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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2018 Aug 24.
Published in final edited form as: Semin Neurol. 2017 Aug 24;37(4):395–406. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1604351

Table 1.

Recommended treatments for dementia patients with sleep problems

Sleep problem Recommended pharmaceutical approach Recommended nonpharmaceutical approach
Insomnia Low dose (25–50 mg) trazodone; mirtazapine; melatonin Bright light therapy; reducing or eliminating caffeine and alcohol; dark and quiet bedroom; not drinking near bedtime; avoid daytime napping; daytime physical activity
Daytime sleepiness Melatonin; changing current medication type and dosing; modafinil (in PD patients) Daytime physical activity
SDB Consider discontinuation of medications that may worsen SDB (e.g., benzodiazepines, opioids, testosterone) CPAP
RBD Melatonin; clonazepam (with caution) Remove potentially injurious objects from bedroom; create barriers; avoid antidepressants, caffeine, chocolate

Abbreviations: CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; PD, Parkinson’s disease; RBD, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder; SDB, sleep disordered breathing.