Sleep interventions in people living with Alzheimer's disease
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Feasibility study to investigate the effect of sleep interventions on sleep quality and daytime function in people living with prodromal or mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease
IRAS ID
359038
Contact name
Ramin Nilforooshan
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Surrey
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
In people living with Alzheimer's Disease, sleep disturbances are common and also a risk factor for the development of the disease. The sleep disturbances include increased daytime napping, early or late time in bed, frequently getting up during the night, or clinical sleep disorders including sleep apnoea. These sleep disturbances can affect the quality of life of the person living with Alzheimer's as well as their caregiver, and may also make the symptoms of the disease worse.
Here we will assess two different sleep interventions in people living with Alzheimer's to see if we can improve the quality and duration of nighttime sleep as well as improve how they feel during the day.
Roughly 50 people living with mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease will be invited to take part in the study and will be allocated to either a nap or positional therapy intervention. We will assess their sleep patterns using devices that are worn on the wrist or placed under the mattress and participants will complete daily assessments about how they are feeling and how they slept. If they live with a partner, we will ask them to tell us how the participant slept and how they are feeling. The participant will complete each of the different stages of the intervention for 7 days. At the end of the study, we will ask the participants for their feedback.
This research may lead to the development of new approaches to improve sleep and daytime function in people living with Alzheimer's which could improve their quality of life and that of their caregiver.
REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/LO/0780
Date of REC Opinion
1 Dec 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion