I've heard a couple of explanations. One has to do with serotonin being imbalanced and the other is related to lobe dysfunction. I have three young granddaughters and three young dogs frolicking around me right now, so I can't give you a clear answer at the moment. There are many hypotheses, however; here is a section copied and pasted from the Alzheimer's Association website (ALZ.org):
Sleeping problems experienced by individuals with Alzheimers and caregiver exhaustion are two of the most common reasons people with Alzheimers are eventually placed in nursing homes. Some studies indicate that as many as 20 percent of persons with Alzheimers will, at some point, experience periods of increased confusion, anxiety, agitation and disorientation beginning at dusk and continuing throughout the night. While experts are not certain how or why these behaviors occur, many attribute them to late-day confusion, or sundowning, caused by the following factors: end-of-day exhaustion (mental and physical) an upset in the internal body clock, causing a biological mix-up between day and night reduced lighting and increased shadows disorientation due to the inability to separate dreams from reality when sleeping less need for sleep, which is common among older adults I hope this helps some. If not, ask me again later. Carol Carol L. DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology Chair, Department of Psychology St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 Phone: 563-333-6482 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] web: http://web.sau.edu/psychology/psychfaculty/cdevolder.htm The contents of this message are confidential and may not be shared with anyone without permission of the sender. -----Original Message----- From: Rob Weisskirch [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wed 8/20/2008 11:20 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re:[tips] Sundowning among TIPS readers? TIPSfolk, I appreciate the discussion of the definition of "sundowning." But, I still don't seem to have a clear answer of the origins of the agitation and sunset. Any BioPsych or GeroPsych folks lurking? Didn't mean to agitate y'all, Rob Rob Weisskirch, MSW. Ph.D. Associate Professor of Human Development Certified Family Life Educator Liberal Studies Department California State University, Monterey Bay 100 Campus Center, Building 82C Seaside, CA 93955 (831) 582-5079 [EMAIL PROTECTED] This message is intended only for the addressee and may contain confidential, privileged information. If you are not the intended recipient, you may not use, copy or disclose any information contained in the message. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender by reply e-mail and delete the message. --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
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