Aggie85
Well-known member
This is my suggestion on how to train yourself to relax and sleep in the hospital. This is what I developed for myself and I am not a trained relaxation therapist, I'm not making any professional claims to this technique. I started this about 4 weeks before surgery but by the time I got the music all arranged, I had about 2 weeks of "training".
At home all light and any noise keeps me awake and I am a very light sleeper. I even get woken up by the little light on the smoke alarm in our room. So as you can imagine, sleeping in the hospital is usually impossible for me. In fact, I'm one of those who react the opposite to many meds and some stimulants; Benadryl, Percocet, Vicodin, ect. make me hyper; Mt.Dew and Dr. pepper make me drowsy! I am a high energy , ADD person who has a very hard time relaxing and hates repetitive stuff. It took me some hunting to find a Guided Imagery recording (discussed below) I could tolerate and not end up wanting to throw the IPod across the room, but I eventually found one. I could never fully reach relaxation nirvana but even so, found the technique I'm describing GREATLY BENEFICIAL to keep calm during all the testing and pre-procedures. Don't worry if you can't fully veg out, any bit will help! I WAS UTTERLY AMAZED at how well this helped me. This surgical go round was my 12th surgery (only! 4 for heart issues) and by far the most relaxed and calm I've ever felt (despite being the most life threatening one.)
Cleveland Clinic recommends a Guided Imagery (GI) program to all their Pre-op heart surgery patients. I was inspired by this to try a new approach with this hospitalization. I set up a relaxation regime and trained myself to relax as was suggested by the Guided Imagery recording. However, I found the GI voice and script annoying, so focused more on relaxing sounds and music just using the GI as a starting point. I also went online and on ITunes and found other GI recordings having to do with surgery until I found the least annoying one for me. I applaud CC for making a recording available but there are others out there as well. During my "training", I listened to as much of the GI as I could tolerate. (The first several times literally forcing myself to listen to the whole thing, so I knew what was on it.) I then would switch to my "music" and practice what was suggested in the GI recording. Below are details on exactly how I did this.
SLEEPPHONES! Gotta get em!!! These are soft headbands that have felt pads inside with ear phones embedded in the pads. They are VERY comfortable to wear and sleep with. Down load some white noise music, favorite relaxing music or my recommendation; Steven Halpern sleep and relaxation music. The SleepPhones company even has their own ITunes App (probably other systems too) . I also used them to cover my eyes to block out the lights. You can find them on Amazon, Ebay and I think directly from site. Www.SleepPhones.com There are wired and Bluethooth versions. I liked the Bluetooth at home but found the wired version much more useful in the hospital (also much cheaper than Bluetooth.) The BT version has to be recharged after each use whereas the wired version does not. I had NO problems with getting tangled or choking myself on the wire. LOL. They plug in using a standard headphone jack. I may have looked ridiculous, because I used the phones backwards with the wire coming out on my forehead, after all, we're forced to sleep on our backs and the wire assembly can be uncomfortable to lay on for long periods. But I was intent on relaxation and sleep, not beauty contests. I also found it helpful to lightly sew the ear phones in place once I knew where they should sit within the headband to be over my ears. This kept the phones from moving around and always needing to be readjusted.
More about Halpern's music. He has produced synthesized instrument pieces scientifically researched to induce sleep and relaxation. Some of them are designed to activate deep Alpha and deep Theta waves in the brain. I am one who HATES white noise and at home couldn't train myself to sleep to any music. But I still gave them a try. I was amazed at how well his pieces worked the whole time I was in the hospital. I also downloaded a few Tibettan OHM chants and some ocean sound music to use for Guided Imagery and relaxation pieces. I then set up various playlists for specific uses (quick relaxation/guided imagery, Sleeping, Healing, Just relaxing.) Explore and find what works for you. This takes some experimenting and refining. Pieces that seem relaxing with eyes open and searching, can sometimes end up being jarring and annoying when eyes are closed and you're solely focusing on what you're hearing. On music sites, search for Guided Imagery, relaxation chants, Steven Halpern.
Now that you have some music ....
HOW TO TRAIN TO DEAL WITH PREOP and PROCEDURE STRESS:
1:Buy a used IPod or whatever music system you like, so you don't have to worry about if it gets lost. I ended up not using the IPod I'd bought second hand because I preferred to set up stuff directly on my IPhone and Ipad than in ITunes on my computer. But you can still do this technique with whatever music system you are comfortable with or have access to. I just kept my phone hidden below my blankets or pillow or handed them to my hubby if I couldn't take them in somewhere. Set up music playlists as above dividing music for specific purposes, some pieces may overlap. But this suggestion is specifically for quick calming and relaxation for before surgery, caths, MRI that sort of thing.
1B: explain to whomever will be with you at the hospital what you are doing to prepare and that you'll be wanting to listen to your "music" as much as you can at the hospital. Let them know that you will still know they are there for you but not to be offended when you zone in to yourself and focus on relaxing. They can hold your hand and offer their support too.
