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 )