also called sleep study, this is a test that is specifically used to diagnose sleeping disorders. This particular type of test records the brain wave, level of oxygen in the blood, breathing and heart rates as well as the movements of leg and eye during the sleep. It is mainly used in hospitals or in sleep centers. In this test, the nighttime sleep patterns are tested. This particular test is also used to adjust the treatment plan if the patient has already been diagnosed with a sleeping disorder. Apart from this test, there are certain other equipment’s and tests that are used to diagnose this disease including the EEG which is also called electroencephalogram which is used to measure and record the activity of the brain. EMG that is used to record the activity of the muscles for instance face twitches and movements of legs. It is also used to determine the presence of REM stage sleep. The nasal airflow sensor is used to record the airflow. All these tests are used to determine the activity of the brain during night times which further helps to determine why this condition takes place.

Although this is a complicated disease and still there is no medical treatment that is used for the prevention of this condition but with the right strategies and management plan the lifestyle of the patient and also the caregivers can improve because once this condition develops it not only affects the patient but also the caregiver and once sleep requirement is not fulfilled it further creates fatigue and lethargy in the individual.

References

ADDIN ZOTERO_BIBL {"uncited":[],"omitted":[],"custom":[]} CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY Canevelli, M., Valletta, M., Trebbastoni, A., Sarli, G., D’Antonio, F., Tariciotti, L., … Bruno, G. (2016). Sundowning in dementia: clinical relevance, pathophysiological determinants, and therapeutic approaches. Frontiers in Medicine, 3, 73.

Volicer, L., Harper, D. G., Manning, B. C., Goldstein, R., &Satlin, A. (2001). Sundowning and circadian rhythms in Alzheimer’s disease. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158(5), 704–711.