Doctors call it “sunset syndrome.” It can happen at any time of the day, but in people with dementia it often occurs in the afternoon, says psychologist Dr. Kellyn Lee.
In France, more than 1.4 million people live with a form of dementia, of which around 1.2 million are directly affected by Alzheimer’s disease. With increasing life expectancy, this figure could exceed 2.2 million by 2050. While losing memory or feeling disoriented are the two best-known signs of dementia, other symptoms remain very mysterious to the general public.
Some signs of dementia adopt a surprising rhythm, based on the hours of the day. Many loved ones notice confusing changes in behavior that occur cyclically. At the start of the day, the person may seem perfectly calm and lucid. But as the hours pass, his mood and cognitive abilities suddenly deteriorate, for no apparent reason to those around him.
This is what doctors call “sundowning syndrome”, indicates Dr Kellyn Lee, psychologist and director of the organization The Dementia Care Hub, in an intervention relayed by the British media OK!. “It can happen at any time of the day, but in people with dementia it is often seen to occur in the afternoon.” This phenomenon results, according to the expert, in “a symptom of anxiety, agitation and perhaps increased confusion”. Concretely, the person will have more unpredictable, unstable and erratic behavior: they may show mood swings, sudden distress, hallucinations or the need to wander without a specific goal.
In some people, these behaviors persist throughout the night and disrupt sleep. This syndrome is most commonly associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but it can also occur in other forms of dementia. The exact causes remain complex, but specialized medical structures point out that this behavior is directly linked to the physical changes that the brain undergoes. Fatigue accumulated during the day or the reduction in natural light accentuates the disorientation of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Studies show that lack of awareness of this signal by those around us frequently delays overall care.
To alleviate this distressing phenomenon, specialists recommend adapting the person’s daily environment. It is advisable to plan stimulating activities in the morning such as practicing a gentle and memorizing activity such as dancing, to open the curtains wide during the day and to turn on the lights before nightfall to avoid distressing shadows. If an episode of agitation occurs at the end of the day, doctors recommend not contradicting the patient or entering into conflict with them, but calmly reassuring them in order to reduce their anxiety.
