Newswise — New Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has found 94 per cent of Australians caring for a loved one with dementia are sleep deprived.
This can potentially lead to poor health of the carer and may also impact on their ability to provide care for the person living with dementia.
Poor sleep is associated with negative physical and psychological outcomes including hypertension, obesity, mood disorders and dementia.
The study, led by Dr Aisling Smyth from ECU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery in conjunction with Alzheimer’s WA, investigated the sleep characteristics and disturbances of 104 Australian caregivers of a person living with dementia. In addition, it assessed the psychological wellbeing of caregivers by evaluating associations between mood and sleep.
Dr Smyth said a disrupted sleep pattern is recognised as a significant factor in predicting stress on carers…
