Sleep tips?

Valve Replacement Forums

Help Support Valve Replacement Forums:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I'm a side sleeper and cannot really sleep on my back. I've been sleeping on my couch because I can wedge myself into the back of the couch to give me support. Im too scared to sleep in a bed b/c of the risk of flopping all around. Maybe in another week i will give the bed a try.
 
I loved my recliner! I slept in it and napped in bed!! :p

Basically I used a lot of pillows! In bed I definitely could not lie down on my side for several months. So, resting on several pillows sitting up, I especially found relief by putting pillows under my arms, like an armchair. Somehow propping my arms up helped relieve the pressure on the sternum. Then I lay a soft pillow on my tummy (but not touching the wound) to rest my hands on and kind of even things out. When I finally did get to my side, I would hug a longer, king size squishy pillow. I have not been able to break myself of that hugging habit even now! I have, at least started using a regular sized pillow to hug, however.

A lot of what I found would work was to just accept that I was not going to be comfortable for awhile, but knew that I truly needed the sleep to heal. So I would just tell myself that tough luck, be uncomfortable and just calm down and get to sleep. Sometimes I focus on my center, you know, just kind of find that warm center of your being in your gut and that would help me overcome the fidgety discomfort. Breathe slowly and focus on that place.

Good luck. By the time you figure something out you'll probably be able to get back to sleeping on your side!

:) Marguerite
 
How do you feel in a recliner? I don't normally sleep on my back, but in the hospital I slept "on my back" in a reclined position in the hospital bed.

Once I was home, I slept "on my side" in my recliner. No, this isn't your chiropractor's favorite position for you! However, you'll only do it for a few weeks. After that he can readjust you!
 
I am also a side sleeper. However, I now primarily sleep on my right side or my back. I hear my valve too much on the left side and hear it some on right when I am not very tired.

Karl
 
I can't believe that after 17 replies, NO ONE has mentioned Sleeping in a Recliner. I thought that was Standard Operating Procedure and usually recommended for the first few weeks following OHS.

Other alternatives include using a Wedge Pillow or even renting a Hospital Bed from a Medical Supply company.

Body Pillows and /or lots of regular pillows have already been discussed.

'Al Capshaw'

Au contraire mon ami (I think I got that right). I actually did mention a recliner. I rented one but only needed it for a few days. It sure did make it easier to get up as this was one of those motorized deals. I got the idea from VR.com.
 
You beat me to it. In the hospital I spent every night but 1 in the recliner. When I got home I used one of those armchair pillow things that sit you up in bed, a wedge and several pillows. I put the wedge and pillows under my back and the armchair thing under my knees. And if that didn't work it was to the basement and into the recliner. The only thing for me that sucks is I have sleep apnea and my drug schedule is such that I have to hall my bi pap machine, and alarm clock, my pill case, and a drink down 2 flights of steps. And your right I'd fall asleep then wake up thinking I was asleep for 3to 4 hours and to my shock it was 30 minutes. Back up stairs to the bathroom.

Here is another question. How many people are still on the hospital schedule. I still wake up every 2 hours. It's like I'm waiting for my nurse to come in and check my vitals.
 
I am a side sleeper and my worries were how to sleep on my back after the srugery. To my surprise, the first night after surgery the nurse turned me towards my side at an 45 degrees angle and supported me back with pillows in order not to roll backward. When I wanted to move to the other side, she helped me turn and put lots of pillows supporting my back again. I was happy I had to sleep on my side at a slanted angle. At home, I adjusted my bad upward, and between the the vicodin and minly the sleeping pill, I slept the whole night on my back. But this was 11 day at home for me as I stayed ten days at the hospital. It will get better.
 
I slept for several weeks in my recliner. I used a large soft fluffy pillow and laid it along side my neck and head to sort of prop my head in position. This allowed me to roll my head sideways while still being basically on my back. It worked real well for me. I don't know what I would have done without my recliner. I would try the bed every few days and it would not take long for me to figure out that the pain and discomfort was too much to bear. So until it felt ok to be in bed I slept in the recliner. Thank you Lazy Boy!
 
I prepared my bed set up a month before surgery to see if I could deal with it.
Foam pad on the mattress, elevated the head of the bed a foot or so, extra pillows within arms reach, head pillow should not be too thick.
Whatever works for you!
 
While I used the recliner a lot during the day, I couldn't sleep in it due to being visited by cats (some rather more than 10 lbs.), I slept mostly in bed. Back sleeping resulted in snoring loud enough to wake me up, so Laura used various wedges of blankets, towels, and pillows to position me for comfort--about halfway between back and side. On cold nights she would also microwave a buckwheat pillow for me, and I would use it as necessary for warmth (heat lasted for hours).

Strangely, it was a heart-related incident that forced me to use a recliner. Back up in Anchorage in 1996, shortly after I noticed a rather abundant number of PVCs during our very stressful move and drive to Anchorage from Idaho, I wore a Holter monitor for 24 hours to record my heart action awake and asleep. I couldn't lay down in bed, since the device was too cumbersome, so I wore a bathrobe, placed the main monitor into one of its pockets, covered up in my Lazy Boy recliner, and managed to get a reasonably good night's sleep. There were cats then, too, but I could take a nighttime 'visitor' or two--just shoved him or her off when too warm or heavy. Amazingly enough, three of the six cats we had then are still alive, including one that's now 18--and she's in great health. Of course after the OHS, circumstances wouldn't allow me to free myself of heavy cats, so I couldn't take the risk. Anyway, Laura made the bed nice and comfortable, and it made her feel a lot better to be beside me in bed--and me, too.

Chris
 
I'm a side sleeper too and currently have about 9 pillows and cushions propping me up. I've got a couple of flat pillows and a big V pillow set up to support my back and shoulders, a reasonably fluffy pillow for under my knees, a fat pillow either side of me to help support my arms, then more pillows to wedge behind my back for when I want to sleep more to my side - which seems to work rather well.

The other thing I've set up (the idea I stole from the hospital) is a "ski rope" to help me lie down and sit up. It's basically a length of wood (or something else lightweight and sturdy) with a length of rope securely attached, with the other end attached to the end of the bed. The idea is that you can wind the rope on the handle and then use your arms to pull yourself upright, or to lower yourself down. There is no stress on the sternum at all, and I find it easier than trying to sit up without any help.

All in all, I've actually been quite comfortable and sleeping pretty well ever since coming home... it just took a bit of fiddling around with the pillows to work out what was most comfortable.


A : )
 
I also am a side sleeper, but there was no way that I could get myself into that position for several weeks because of pain everywhere. I did, however, use a big backrest (around here it's known as a husband--dont know how it got that name) like the ones college kids get for their beds in the dorms. I also used a couple pillows behind me, and although I had to sleep sitting up, at least it made it semi- comfortable. It was the most exciting night ever when I was able to sleep on my side again!
 

Latest posts

Back
Top