When evening arrives, you may notice a change in your loved one living with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The calm of the afternoon gives way to confusion, restlessness, or worry. This shift is called sundowning, sometimes referred to as “sundowner’s syndrome.” If you’ve witnessed it, you know how unsettling it can be for everyone involved, especially your family member.
Understanding what’s happening can bring a measure of comfort. With the right approach, you can ease these difficult moments and help the person in your life feel safe as the day progresses. With a bit of research, you can identify key signs of sundowning, what tends to trigger it, and practical ways to manage it at home.
When exploring professional options, a specialized Florida memory care community, such as CERTUS Memory Care, can offer expert support when families need it most.
Sundowning Is a Set of Behaviors, Not a Disease
For families asking, “What is sundowning?” the short answer is a pattern of increased disorientation that occurs toward the end of the day. Recognizing that pattern is the first step toward managing it.
Contrary to popular belief, sundowning isn’t a disease. Rather, the term describes dementia-related behaviors tied to the time of day.
According to the Mayo Clinic, these behaviors may include anxiety, wandering, agitation, or ignoring directions. The exact cause remains unknown, though sundowning may occur as dementia progresses and changes occur in the brain.
Sundowning Has Many Symptoms
The many signs of sundowning can vary from person to person. As the family winds down for the evening, you might notice the opposite occurring in your family member. In fact, they may quickly become more confused or anxious, despite having been calm only a few hours earlier.
Common symptoms include:
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Anxiety or a sense of unease
- Agitation or irritability
- Hallucinations or seeing things that aren’t there
- Pacing back and forth
- Disorientation about time or surroundings
These behaviors tend to follow a daily cycle and won’t always look the same day by day. Staying flexible and supportive as your family member navigates these cycles can help them settle back into a more natural tempo.
What Causes Sundowning?
Research published in Frontiers in Medicine suggests sundowning is connected to a series of “diverse neurobiological, psychosocial, and environmental determinants.” This means sundowning can look different from person to person because it may be affected by brain changes, emotional and social factors, and the person’s surroundings.
While there is no single cause, it is widely agreed that triggers can overwhelm an individual experiencing sundowning. Understanding these triggers can help you create an environment that supports the older adult in your life until morning comes.
Factors that may play a role in sundowning include:
- Mental and physical exhaustion after a full day of activities
- A new environment that feels unfamiliar
- Low lighting, which increases shadows and may cause the person to misread what they see, sometimes leading to hallucinations or agitation
- Sensing stress or frustration in those around them, which can cause the person to feel stressed too
- A reduced need for sleep, which is common among older adults.
Every person experiences dementia differently. Noting what happens before a sundowning episode can help identify the specific triggers your family member tends to react to. This type of record keeping can be useful for relaying symptoms to your family member’s physician during appointments.
How Can You Manage Sundowning at Home?
The good news is that many strategies can ease sundowning without the need for major intervention. There are gentle methods to assist your family member right at home, in the environment they find most familiar. It starts with encouraging the individual to get plenty of rest and limiting daytime naps if they have trouble sleeping at night.
Other tips that may help soothe symptoms:
- Schedule appointments, outings, and bathing in the morning or early afternoon, when the person tends to feel more alert.
- Keep a regular routine for waking up, eating meals, and going to bed.
- Spend time outside in the sunlight during the day when possible.
- Reduce stimulation in the evening. Loud music, television, and chores can add to confusion.
- Keep the home well-lit in the evening to reduce confusion caused by shadows.
If these suggestions don’t bring relief, discuss the situation with your parent or relative’s doctor. Medicine side effects, caffeine, or general sleeping habits, such as napping too often, may contribute to the persistence of sundowning symptoms.
A doctor can help identify the cause and explore solutions. When these home approaches fall short, medication may sometimes be prescribed.
What Should You Do When Your Loved One Is Awake and Upset?
Even with careful planning, there will be nights when your family member wakes up distressed. How you respond in these moments matters. A gentle, reassuring presence can help calm the situation. Stay calm and approach them gently. Reassure them that everything is all right, and avoid arguing.
If they need to pace, let them do so while keeping a close eye on them. Consider transforming the wandering to a calmly supervised stroll, arm in arm. Your steady demeanor can have a calming effect, helping them feel safe even during moments of confusion.
How a Florida Memory Care Community Can Help
Caring for someone who experiences sundowning can leave families feeling overwhelmed, especially when the nights grow long. Exhaustion or sadness is understandable, but there are professionals willing to walk the journey alongside you. A Florida memory care community brings expertise, structure, and around-the-clock support to families navigating these challenges.
At CERTUS Memory Care, this is our core approach to supporting individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and related conditions. We design our communities with the realities of disorientation in mind. Thoughtful lighting reduces the shadows that can spark confusion in the evening.
Color contrasts throughout our spaces help residents navigate their surroundings with confidence. Our signature lime-green uniforms, chosen because they remain vivid to aging eyes, help residents quickly recognize who can offer guidance when needed.
Every member of our team completes dementia certification through the National Institute for Dementia Education (NIDE), our affiliate that provides nationally approved dementia training. That means the people caring for your loved one understand sundowning, recognize its triggers, and know how to respond with patience and skill. We build daily routines around each resident’s preferences, abilities, and needs, creating the consistency that helps ease evening confusion.
Finding Support for the Days and Nights Ahead
Sundowning is challenging for all families, but things can improve with education and the right support. By learning to recognize the signs, identify the triggers, and respond with calm, you can bring more peace to your family’s evenings. Small changes to routine and lighting often make a meaningful difference.
When the demands seem too much to carry on your own, expert help is within reach. CERTUS Memory Care offers communities where your family member can thrive, supported by a team trained to understand exactly what they’re going through. Contact us today to learn how we can bring brighter days to your family.
Key takeaways:
- Recognize the Signs Early: What is sundowning? Sundowning often appears in the late afternoon or evening as increased confusion, restlessness, anxiety, pacing, or sleep disruption in your family member.
- Understand Common Triggers: Fatigue, low lighting, changes in routine, overstimulation, and underlying health issues can all contribute to sundowning behaviors.
- Create a Calm Evening Routine: A consistent schedule, soothing activities, reduced noise, and a well-lit environment can help your family member feel more secure as the day winds down.
- Respond with Reassurance and Patience: When someone you love becomes upset at night, a calm presence, gentle guidance, and a reassuring tone can help de-escalate the moment.
- Know When Expert Support Can Help: A specialized Florida memory care community like CERTUS Memory Care can provide structured routines, trained caregivers, and a purpose-built environment that supports your loved one through every stage of dementia care.
