Sleep, or the lack of it plays a significant role in my day to day abilities and functioning, both cognitively and physically. For people with Dementia sleep issues, faulty internal clocks as I like to say, along with faulty wiring can make many days train wrecks. Todays train wreck came from not my own dementia or related health issues but from that of the “regular folk”, which by the way I wonder at times why so often we refer to people without dementia as regular folk. Who decides that any way, maybe we are the “ regular folk”, and they just haven’t realized it yet. Anyways back to today being a train wreck, it started last night, a big thunderstorm, lots of lightening and warm warm temperatures for evening, in fact at 12:30 this morning it was still 24 Celsius, or 75.2 Fahrenheit, much to warm for sleeping, even with my a/c unit and three fans running, my system can longer to heat. But again I’m off course, the temperature had little to do with today being a train wreck, rather it was goings on outside my building, which meant until the situation was resolved sleep was not to happen. So there is so many things that should and often are not considered for people with dementia, but making sure they are in an environment set for sleep, temperature, what’s right for them, do they have health related issues than when combined with some of these things like heat or perhaps cold, it can greatly impact their ability to function in a manner they would like to. Lack of sleep caused by outside elements such as noise, is also very much at play. Sleep is important for us all, it is vital for those of us living with dementia. Each day where my sleep is interrupted, this is why allowing people with dementia to wake and sleep at hours that their body/ brain wants and needs to is so important, but instead of creating environments that allow for that we drug people do they fit our schedules, so much unnecessary and harmful damage to people living with dementia especially in any care settings is being done.
I have had what I would call a pretty good day today regardless of being a train wreck, thoughts scattered, napping has been beneficial, and it will be early to bed for me today, which seems funny considering I am usually in bed by 6 pm, so today it could be as early as when I finish writing this.
I am hoping tonight the world goes quiet, so that sleep can come a little easier and although sleep is always fragmented it seems, and I am exhausted most of the time, it is more manageable when the outside elements don’t create further havoc.
Chrissy's Journey 