Nursing Acceleration Challenge Exam (NACE) PN-RN Practice Test

During which time of day are patients with cognitive impairment typically most sensitive to sensory overload?

1. Noon

2. Late evening

3. Early morning

4. Afternoon

The correct answer is: Afternoon

Patients with cognitive impairment often experience heightened sensitivity to sensory overload during the late evening. This is primarily due to a combination of factors such as fatigue, changes in their routine, and the natural decrease in daylight. As the day progresses, sensory input from the environment can become overwhelming, leading to increased agitation, confusion, and distress in these patients. During late evening hours, patients may have already endured a full day of interactions, stimuli, and activities. This can culminate in an overload of information for their cognitive processing abilities, which may be impaired. As evening approaches, fatigue sets in, further diminishing their capacity to manage and interpret sensory information, making it harder for them to cope with sounds, lights, and other sensory inputs, resulting in discomfort or anxiety. On the contrary, times such as noon, early morning, and afternoon might not present the same level of risk for sensory overload due to different routines, energy levels, or less accumulation of sensory stimuli throughout the day. Understanding this tendency allows caregivers to modify the environment in the evening to minimize agitation and promote a calming effect for patients with cognitive impairment.