2:Find what music works best for you to just do a quick calming session. I purposefully limited this to about 30 min of music and one guided imagery piece. It took me a while to put this list together and I refined it after I actually started using it in the hospital. But keep it simple. I had the Guided Imagery piece and 4 selections of music. The GI pieces have you imagining a SAFE PLACE, one you visualize and create in your head, such as sitting at the beach, in quiet woods, a favorite spot you feel safe and relaxed in. Select your music pieces to help capture and relate to this imagery. Typical ADD me, I had two (the beach and floating in outer space looking at stars), so I selected two Halpern Ocean pieces, an OHM chant, and one Halpern Deep Alpha piece.
3:Then, before your surgical date, begin to actively train yourself to relax to this playlist. I would listen and practice relaxing once a day, for me usually when I first woke up. This is a little hard to describe, so I hope this procedure makes sense.
I started with the GI piece and over time sort of memorized it just by repetition. I eventually arranged the music in the order of the images I most times reached calm with and put the other pieces as pieces to float along on. (For me, spacey OHM chants first then transitioning to the ocean sounds). As I listened and relaxed to the music I went over the directions again in the GI piece, expanding them and zoning in the music. I also, sort of focused on the pieces of music in this grouping kind of memorizing them; roughly! don't stress about it. This was so I could think about them and zone out to it even if I wasn't allowed to physically have the music with me.
4. Instead of sitting in a chair as suggested in the GI pieces, I purposefully laid in bed, since that was where I'd be wanting to most relax in the hospital. I even would practice with my arms out like they would be on the surgical table so my body would have muscle memory of being relaxed in that position. NOTE: I eventually found the GI piece too annoying to listen to, remember that hatred of repetition. But by that point, I could simply turn on the music and guide myself to my spacey beach. I kept the GI piece on the playlist, but put it at the end. I did go back and listen to it the night before my heart surgery and found it very comforting again. If possible, or needed, you could also occasionally include whomever will be at the hospital with you in practice sessions, by having them hold your hand quietly while you zone in to relax.
5. At the hospital, place the SleepPhones over your ears and eyes, play your quick relax set and focus on your comfort place. Do this whenever you have a free moment such as in waiting rooms to see Dr.s, in admissions, in the prep room after you've been prepped, if possible while you're in holding waiting to go in to surgical ward.... You will not always get through the whole set or even first piece, but any little bit helps. But with enough practice and prep you'll be able to remember the music and zone in using just your imagination. NOTE: I kept using this playlist even after surgery to help manage pain and block out all the activity in ICU and on floor.
I hope this helps and BEST WISHES for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
Linda C
At home all light and any noise keeps me awake and I am a very light sleeper. I even get woken up by the little light on the smoke alarm in our room. So as you can imagine, sleeping in the hospital is usually impossible for me. In fact, I'm one of those who react the opposite to many meds and some stimulants; Benadryl, Percocet, Vicodin, ect. make me hyper; Mt.Dew and Dr. pepper make me drowsy! I am a high energy , ADD person who has a very hard time relaxing and hates repetitive stuff. It took me some hunting to find a Guided Imagery recording (discussed below) I could tolerate and not end up wanting to throw the IPod across the room, but I eventually found one. I could never fully reach relaxation nirvana but even so, found the technique I'm describing GREATLY BENEFICIAL to keep calm during all the testing and pre-procedures. Don't worry if you can't fully veg out, any bit will help! I WAS UTTERLY AMAZED at how well this helped me. This surgical go round was my 12th surgery (only! 4 for heart issues) and by far the most relaxed and calm I've ever felt (despite being the most life threatening one.)
Cleveland Clinic recommends a Guided Imagery (GI) program to all their Pre-op heart surgery patients. I was inspired by this to try a new approach with this hospitalization. I set up a relaxation regime and trained myself to relax as was suggested by the Guided Imagery recording. However, I found the GI voice and script annoying, so focused more on relaxing sounds and music just using the GI as a starting point. I also went online and on ITunes and found other GI recordings having to do with surgery until I found the least annoying one for me. I applaud CC for making a recording available but there are others out there as well. During my "training", I listened to as much of the GI as I could tolerate. (The first several times literally forcing myself to listen to the whole thing, so I knew what was on it.) I then would switch to my "music" and practice what was suggested in the GI recording. Below are details on exactly how I did this.
SLEEPPHONES! Gotta get em!!! These are soft headbands that have felt pads inside with ear phones embedded in the pads. They are VERY comfortable to wear and sleep with. Down load some white noise music, favorite relaxing music or my recommendation; Steven Halpern sleep and relaxation music. The SleepPhones company even has their own ITunes App (probably other systems too) . I also used them to cover my eyes to block out the lights. You can find them on Amazon, Ebay and I think directly from site. Www.SleepPhones.com There are wired and Bluethooth versions. I liked the Bluetooth at home but found the wired version much more useful in the hospital (also much cheaper than Bluetooth.) The BT version has to be recharged after each use whereas the wired version does not. I had NO problems with getting tangled or choking myself on the wire. LOL. They plug in using a standard headphone jack. I may have looked ridiculous, because I used the phones backwards with the wire coming out on my forehead, after all, we're forced to sleep on our backs and the wire assembly can be uncomfortable to lay on for long periods. But I was intent on relaxation and sleep, not beauty contests. I also found it helpful to lightly sew the ear phones in place once I knew where they should sit within the headband to be over my ears. This kept the phones from moving around and always needing to be readjusted.
