Sleeping issues

[GaryR]

Hello all,

Thought I'd see if anyone has any ideas.

For the last week, I've had very bad nights sleep.

I'm 6 weeks out after MVR, everything is going great I can get to sleep fine however I'm waking up at 4:45am every morning almost exactly the same time each day, there are no noises to wake me up and I'm not in pain.

All I can do is get up watch tv or move about for a few hours and then I fall asleep again for a few hours.

It's very annoying. Hope anyone has any ideas.

 

[piglet]

I had the same trouble, I'm 14 wks post-op AVR and it started to get better for me around the 8 week mark. I had a hard time getting to sleep all my life but post-op, not so much, just the, "waking up not able to get back to sleep thing" I tried many things but the one that worked the best for me was relaxing music. I bought comfortable ear buds (at the dollar store) for the portable CD player and this way I wasn't disturbing my husband. It worked most of the time and the waking up thing has now resolved itself. Hope this helps you.

 

[Greg a]

What time were the nursing shift changes or lab draws ....for me it was lab draws at 5;45 and so I was a wake for a couple of weeks at that time

otherwise:

​

 

[Julian]

I'm only 16 days post op but I haven't had too many issues falling asleep. The quality of sleep still sucks, I wake up randomly in the night but can fall asleep pretty quickly. I'm a stomach sleeper so back and side isn't my cup of tea, plus the pacemaker forces me to wear a sling at bed time safety pinned to my shorts so I don't move my left arm too much while I'm asleep. SIGH! I know many have some serious sleep issues before and after OHS. On a side note my dad has been waking up for years at 5am to 7am. He says he can go to bed at 3am and still wake up at 5 to 7 without fail. It frustrates him a bit but now he just starts listening to music or messing with this Ipad until he get drowsy again and goes to sleep, anywhere between 1 to 3 hours till he feels like going back to sleep again.

From my searching on this forum sleep issues like yours and mine are pretty normal almost expected for the first 3 months or more. I'm sure is some cases for people they've become almost permanent. Anyway, hope this helps.

 

[epstns]

Guys, I had exactly the same problem. I would get to sleep just fine, but would wake up at some time during the deepest part of night. Then it would take me anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to get back to sleep. This wasn't a big deal as long as I was still off work, but once I went back to work even part time, it became very frustrating. One thing I tried with some success. My daughter works in the psych ward of a major local hospital and told me that often when they have a patient who needs to be calmed down but doesn't need the heavy drugs, they give the patient some over-the-counter benadryl. This is an antihistimine that also makes you drowsy. It is also often used to calm hyper-active children. Easily available, non-habit-forming and no real after effects. I used it for a few days now and then when I was especially exhausted. Might be worth a try.

On another note, my sleep issue just disappeared on its own at somewhere around the 8-week point. We're all different, so your timing may vary, but it probably will resolve itself at some point.

 

[GaryR]

It seems to be I wake after about 6 hours sleep.

Last night on the 6 week anniversary of being in the critical care unit I went out for the night with some friends to my local towns nightlife area. Apart from feeling a little insecure about being bumped, pushed etc I had a great night and didn't get in until 1am and sure enough come 7am, 6 hours later, I'm wide awake and can't sleep.

7am is fine as you just get up but 4 am, no so much fun. I'll give some calmers like denadryl a go and see how I get on.

Short of that I'll just change my sleeping habbits and start back on afternoon naps again. Being self employed, when I work doesn't really matter.

 

[enkaynj]

Gary,
Have you been walking regularly as recommended ? I found that sticking to a regular walking schedule - especially in the evenings - regulated my biological clock and I have no trouble sleeping through the night anymore.

 

[Jkm7]

Sleep problems are very common post op. My first surgery it took several months until I was back close to my normal sleep pattern. It is unpleasant and frustrating but aside from medications, we just have roll with it.

It is tempting to take long afternoon naps as you're tired but that really is counter-productive to trying to get back on a normal night sleep pattern. Have a brief nap but if you sleep for several hours, it is likely you could compound your night sleep problems. A power nap does refresh.

