Meaning & use
sundowning
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
A pattern in which confusion, restlessness or anxiety gets worse in the late afternoon or evening, especially in people with dementia.
Grammar: Used without an article: sundowning often begins at dusk.
Patterns
- experience sundowning
- signs of sundowning
Her father's sundowning made evenings difficult, as he often became agitated and tried to leave the house.
Nurses are trained to recognize sundowning and respond calmly.
Bright lighting in the late afternoon can help reduce sundowning.
Common combinations
- experience sundowning
- Many people with dementia experience sundowning.
- signs of sundowning
- Pacing and shouting at dusk are signs of sundowning.
- manage sundowning
- Routines help carers manage sundowning.
- sundowning symptoms
- The doctor asked about sundowning symptoms.
- sundowning in dementia
- Sundowning in dementia can be exhausting for families.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sundown syndrome
- This is an alternative name for the same pattern, but it sounds more like a disorder than sundowning does.
- evening agitation
- This is a plain description of the symptom without the specific medical-care label.
- late-day confusion
- This is more general and can apply to ordinary tiredness as well as dementia.
Word family
Commonly confused: sundowning or sundowner?
sundowning vs sundowner
A sundowner is a drink at sunset in some regions, not a medical condition; sundowning refers to worsening confusion at dusk.
Practice
The nurse noted that the patient's agitation increased every evening, a pattern known as _____.
Choose one answer.
Sundowning is the term for symptoms worsening at dusk. The other words are unrelated to this pattern.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “sundowning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.