Over the past few months, Jim hasn’t been keeping a regular sleep/wake cycle.

Part of it I’m sure is boredom. Even with the pandemic waning, he’s reluctant to go to the mall for a walk (which he used to do on his own just to get out). Lately, he’s begun exercising in the mornings, but that doesn’t keep him form napping during the day and being restless at night.

This impacts my sleep schedule, I either wake frequently with him when he’s restless or I’m near-comatose. Sleeping so deeply, that if he ran into problems, I’m not sure I’d wake-up.

Neither are good.

I’ve been looking to see if there are any solutions. and I found this article from Dementia.org. How Dementia Affects Sleep Cycles

I am intrigued by the idea of using light to help trigger his sleep/wake cycle. A friend of mine has a similar lamp to use with her depression, and she’s found success with it.

Light therapy comes with several cautions. This surprised me because, it’s just a light. Apparently, it’s more complex that a lamp with a sunlight brightness setting. See some basic information Light therapy – Mayo Clinic.

While I don’t see it doing much good during the summer season because it light so late into the evening and early in the morning, it may help as winter hits. Especially here, in the rainy northwest where we don’t get sunny snow days.

The article from the Mayo Clinic above also has recommendations about specifications to look for when purchasing a lamp to get the best results for your money.

It also talks about best practices. It’s worth a read because I had some major misconceptions, which could have inadvertently harmed Jim.

They seem to range from $40-100. Relatively speaking, it’s a fairly inexpensive therapy to try.