--- title: "Sundowning: why late afternoon is hardest, and what helps" description: "Why confusion and restlessness rise in the late afternoon for many people with dementia, and the practical changes UK families find make the biggest difference." lang: en-GB json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#organization", "name": "You Care Reminders", "url": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk", "email": "hello@youcarereminders.co.uk", "areaServed": "GB" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#website", "name": "You Care Reminders", "url": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk", "publisher": { "@id": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-GB" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Is sundowning a sign the dementia is worsening?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Not necessarily. It comes and goes, and can be triggered by tiredness, infection, pain or a change of surroundings. A sudden onset is worth a GP call, since urinary infections often present this way." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Should we correct them when they want to go home?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Correction rarely helps and often escalates. Acknowledge the feeling, offer something concrete, and let the moment pass." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does more daylight help?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Many families find a walk or time by a window in the morning improves the evening. It is low risk and worth trying for a fortnight." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can reminders help at this time of day?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Best used just before, not during. Once someone is distressed, a phone message is one more thing to process." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Dementia care at home", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/dementia-care-at-home" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Sundowning", "item": "https://youcarereminders.co.uk/sundowning-late-afternoon" } ] } ] --- [You Care Reminders Caregiver Support ](/) [Home](/)[How it works](/features)[Pricing](/pricing)[FAQ](/faq)[Contact](/contact) [Sign in](/login)[Get started](/signup) 1. [Home](/) 2. [Dementia care at home](/dementia-care-at-home) 3. Sundowning Late afternoon # Sundowning, and the hour before it If the day falls apart between four and seven, you are not imagining it and you are not doing it wrong. Here is what tends to be going on, and what to change first. [Begin caring today for free](/signup)[How it works](/features) ## What sundowning looks like Restlessness, pacing, wanting to go home while already at home, suspicion, or an insistence that someone is waiting. It usually begins as the light fades and eases later in the evening. Nobody can say for certain why. Tiredness, low light, hunger, an empty diary and the accumulated effort of a whole day all seem to contribute. ## Change the light before you change anything else Put the lamps on before dusk rather than after it. A room that dims gradually gives the brain a slow, confusing signal; a room already lit avoids the question. Close curtains before the window turns into a black mirror, which is a common trigger for seeing people outside. ## The rest of the toolkit - Move the largest meal earlier, and offer a drink and a small snack around four. - Keep the late afternoon quiet: no daytime television news, no visitors arriving at five. - Give the hour a job — folding, music, a short walk — so it is not empty. - Avoid arguing with the content. Answer the feeling instead: 'I know, it's been a long day, let's have a cup of tea first.' - Protect the nap. Too much sleep after three often makes the evening worse. ## Where a reminder fits A gentle message at half past three — a drink, a walk, a call from a familiar voice — lands before the difficult hour rather than during it. Timing is the whole trick. You Care Reminders lets you set that message once and leave it running. ## The wider picture around 982,000 people are estimated to be living with dementia in the UK. Source: [Alzheimer's Society](https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/about-us/news-and-media/facts-media) ## Being straight with you You Care Reminders is a non-medical wellness tool, not a monitoring service and not an alarm. Delivery is best effort rather than guaranteed, and it must not be used for medication reminders. If you are worried about someone's health, speak to their GP; in an emergency, call 999. ## Questions carers ask ### Is sundowning a sign the dementia is worsening? ### Should we correct them when they want to go home? ### Does more daylight help? ### Can reminders help at this time of day? ## Read next - [Daily routine for dementia](/daily-routine-for-dementia) - [Dementia care at home](/dementia-care-at-home) - [Do dementia clocks help wandering?](/do-dementia-clocks-help-wandering) - [Activities at home](/dementia-activities-at-home) ## Set the first reminder tonight It takes about five minutes, costs nothing to start, and the person you care for has nothing to install. [Begin caring today for free](/signup)[See plans](/pricing) You Care Reminders Thoughtful reminders that help families stay quietly connected to the people they love. Wellness support, not medical advice. 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