 

[Bina]

It seemed like forever that I was waking up at 4 a.m. Many times it was with a racing heartbeat, and some research
and reading explained that at that time of night was my REM pattern of sleep and maybe that was waking me.
Now if I occasionally wake at 4 or 5 a.m. there is a little pill box ready with 1/4 of a Metoprolol Beta Blocker pill which
calms down my HR and gets me back to sleep for a couple of hours. Check with your doctor what is appropriate for you.

 

[GaryR]

Gary,
Have you been walking regularly as recommended ? I found that sticking to a regular walking schedule - especially in the evenings - regulated my biological clock and I have no trouble sleeping through the night anymore.

I haven't purposefully walked in the last week, but am walking more and more, I'm doing about 4 miles a day but not in one hit. I'll give one a go tonight and see how we go. (walking being free it would be a great answer)

 

[Mentu]

My sleep pattern changed after my AVR. For several months I woke within a few minutes of 04:30 AM as though some kind of an alarm had been set. At two years post op, most often I sleep through the night but once in awhile I still wake at 04:30 and have to do something for an hour before I can get back to sleep; I thought it was just me. I've still to find a pattern of cause and event.

 

[Adrienne]

It really is strange that it always seems to be at about 4:00 or 4:30 a.m. Although it only lasted for 10 to 12 days for me, it was exactly the same thing. Although I always wake up a couple of times a night to go to the bathroom, I always get right back to sleep. This was different. It was always around the same time, and I could not get back to sleep, and it was not caused by pain.

 

[Bina]

Go outside, howl at the moon, turn around 3 times, get back in bed, and you will sleep like a baby. LOL

 

[Michelle D]

I had the exact same problem, I'd wake up at 3 something every single night, I tried staying up later and I'd still wake up at the EXACT same time. It drove me crazy. Now after a year I'm finally back to my pre-surgery sleeping schedule. I managed to push back that time later and later, I think at about 4 months I was pretty normal sleeping through the night but waking up earlier than I'd like (6 am). The key is don't get frustrated, yes it is frustrating, but just let your body do it's thing. I would keep a 1/2 xanax by my bed for middle of the night wake ups so I wouldn't be lying there awake for hours. Good luck. Things will get better.

 

[abecall98]

I usually don't wake up in the middle of the night. My problem is falling a sleep. I will be laying in bed, on my back, for hours, just feeling non-tired. But it will be 3 am, and I just can't sleep. I will wake up around 9, and just feel miserable. I am trying to sleep earlier, but it is not working. I am 4 weeks post op.

 

[Bill B]

Extremely common. I needed an anti-anxiety/sleep med for a couple of weeks. Don't hesitate to ask for a sleep med.

 

[Julian]

As an update, like I stated my falling asleep hasn't been an issue really. I wake randomly in the the middle of the night but it's not really an issue. The problem that I've been experiencing is feeling like I have a "hangover" in the mornings. I was feeling this way off and on in the mornings upon waking several months before surgery but now after surgery its been worse. After an hour or three it mostly subsides. I definitely don't feel full of energy and ready to go for a jog in the mornings. I'm hoping this improves considering I'm 5 1/2 weeks post op and have a ways to go.

 

[Bill B]

So your problem is a lack of feeling rested in the morning. It may be not lack of sleep-related, as you say you had it before surgery as well. How's your state of mind?

Certainly, OHS surgery knocks you back quite a bit and it's normal to be fatigued over all and somewhat unpredictably. I had the additional challenge of rather marked anemia after surgery and this has continued to a lesser degree. You have something different.

 

[Eva]

I would not be concerned as long as you are sleeping one stretch, nor would change sleeping time. Continue to follow your body and keep going to bed when you feel you are sleepy. I wish I respected and followed my body's urge to go sleep when the sleepy sensation crept on me instead of fighting it to prevent myself from waking up very early in the morning! Your body is still adjusting and recovering from the trauma it went through, and it is VERY important to continue nourishing it with the rest it needs when it demands it!

But if you do not feel refreshed on wake up, then check with your doctor to see if he recommends you take something to help you sleep longer at this time.

Afternoon short naps are wonderful and a privilege for those who can take advantage of it.

Good luck.