A recent study involving people from the Join Dementia Research community has looked at the topic of sleep in dementia.

Sleep disturbances are a common and distressing issue for people with dementia and their families. These disturbances can make the symptoms of dementia worse. They can also negatively affect the quality of life for both patients and their carers.

Medication to help with sleep can often cause side effects. Until now, there has been no strong evidence for using non-drug techniques to aid sleep.

A new approach to sleep in dementia 

Researchers from University College London (UCL) developed a new programme, called DREAMS START. They did this in consultation with people living with dementia. It includes a variety of methods such as using light boxes, increasing daytime activity and building bedtime routines.

Carers take part in six guided sessions with a psychology graduate. This helps them better understand how dementia affects sleep as well as how to deliver the various techniques.

To test if the DREAMS START programme could improve sleep, the researchers carried out a phase 3 trial. This involved 377 people with dementia plus their family carers. Participants came from community memory services, mental health services and Join Dementia Research.

Half the study participants received the DREAMS START programme plus usual care. The other half received usual care only. Researchers assessed their sleep before the study and 8 months after. This was done using a measure called the Sleep Disorders Inventory (SDI).

A positive step forward for families 

The researchers found that people with dementia who completed the programme had significantly lower levels of sleep disturbance than those who had usual care only.

The study also found that the programme helped sleep and anxiety levels in family carers.

Professor Penny Rapaport was the lead author of the study. She said:

“Many people living with dementia have disturbed sleep, so DREAMS START is a positive step forward for people with dementia and their families.

“It is the first multicomponent intervention to improve the sleep of people living at home with dementia. Because it is delivered either face-to-face or remotely, there is potential for it to be delivered at scale.”

The findings were published in the The Lancet Healthy Longevity journal. The research was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

Read more about a couple who took part in the study.