Around 4:30, the light turns gray, and your mother starts looking for her purse. She’s going home, she says. She has lived in this house for thirty-one years.
If you’ve watched this happen, you know how fast an easy afternoon can turn. If you haven’t, you may see it soon, and the weeks around the end of daylight saving time are when many families notice it most. The clocks go back on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Two weeks of preparation is ideal, and the plan below still helps if you are starting late.
What Is Sundowning?
Sundowning is a pattern of confusion, anxiety, pacing, or agitation that shows up in the late afternoon or evening in some people living with dementia. Not everyone has it. Doctors don’t fully agree on why it happens. The usual suspects are a body clock thrown off by the disease, fading light, fatigue after a long day, hunger, pain, and a house that gets noisier as people come home.
What it looks like varies. One person paces. Another asks to go home, or insists a parent who died years ago is coming. Another gets suspicious or tearful. It tends to build through the evening and ease overnight, then repeat the next day.
Why the End of Daylight Saving Time Can Make It Worse
When the clocks go back, sunset moves an hour earlier on the clock. Dinner is at the same time as ever, and now it’s dark. The body clock of a person with dementia is already fragile, and light is one of the main signals that keeps it on track. Families often report that evenings get harder in the week or two after the change. Research on this is limited, so treat it as a pattern many caregivers describe, not a rule.
A short plan beforehand makes the week of the change easier.
Start date. Sunday, October 18 was the ideal day to begin, two full weeks before the clocks change. If you are starting later, begin today and carry the plan through the first two weeks after the change.
A Two-Week Plan to Prepare for the Time Change
Week 1: Adjust Meals and Light Exposure
- Morning light. Get your parent outside or by a bright window for 20 to 30 minutes each morning. Light early in the day helps set the body clock.
- Move meals in small steps. Shift breakfast, lunch, and dinner 10 to 15 minutes later every couple of days, until you’re close to the new clock time.
- Cut caffeine after noon. Switch to decaf or herbal tea in the afternoon.
- Add daytime activity. A walk, a card game, or a few chores help tire the body so the evening is calmer. Keep naps short and before 3 p.m.
Week 2: Shift Bedtime and Evening Routines
- Move bedtime a little each night. Another 10 to 15 minutes later, until you reach the target.
- Keep the order of the evening the same. Dinner, then a wash, then a quiet activity, then bed. A predictable order calms people who can’t track time.
- Start winding down earlier. Dim the lights, turn off the news, and lower voices an hour before bed.
Set Up a Calming Evening Environment
Lighting and Shadows
Turn lamps on before the light fades, around 4 p.m. in November, not after it’s dark. Shadows can look like people or objects to someone with dementia, so remove anything that casts odd shapes. If dark windows turn into mirrors that frighten your parent, close the curtains. Put night lights in the hallway and bathroom so a walk at 2 a.m. doesn’t start in the dark.
Noise and Activity Levels
The late afternoon is when the TV news, the dishwasher, the phone, and the grandchildren all arrive at once. Turn off the television, or put on music your parent has always liked. Keep visits for the morning and early afternoon if you can. A tidy room with fewer things to look at is easier to be in.
How to Calm Sundowning in the Moment
When it starts, nothing you say will fix it. You can still make it easier.
- Check the basics. Is your parent hungry, thirsty, in pain, or needing the bathroom?
- Don’t argue. If they say they need to go home, don’t remind them they are home. Say, “Tell me about home,” and let them talk.
- Lower your voice and slow down. They are reading your face more than your words.
- Redirect gently. Offer a snack, fold laundry together, look at a photo album.
- Stay close. Sit with them, or walk with them. Being alone makes it worse.
Don’t restrain them or lock them in. If they try to leave, walk with them to the door and then toward something else.
Track Patterns With a Daily Log
Sundowning has triggers, and they are different for every person. Jot down when it started, what happened in the hour before, and what helped. After a week, you’ll likely see a pattern, like a bad day after a short nap or a rough evening after a visitor. CAEVO’s Daily Care Log is a simple place to keep these notes, and your parent’s doctor can use them.
When to Call for Extra Help
Call the doctor the same day if the confusion comes on suddenly or looks very different from usual. A urinary tract infection, a new medicine, or dehydration can cause a sharp change that is treatable. Call too if your parent hasn’t slept for days, is getting aggressive, or is trying to wander out at night. In an emergency, or if anyone is in danger, call 911.
You also count. If evenings are leaving you worn out, say so to someone. The Alzheimer’s Association helpline (800-272-3900) is open at any hour, and the Eldercare Locator (1-800-677-1116) can point you to respite care near you.
Final Thoughts: Be Gentle With Yourself
A two-week plan will not make every evening easy. Some nights will be rough no matter what you do, and that doesn’t mean you did something wrong. Pick one or two changes from this list, start with the morning light, and see what helps.
FAQs
What time of day does sundowning usually start?
Usually in the late afternoon or early evening, as the light fades. It can start earlier on tired or overstimulating days.
Does daylight saving time affect people with dementia?
Many caregivers say evenings get harder after the clocks change. Research is limited, but it is reasonable to plan for it.
Can sundowning be prevented?
Not always. A steady routine, morning light, and a calm evening can reduce how often it happens and how severe it gets.
When should I talk to a doctor about sundowning?
Any time it’s new, sudden, or getting worse, or when it keeps your parent or you from sleeping. A doctor can check for pain, infection, and medication effects.
