sundowning

[ suhn-dou-ning ]

noun

1. Psychiatry. a state of confusion, disorientation, or anxiety seen late in the day or at night, especially in dementia patients, likely as a result of strange surroundings, drug effects, decreased sensory input, or reduction of oxygen supply to the brain:

   Two randomized controlled trials of the new drug have found a significant improvement in sundowning and other agitated behavior.

Word History and Origins

Origin of sundowning¹

First recorded in 1870–75, for an earlier sense; sundown ( def ) + -ing ¹( def )

Example Sentences

He turned in yet another weirdly checked-out performance and continued a losing streak that was only briefly broken up when he faced off against an opponent who was slightly more advanced in his sundowning, three months earlier.

From Slate

They note that there is a well-known phenomenon among individuals with Alzheimer's disease called "sundowning," in which agitation increases in the afternoon and early evening.

From Science Daily

"It's conceivable that the higher afternoon activity we observed is a signal of 'preclinical sundowning,'" Spira says.

From Science Daily

Hard as it may be to believe, this lunchtime perfomance was less of a sundowning moment than his speech in Virginia on Saturday night.

From Salon

As days get shorter, some people with dementia may also experience "sundowning", which is a change in behaviour in the later afternoon.

From BBC