The effect of CO2 on the nocturnal restlessness of an Alzheimer patient

At typical indoor CO2 levels there is no scientific evidence that CO2 is harmful to comfort and health of healthy persons, though there is a potential for negative effects on some aspects of performance. Research also indicates that insufficient bedroom ventilation may negatively affect the quality of sleep.
This document reports practical observations of the effect of CO2 on the nocturnal restlessness of an Alzheimer patient. During a month, the CO2 values in the bedroom of the patient were recorded. Typical values of the CO2 level in the bedroom are evaluated, and related to the occupancy of the bedroom and the position of an exterior window and an interior door to the hallway.
The nocturnal behavior of the Alzheimer patient was observed by the partner of the patient occasionally. The result of the study on this particular Alzheimer patient was that the nocturnal restlessness was absent when the bedroom CO2 level did not exceed 750 – 800 ppm. Above this value, the restlessness emerged in symptoms like humming, teeth grinding, apnoea and sometimes leading to panic. Intervention of the partner by opening the window was followed by a gradual decrease in CO2 and consequently a more restful sleep.
Although this study is the practical observation of one Alzheimer patient only, it shows that the effect of typical indoor CO2 values may be larger for people suffering from Alzheimer’s disease than for healthy persons. More research on a larger number of patients is being carried out at the moment.