Current opinion in psychiatry
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Sleep disorders in dementia cause distress and may lead to families being unable to care for someone with dementia at home. Recent Cochrane reviews found no interventions of proven effectiveness. There was no effect of light therapy and moderate evidence that melatonin was ineffective both given without knowledge of the patient's circadian rhythm. The current article updates this review by considering newer publications on interventions for sleep disorders or abnormalities of the sleep-wake cycle in people with dementia living in the community. ⋯ Clinically effective, safe treatment of sleep disturbances in dementia remains an unresolved challenge. Given the importance of sleep and the many consequences of its disruption, well designed controlled trials are needed to determine acceptable and cost-effective treatment strategies that work for sleep disturbances.