Has any one who has schizophrenia or have a loved one who has it experienced Sundowners? My daughter who at present is in hospital to regulate meds after several breaks seems to be very very angry, paranoid and emotional at night. She herself has pointed it out. This is a regular occurrence. They have prescribed anxiety drugs for her at night but this still continues. My mother had sundowners but then she had dementia. I have researched and can find no link between the two. I would be most grateful for any imput. Thank you
Here’s what ChatGPT says about sundowning but you need to take ChatGPT answers with a grain of salt, I have caught them giving wrong or misleading answers several times but they are generally helpful:
is there any link between sundowners and schizophrenia?
Short answer: there isn’t a direct link between sundowning and schizophrenia.
The conditions are different
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Sundowning syndrome is most commonly seen in people with dementia, especially Alzheimer’s disease, and is tied to time-of-day changes (late afternoon/evening).
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Schizophrenia is a psychiatric condition involving hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking that aren’t specifically tied to sunset.
Where they can overlap (a little)
There are some indirect connections:
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Sleep and circadian rhythm problems happen in both conditions
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Evening worsening of symptoms can occur in schizophrenia for some people (fatigue, less stimulation, medication timing)
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Older adults with schizophrenia can later develop dementia—and then may show sundowning
Key difference
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Sundowning = time-of-day–triggered confusion/agitation
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Schizophrenia = ongoing psychosis not tied to time of day
Bottom line
Sundowning isn’t considered part of schizophrenia, but both can involve brain chemistry and sleep-cycle disruptions, which is why they can look a bit similar in certain situations.
If you’re seeing evening changes in someone with schizophrenia, it’s worth paying attention—sometimes it’s sleep-related, medication timing, or even early cognitive decline.
Thank you
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My friend with schizophrenia seems to ruminate and have more repetitive thoughts at night and takes sleeping medicine to help with this (especially when in a psychotic state). Also even with the medicine he wakes up with nightmares which tend to be related to the same delusions and hallucinations he has (paranoia, etc). He also takes awhile to wake up as he seems to have a lot of symptoms upon first waking up as well when in a state of psychosis. So I think some people do have worsening symptoms at night and upon waking from what I’ve witnessed and heard from my friend.
Thank you this helps!
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I noticed it with my son as well. It might be that it happens more during the winter when it’s so cold in this area and the shorter days. He was more loud during the dark time, out of fear or being paranoid he was leaving most of the lights on; when the temperature started to be a little bit better and the first signs of Spring began he started to go out more and the yelling stopped. I hope your daughter’s behavior improved with the adjustment of meds.
Take care
One psychiatrist told my son exactly that, schizophrenia can become dementia.
Thank you so much.
Oh boy…not looking forward to that
That’s what I have read as well. I wonder if my 48 year old son now also has dementia.
Is it common for schizophrenia to turn into dementia
Short answer: no, schizophrenia does not typically “turn into” dementia, but there is some overlap and increased risk worth understanding.
How they’re different
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Schizophrenia is a mental illness involving symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. It usually starts in early adulthood.
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Dementia is a progressive decline in memory, thinking, and daily functioning, most often seen later in life (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease).
They are distinct conditions with different underlying causes.
Why people get concerned
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Some people with long-term schizophrenia develop cognitive difficulties (memory, attention, processing speed).
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These cognitive issues can look similar to dementia, especially as someone ages.
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There’s evidence that people with schizophrenia have a higher risk of developing dementia later in life compared to the general population.
Important nuance
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Cognitive decline in schizophrenia is often stable or slowly changing, not the steady progressive decline typical of dementia.
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When dementia does occur in someone with schizophrenia, it’s usually due to a separate condition (like Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia), not schizophrenia “turning into” dementia.
When to seek evaluation
If someone with schizophrenia shows:
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Rapid worsening of memory
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Trouble recognizing familiar people or places
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Decline in daily functioning beyond their usual baseline
…it’s important to get a medical evaluation, because that could indicate a separate dementia process or another treatable issue (medication effects, depression, etc.).
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My son was awake at night for wha seemed like weeks and manic at night. I think the lack of sleep from insomnia is very dangerous for SZs. There is hardly any distractions at night and they follow thier delusions to disaster unimpeded. Lack of sleep can create SZ like symptoms in nonSZs so how much worse its effects must be on SZs. I wish there was more attention payed by clinicians to making sure SZs are actually sleeping before releasing them from the hospital. They need thier sleep measured and documented. I doubt they bother. Seems incompetent to me.
Thank you for replying..it helps alot
Yes! My daughter experiences this. No answer for why.
The information in the link was very helpful. I’m grateful someone else is watching what is shared especially when the psychiatrist told it to my loved one and he got very discouraged. I really thought that was the case with my 52 year old son. I take one day at a time.