The short explanation
Restlessness and confusion that get worse in the late afternoon and evening are common in people with memory problems such as dementia. This is sometimes called sundowning. It can disturb sleep for both the person and the family caring for her. Things that often help: keeping a regular daily routine; getting daylight and gentle activity during the day; limiting long daytime naps; reducing tea, coffee and large meals in the evening; keeping the home calm and well-lit in the evening, then dim at bedtime; and reassuring her in a gentle voice rather than arguing. A doctor should also check for pain, constipation, urine infection, poor eyesight or hearing, and medicine side effects, as these can worsen confusion.
What depends on your situation
The parts of this that change from woman to woman. Uncertainty is stated, not hidden.
- Sudden worsening of confusion over hours or days may be due to an infection or other illness and needs prompt attention.
- Caring for someone with memory problems is tiring; ask other family members for help and look for caregiver support.
- Medicines for sleep or behaviour in dementia should only be used under a doctor's guidance.
What this answer cannot determine
The boundary of online education. These need a clinician who can see you.
- This cannot tell you what is causing her symptoms or how to treat them. Her doctor needs to assess her.
Questions for your clinician
Take these with you. You can add any of them to an appointment card.
- Could her evening restlessness be sundowning?
- Could pain, infection or medicines be making it worse?
- What can we do at home to help her sleep?
- Is there caregiver support available?
When to seek help
Clinician-approved guidance for this topic. When in doubt, being seen is never the wrong choice.
Emergency — call 112 now
- Call 112 if she has a fall with injury, sudden weakness, slurred speech or is very drowsy and hard to wake.
Get help the same day
- Get care the same day if confusion worsens suddenly or she has fever or pain passing urine.
Raise it at a routine appointment
- Book a routine appointment to discuss her sleep and evening symptoms.
Sources
The evidence this explanation is built on.
- Sleep disorders MedlinePlus (NIH)
- Insomnia NHS
- Insomnia MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine)
Who wrote and reviewed this
Every AskHer answer names its author. A clinically reviewed answer also names the clinician who signed it off — if no clinician is named below, it has not been clinically reviewed.
- Author
- AskHer Editorial (AI-assisted draft) AskHer's editorial team — not an individual clinician Works in English, தமிழ், हिन्दी
- Clinical reviewer
- Nobody yet No clinician has signed this answer off, and no person on the editorial team has read it yet. That is what the “Written with AI assistance” label means. It is queued for an editor to read, and then for a clinician who works in this area. The sources it was drafted against are listed above.
- Review status
- Written with AI assistance — not yet reviewed by a person
- Last reviewed
- Not yet reviewed by a person
- Version
- 1
Correction history
Substantive changes are listed, not quietly edited away.
No corrections have been made since this answer was first published.
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