Summary
Sleep changes are inherent to dementia but difficult to define or measure. As the sleep changes in dementia are probably related to neuronal changes in the brain, the location and severity of these changes, manifested as different clinical dementias, affects the presentation of sleep pathology. In the case of most dementias, including Alzheimer’s dementia, the sleep problems affect both the patient and the caregiver. Treatment involves a multifaceted approach, including identification of treatable medical problems, correction of sleep hygiene, and identification and treatment of the particular form of dementia. Cholinesterase inhibitors seem to be emerging as the drug of choice for sleep problems in dementia.
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Neef, D., Larson, D. (2008). Sleep and Quality of Life in Alzheimer’s Disease and the Dementias. In: Verster, J.C., Pandi-Perumal, S.R., Streiner, D.L. (eds) Sleep and Quality of Life in Clinical Medicine. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-343-5_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-343-5_18
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