RESEARCHERS from the University of Western Australia are set to conduct a comprehensive investigation into sleep disorders amongst people with dementia, with the aim of improving quality of life for both patients and their carers.
PhD candidate Michelle Hodge from the UWA’s School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences says “Sleep disorders are quite common in older adults and we know poor sleep is linked with conditions such as depression, anxiety and lack of motivation in the general population.”
According to Ms Hodge, previous studies looking at total sleep time in people with dementia suggest that poor sleep may lead to symptoms including depression, aggression and agitation.
“It’s not just an issue for individuals, but also for their carers; carer fatigue, resulting from waking regularly, can make it difficult to manage at home and is one of the main reasons why patients are placed into nursing homes and hospital respite.”
Supervised by Associate Professor Flavie Waters from the School of Psychiatry and Professor Romola Bucks from the School of Psychology, Ms Hodge will examine the link between sleep quality and the behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia such as depression, anxiety, agitation and aggression.
“We want to look at what type of sleep problems might actually be leading to this poor quality of sleep and if they are specifically related to certain symptoms,” she says.
“If we can find a relationship, we might be able to help people with these symptoms by treating their sleep problems.”
Ms Hodge is currently seeking volunteers with dementia or Alzheimer’s to participate in a questionnaire study where volunteers and their carers report on measures of sleep quality, including questions related to sleep apnoea, irregular sleep–wake cycle, REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder and movement disorders such as Periodic Leg Movements during sleep and Restless Legs Syndrome.
“There will be a follow-on study where we hope to develop a new objective method of assessing sleep for people with dementia, either in hospital or in their own home,” she says.
With 1.13million Australian’s predicted to suffer from dementia by 2050, Ms Hodge believes that a better understanding of sleep disorders in this group may help to ease the burden of the illness for both patients and their carers.
“Hopefully this study will inform clinicians about the different sorts of sleep problems that people with dementia might have and help to target sleep treatment.”
Anyone interested in participating can contact Ms Hodge on 9347 6402.
