Frustrated (Lack of Sleep)

[KAJ]

Here I am on the computer at 3:00 A.M. because I cannot sleep . The valve noise is keeping me awake (again). Although my surgery was more than two years ago, I cannot get used to the valve noise at night. I know I should be thankful I hear the valve but that fact remains I am not getting my proper sleep.

I have always been a light sleeper. However, I can sleep with a variety of external noises. I could sleep with aircraft taking off and landing directly above my head for months at a time when I served aboard aircraft carriers.

This is different. Sometimes even when I am downright exhausted the valve noise still keeps me awake. In the past I would just lie there hoping and waiting to go back to sleep. I have never mentioned this to cardio because I felt I just had to deal with it by keep trying to sleep. I have never been one to take sleeping pills. At this point I am willing to give it a shot if that is even an option. Has anyone else had this problem? I have an appt. with cardio in about three weeks for a follow-up for another issue. Should I mention this to him or my GP? If I can be prescribed sleeping pills, will this impact my INR levels? I am just really frustrated at this point.

On a ligther side, getting a valve that may make less noise is obivously not an option . Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Karl

 

[sue943]

When people have tinnitus I think they can have a hearing aid/s which give a white noise to mask the other noise. I wonder if it might be possible to have something similar to mask the ticking.

Mine are ATS and mostly I never hear them but a couple of times this past week I have actually heard them BOTH, the noise is different from each but I don't know which is which!

I must admit I was worried about the noise factor myself as I cannot bear to have a ticking clock in my bedroom, I don't know if thaat had any bearing on my surgeon using ATS valves but I had told him about my fears about noise.

 

[Bridgette]

Hi Karl

I feel for you because I know what it is like to lie awake with the sound of your valve going tick tick loudly in your ear .
I had my op last December and I can honestly say that it is only in the last 6-8 weeks that I have really started to sleep through the night. What I have found is that if I have the radio on beside my bed tuned into a talkback station, and have it playing all night, it helps me to drift off to sleep and if I wake up, to get back to sleep. Also, if I hug a small pillow to my chest it seems to muffle the noise a bit.
Other than that I think I have just slowly grown used to it, although when I am sitting quietly (like now at my computer) I can hear it ticking away pretty loudly
I hope you find a solution soon - I think that maybe if you gave the sleeping pills a try it might help to break the sleeplessness cycle a bit - and if you are wary of getting hooked on prescription sleeping tabs there are heaps of homeopathic ones on the market.
Anyway, good luck
Bridgette

 

[Ross]

Karl I sympathize with you, I really do. I can't sleep, but it's not because of my valve sounds. I just plain cannot sleep. Have you tried using something like a 20" box fan to sleep with? Anything to make a louder noise, yet calming while trying to sleep? Ask your Cardio for a prescription of Rozeram. While I can't sleep even taking it, it is the only thing that has made me feel remotely like attempting too. No addictive properties to it either, so it can be taken for as long as you need it.

 

[Rush20]

I understand and have had similar frustration over the past couple years. My problem is also falling asleep. Once I fall asleep, I usually sleep through the night, however short the night is as a result.

My problem isn't the valve noise as much as the awareness of the valve and every heartbeat. Plus, lately it seems as though I can't shut my brain off. My job involves business contracts and I get over 300 emails per day. The best way to describe it is that I have multiple images flashing over and over when I try to fall asleep.

I originally thought it might be the BP meds I'm on, however I seem to tolerate those and I have moved them up to late afternoon. I don't want to use sleeping pills, because I already feel I have too many meds and I'm trying to go natural if at all possible.

Through trial and error I have improved my sleep by (1) limiting electronic stimulants such as television and computer work 2 hours before bed, (2) trying to read, meditate, pray, etc. in a comfortable chair 1 hour before bed and (3) working on deep breathing/relaxation exercises.

For me, I think the problem was that I was trying to fill every waking hour/minute doing something "productive" and then raising false expectations to fall asleep within 5 minutes of lying in bed. My body/brain simply can't shut off like that.

It's hard to break old habits, however I'm really trying to go "old fashioned" from 8PM on each night. Spending time with my kids playing games, talking, etc. So far it's helped. I still watch TV, etc., however I'm trying to limit it. The flow of communication is so fast and furious and with the internet we have so many options to fill time so like any other form of information or entertainment, it must be managed.

Sometimes I think all of our electronic gadgets designed to make life easier such as laptops, cell phones, crackberries, IPODs, etc. only help fill down time we used to use for relaxation in our desire to stay connected.

 

[Bina]

Allen, you said it well!
Most people are unknowingly over stimulating their brains and sensory organs....hearing, sight, etc. We live in hectic times, hence my move to a farm where I can faintly hear the crickets and frogs instead of the cars and trucks.

Karl, my valve does not have the mechanical type of tick, I hate clocks....but when it beats slow it is a comfort. When I have had a rough day and it is beating faster and with extra beats, etc. then I can't sleep either.
I can have trouble with the ringing in my ears....there's not much to do about that. Playing music irritates it more.
Maybe the pillow on chest idea would help, good luck.

 

[sue943]

I use lavender oil on my pillow and read a book, I then fall asleep. Sometimes living alone is good, no one to complain about me having the light on all night.

 

[Kathleen]

I have two and at times they were so loud I would cover my ears and want to shout. That only made me hear them in stereo. Have heard many times well it is better than ......yeah right well let someone else hear them 24/7 for awhile. I used to feel guilty complaining about a noise that was allowing me to raise my children but I got over that. I find a fan does help. I have some contraption on my floor vent that fits over it. It has a fan inside that pumps up the output from your air or heat and it is so soothing and blocks out any noise including those pesky clickers. Try all aspects until you hit on what works...I also used to make myself get up and do the ironing when I would not sleep, that punishment makes me sleep much better.
Kathleen

 

[sonavogel]

KAJ, I feel for you on this issue, which is near and dear to me, although not because of a mechanical valve's clicking.

My husband snores like a stevedore, and I am a light sleeper in one of the noisiest cities in the world. I don't know whether this will help you or not, but I can tell you that it helps me:

I use two aids: 1. Mack's wax earplugs, one-half of a plug solidly in each ear, diminishes all sound, inside me and out. 2. A portable white noise, such as this one (I just purchased because my other is wearing out):
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/71516.asp

with my regular Walkman earphones plugged into it and set over my head (or even under my chin, since I also keep a pillowcase draped over my eyes for darkness). On the white noise setting (rather than rain or wind or whatever) at a moderate volume, you can't hear ANYTHING, sometimes not even your own thoughts. You feel insulated, and although it still takes me a while to relax and fall asleep, it works to keep outside and inside noises at bay.

This may not be something you want to experiment with, but it has saved my marriage, I can tell you!

Good luck. Not sleeping is bad.

 

[KAJ]

Thanks everyone! I knew I came to the right place for suggestions . I will given them a shot over the few weeks and let you know what works for me. Some will certainly require more self dicipline. But that is okay. I have nothing to lose by trying. You guys are the greatest .

Karl

 

[azpam]

Sometimes the supplement L-Theanine can be used for relaxation and mood support. If gotten at health/vitamin store, get the Solgar brand i think is good. Not all supplements are created equal and have been found to even have the thing you are buying actually in the bottle. The solgar brand in this should be good and worth the try.