Afib, Triggers and sleep.

[Norm]

Hi, I post Worried about Afib and Amiodarone after effects and many thanks for all suggestions and comments they were all very helpful.

Probably my biggest problem is not only in understanding Afib but sleep or rather lack of sleep of a night. I am sure this has come up on the site before so sorry if I am touching old ground.

I have what I call a good sleep regime. No caffeine after 1pm, usually just two cups of coffee Usually bed by about 8pm for rest. Read low light kindle, listen to low relaxing music, sometime relaxation talk down tapes. About 9pm visit toilet, hot horlicks that my good wife makes and my tablets. Amisulpride 50mg and Mirtazapine

15mg plus Zapain 500mg/30mg Codine

pain killers to help my bad back.

Then settle down. Do relaxation exercise, fingers to shoulders and toes to hips. Breathing, ever out breath count the number one in my mind. Just think one on every out breath. Apparently stops mind wandering.

Usually sleep on left side but with ear plugs because, sorry wife has rhinitis, so snores, this unless I get good position makes afib sound in ears. But just as likely to sound anyway. Also get pins and needles in left arm so try right side which means facing wife which makes it worse and laying on back is out of question. My best position appears to be a face down prone position cuddling pillow but then it seems to be question of trying to mind talk afib to stop.

Some nights are better than others, I have kept a sleep diary since March 31st that now shows 30 good nights of sleep and 65 bad nights which include cat nap nights or very fitful sleep.

I just wondered how others cope with sleeping with Afib and if there is anything I have missed that may help.

Thanks to you all

Norm

[BobD Volunteer]

I am the last person to give advice since lack of prostate ensures many wake up calls. What I did read some time ago is that one should keep bed for sleeping. In other words do not read in bed or watch TV .listen to music etc. If you want to do that then sit up in a chair not bed. Bed is for sleeping (well maybe other things ) but not what you are doing. That way your mind associates bed with sleep and you will.

I do know that if I find it hard to fall asleep then I get up and go into the sitting room or office and read for a while till I feel I am drowsy and then try again.

Worth a try.

Bob

[Hidden]

I think this is very individual, but it I went through your routine I probably wouldn't sleep either. I would rather stay up and watch tele till I started to nod off, then quickly to bed without further ado. I go to bed when I'm tired, not at a given time, although in practice it's nearly always 9pm 'ish. But I'll stay up later until I'm tired when necessary. The only thing I do when I go to bed thinking about it, is play solitaire on my iPad for about 5 minutes, which is all I can stand. It's a bit like counting sheep for me.

Can't help with your wife's snoring I'm afraid, except maybe ear-muffs/plugs???

I can usually only sleep on my left side, so I get the left of the bed, facing outwards. My wife likes this as I eat a lot of garlic 😃.

Hope you get it sorted as it's not nice to lose sleep.

Koll

[PeterWh in reply to Hidden]

I play solitaire or backgammon although it usually takes me longer than 5 minutes to get to sleep!!! But it does work!!!

[Mrspat]

After having my op I was advised to sleep on my side with either a rolled up towel or a pillow between my chest and the mattress, to protect the wound. I still very occasionally use a small cushion to block out the sound of my heart beat, although my most comfortable position is usually on my front.

What time do you usually get up in the morning and how many hours would you hope to get on a good night? I would advise against going to bed too early.

[Norm in reply to Mrspat]

Usually by the time it gets to 9pm I', all done in but usually up about 7am every day including Sunday. If I was asleep by about 10pm and woke at 7am I would be very happy but I have only done it once.

I prefer to sleep on my front now after getting over the op in Jan but the afib keeps knocking me to try to find some other position. I'll talk to my GP and try to get referred back to cardiology to see if oblation might be suitable.

Just keep losing sleep with the pounding. Don't know if it is the quiet, laying down, relaxation that makes it worse. Or what to do with it.

I suppose if I were a horse they would have shot me months ago?????

But you give me an idea about a small pillow between chest and mattress when face down, I'll give it a try.

Let you know

Norm

[PeterWh in reply to Norm]

Also try sleeping on your back as it places the least pressure on the heart.

[higgy52]

since i've been on amiodrone don't get a lot of sleep, when i do go sleep keep dreaming all night, Good luck

[PeterWh]

If I am not ready to nod off when I go to sleep or if I wake up in the night and go to the toilet and then don't nod off after a bit (15 to 30 mins) I play backgammon (I find that this is the best to help getting too sleep) or solitaire (not one of the challenging ones like spider) and end up nodding off.