When is nighttime? A description of bedtime in persons with dementia in the nursing home

The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to describe the bedtime patterns of persons with dementia in the nursing home and make recommendations for nursing practice. Nursing staff observed, researcher observed, and actigraph data on bedtimes were compared with nighttime facility routines. Seventy per cent (n = 14) of all participants (n = 20) were in bed before 8:30 pm and 30% (n = 6) of the participants went to bed after 8:30 pm. All participants who went to bed before 8:30 pm (n = 14) took evening medications and 64% (n = 9) were dependent upon nursing care for nighttime activities of daily living (ADLs). Results suggested that bedtimes may be influenced by nighttime tasks. An understanding of these unique sleep patterns may facilitate the development of nonpharmacological, person-centered interventions for building sleep cycles around individual preferences versus facility-driven routines.