More about Halpern's music. He has produced synthesized instrument pieces scientifically researched to induce sleep and relaxation. Some of them are designed to activate deep Alpha and deep Theta waves in the brain. I am one who HATES white noise and at home couldn't train myself to sleep to any music. But I still gave them a try. I was amazed at how well his pieces worked the whole time I was in the hospital. I also downloaded a few Tibettan OHM chants and some ocean sound music to use for Guided Imagery and relaxation pieces. I then set up various playlists for specific uses (quick relaxation/guided imagery, Sleeping, Healing, Just relaxing.) Explore and find what works for you. This takes some experimenting and refining. Pieces that seem relaxing with eyes open and searching, can sometimes end up being jarring and annoying when eyes are closed and you're solely focusing on what you're hearing. On music sites, search for Guided Imagery, relaxation chants, Steven Halpern.
Now that you have some music ....
HOW TO TRAIN TO DEAL WITH PREOP and PROCEDURE STRESS:
1:Buy a used IPod or whatever music system you like, so you don't have to worry about if it gets lost. I ended up not using the IPod I'd bought second hand because I preferred to set up stuff directly on my IPhone and Ipad than in ITunes on my computer. But you can still do this technique with whatever music system you are comfortable with or have access to. I just kept my phone hidden below my blankets or pillow or handed them to my hubby if I couldn't take them in somewhere. Set up music playlists as above dividing music for specific purposes, some pieces may overlap. But this suggestion is specifically for quick calming and relaxation for before surgery, caths, MRI that sort of thing.
1B: explain to whomever will be with you at the hospital what you are doing to prepare and that you'll be wanting to listen to your "music" as much as you can at the hospital. Let them know that you will still know they are there for you but not to be offended when you zone in to yourself and focus on relaxing. They can hold your hand and offer their support too.
2:Find what music works best for you to just do a quick calming session. I purposefully limited this to about 30 min of music and one guided imagery piece. It took me a while to put this list together and I refined it after I actually started using it in the hospital. But keep it simple. I had the Guided Imagery piece and 4 selections of music. The GI pieces have you imagining a SAFE PLACE, one you visualize and create in your head, such as sitting at the beach, in quiet woods, a favorite spot you feel safe and relaxed in. Select your music pieces to help capture and relate to this imagery. Typical ADD me, I had two (the beach and floating in outer space looking at stars), so I selected two Halpern Ocean pieces, an OHM chant, and one Halpern Deep Alpha piece.
3:Then, before your surgical date, begin to actively train yourself to relax to this playlist. I would listen and practice relaxing once a day, for me usually when I first woke up. This is a little hard to describe, so I hope this procedure makes sense.
I started with the GI piece and over time sort of memorized it just by repetition. I eventually arranged the music in the order of the images I most times reached calm with and put the other pieces as pieces to float along on. (For me, spacey OHM chants first then transitioning to the ocean sounds). As I listened and relaxed to the music I went over the directions again in the GI piece, expanding them and zoning in the music. I also, sort of focused on the pieces of music in this grouping kind of memorizing them; roughly! don't stress about it. This was so I could think about them and zone out to it even if I wasn't allowed to physically have the music with me.
4. Instead of sitting in a chair as suggested in the GI pieces, I purposefully laid in bed, since that was where I'd be wanting to most relax in the hospital. I even would practice with my arms out like they would be on the surgical table so my body would have muscle memory of being relaxed in that position. NOTE: I eventually found the GI piece too annoying to listen to, remember that hatred of repetition. But by that point, I could simply turn on the music and guide myself to my spacey beach. I kept the GI piece on the playlist, but put it at the end. I did go back and listen to it the night before my heart surgery and found it very comforting again. If possible, or needed, you could also occasionally include whomever will be at the hospital with you in practice sessions, by having them hold your hand quietly while you zone in to relax.
5. At the hospital, place the SleepPhones over your ears and eyes, play your quick relax set and focus on your comfort place. Do this whenever you have a free moment such as in waiting rooms to see Dr.s, in admissions, in the prep room after you've been prepped, if possible while you're in holding waiting to go in to surgical ward.... You will not always get through the whole set or even first piece, but any little bit helps. But with enough practice and prep you'll be able to remember the music and zone in using just your imagination. NOTE: I kept using this playlist even after surgery to help manage pain and block out all the activity in ICU and on floor.
I hope this helps and BEST WISHES for a successful surgery and speedy recovery.
Linda C
