Problems with sleep disturbances -- pacing, agitation, and disorientation during the night -- may develop in up to 20% of Alzheimer's patients. The term sundowning is sometimes used to refer to these nighttime behaviors, but sundowning and sleep disorders are distinct syndromes. The distress of sleep disturbances on Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers is the number one reason Alzheimer's patients are institutionalized.
