My quandry is a bit backwards in that disturbed sleep upsets my AF. I seem to feel "less tired" if I only have 5 hours unbroken sleep compared to having 8 hours where I've been up/woken up a couple of times.
I've found it worse to sleep on my left (though I prefer my right) because even when in NSR my heartbeat is stronger and I feel myself "listening" to it more out of habit.
I've only had AF hit me once "in the night" where it woke me up and back in 2013 I had it "on waking" but was already awake. Both of these came after a heavy day at work the day before.
I know 5 hours sleep isn't enough long term, but its hard with a teething baby! Doesn't help I seem to need to pee more when I'm in AF or just getting over a cardioversion/ablation!
At the moment, I'm trying to stop all TV/Screen/stimulation activity after 9pm, read for a bit and be ready to sleep by 10, and generally get up at 5:30am (though today it was 4am due to dodgy guts)
That's only 7 hours sleep, and when Other Half is at work I'm up 2/3 times if daughter is restless to allow her to sleep before her shift, a courtesy extended to me if I'm at work as we try to take it in turns.
So, how does AF factor into your sleeping?
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jedimasterlincoln
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I think the quality of the sleep is more important than the quantity - for me at least. I was told at the sleep clinic that 4 hours undisturbed and going through the cycles of NREM & REM is worth 7 hours of disturbed sleep. 7-8 hours is the ideal but so many factors - personally I rarely manage more than 7 hours undisturbed.
I am sleeping more at the moment but because of cough, which wakes me, the quality is poor & I don’t seem to get into Delta wave sleep. When I can use my CPAP I usually get 5-7 hours quality sleep, mostly undisturbed and I feel much more energetic. I think relaxing rest is also important - the worst is lying there not being able to sleep and getting agitated about it!
Yes I have been known to get up and sit for a bit, in fact when daughter was boob feeding I spent about 3 months in the spare room because OH would be up all night or have her next to her if she was restless and nap when they could and I would sleep 8 hours solid then sort out the "day shift" allowing her to sleep upstairs between feeds. That was better than all being tired.
I have been having episodes of AF at least once a week lately and have been quite surprised at how it does or doesn't affect me. I bought a MiBand 2 which is supposed to record your length and quality of sleep though I think it is very inaccurate. Still I find if I have recorded more deep sleep despite 2 hrs AF I feel better next day in spite of shorter total sleep time than if I had a long light sleep. I have wondered if the disturbed sleep I have been having because of hip/back pain is contributing to the AF? Or is it the very deep sleep due to exhaustion setting it off? One theory among many, roll on my cardiologist appointment!
I bought a wristband from Aldi (Crane is the band) and it's an activity monitor which includes HR. It measures my HR every 5 minutes and beeps at me if its below 60 or above 120 (the point at which I usually feel symptomatic)
It does also measure sleep and I was apparently getting anywhere between 50-63% deep sleep per night. Trouble is I was so tired I was either forgetting to activate it or forgetting to disable it when I woke up!
Yes sleep is an issue that crops up a lot with AF. I am trying to work out why I can wake up several times in the night and don't get enough deep sleep. I am about to have a sleep study when you get a machine from the sleep clinic and strap it to your chest & abdomen when you go to bed. I also record my sleep quality by giving marks out of 10 for just how fresh I feel when I get up' as this is surely the key indicator. I think I have narrowed it down myself to not getting enough oxygen through the nasal passages, could be Upper Airways Resistance Syndrome.
"why we sleep" by matthew walker tells you all about why you sleep , what problems lack of sleep can cause and what occurs during sleep. It cost £ 7 or £8 on Amazon. It has helped me a bit.
God dam AF knocking on my chest like a nutter...then I remember i have stuff to do and get up.
Had red wine last night which ALWAYS makes it worse...sadly i forgot that as it's been a while since I had some.
AF hasn't woke me up too much recently but in the last it's been a regular thing. I just accept it now and try and use the time productively. Thankfully I'm a morning person but I'll be knackered by late PM.
I wonder if the stress of baby waking up kicks off your AF.......who bloody knows with it!??!?!
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