Another long night , no sleep 😴

[Dawnmarie78]

Yet another night , not sleeping battling chest pain and trying not to panic at the same time ... I have really bad acid reflux , which also gives me chest pain, and costocondritus in the chest and upper abdominal area , I have chest pain most days which scares the hell out of me , I would give anything for a straight 6 hours sleep 😴 ....Feel like I'm constantly in a battle with own head when I have any kind of pain in the chest area, just over 1 year since my heart attack... its not getting any easier to deal with with 😔

[Deeb1764]

have you tried audible sleep stories? When I am having bad sleep nights I find I drift off to them. I also always get up have a hot drink then 20mins try going back to bed again. Lying in bed trying to force sleep makes things worse so it’s breaking the habit.

[Dogloverxthree in reply to Deeb1764]

where do you get the stories from I have severe insomnia and have only listened to BBC sounds on my tablet not much suitable stuff on there

[Deeb1764 in reply to Dogloverxthree]

I have tried several apps I do the trial ones so I don’t have to pay! Also audible etc. some on bbc sounds ok I think best so far was Calm app and had some good voices. There is also a slew of music to sleep too as well.

It took me a few goes to find the voices I found soothing too!

Though the biggest issue I have at the moment is my year old kitty finds the whole thing weird so starts attacking and digging around the phone. She woke me the other night as she was dragging the phone down to the end of the bed for the kill!🤣

[Charl70 in reply to Dogloverxthree]

I listen to audio books by the fireplace on YouTube which is free the screen turns to a live fireplace cracking and then the story comes on I've listened to both lord of the rings and the hobbit both over 10 hours long ,also on youtube sherlock holmes story's are really good but youtube have loads including charles dickens books hope this helps with sleeping it really helped me

[Dogloverxthree in reply to Charl70]

just been searching for it can’t find audio books what am. I doing wrong what is the actual thing I search for? I am a useless techno phobe

[Charl70 in reply to Dogloverxthree]

Youtube audio books

[Charl70 in reply to Dogloverxthree]

youtu.be/wp_6Jg5pLYc(Not working as expected?)

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to Deeb1764]

No that's 1 of the few things I haven't tried actually, but I will certainly give it a go , thankyou 😊

[Blackcatsooty]

I use a tinnitus relaxer. About £35. And maybe someone will lend you one to try. Perhaps your Drs surgery could help.

This small machine plays white noise overlaid by a choice of soothing sounds. I like to choose waves on a beach. The machine switches itself off after, say, thirty minutes. I never hear it switch off.

If you don’t get to sleep then it will no doubt have relaxed you, which is what you need.

Relaxation and sleep.

In addition I tried sleeping cooler, then warmer. I changed mattress. Changed to the spare bedroom or the lounge. Had the light on all night.

you need to get good sleep. Then your pains and fears will start to ease away.

My village church hold free relaxation classes, which helped me so much.

Sooty

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to Blackcatsooty]

Thankyou for your reply , some great tips there , im willing to try anything 😊

[NannyPat1]

I have hiatus hernia and acid reflux and costocondritus too. I use decaf tea and coffee and caffeine free Coke as caffeine is my big no no. Presume you have a PPI? Re sleep, I go to bed early as then don’t panic about getting off and there is such a wealth of sleep music out there. My current fave is Disney lullaby woukd you believe, gentle piano music which I use with my grandson and it works for both of us! Also got some literature on health anxiety from Talking Therapies which really helped me get things in a bit more proportion and I re-read it when I feel anxious which is less often than it was (18 months on) but still quite often.

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to NannyPat1]

Hi, I've had stomach issues recently, an ulcer that has healed and gone , I've had silent reflux for some years which gives me pain rather than acid, when they found the ulcer it was noted I had gastritus and although the ulcer has gone the gastritus is still there so all my ppi has been doubled for the short term , I hadn't had acid issues untill this .I'm definitely going to try some kind of audio as several people have suggested that now , my gp has recently referred/given me details for talking therapies as I've developed anxiety since my heart attack x

[Dawnmarie78]

Hi, thanku for your reply, I've managed to stop smoking, I have a small exercise routine as I still get quite breathless so following cardiac rehab routines still, im fairly active as I have a disabled son and a disabled father that I look after, my biggest issue with weight is not actually eating properly, by that I mean I eat well/ good healthy food but I've been guilty of 1 meal a day for many years , that habit is harder to break than stopping smoking , I know strange but true , I also have fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue , so with my newly diagnosed anxiety it's all a bit messed up 😔,

I appreciate all replies/ suggestions

[Blackcatsooty]

well done for giving up smoking. A massive step towards your recovery.

[Milkfairy Heart Star]

I don't sleep well either. My coronary vasospasms often keep me awake during the night.

They did last night. I am very tired today as a result. Feeling a bit like a zombie.

I listen to music, podcasts or the BBC worldservice.

Also I find the free Insight App helpful.

I'll dip into meditations, listen to nature sounds such as the sea or rain.

insighttimer.com/en-gb

Are you able to take sometime just for you during the day to do some breathing and relaxation techniques?

I hope you feel calmer soon.

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to Milkfairy]

I'm going to try some meditation type things see of they help me at all , and yes I will make time breathing and relaxation techniques, thankyou 😊

[leach234]

I had horrible chest pain that sent me to the ER twice thinking I was having a heart attack. It would be real intense for the first night but also last weeks at a time. After a normal cardiac PET Scan and a normal echocardiogram I went to a gastroenterologist. An endoscopy and an endoscopic manometry showed that I had a spastic esophagus that was causing my chest pain. Have you considered that?

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to leach234]

Hi, yes I've actually got silent reflux which causes more chest pain than acid, and ongoing gastritis, I think I know the pain is mainly from that and costocondritus but my head goes into full panic mode and as much as I try to reason with it I can't stop the panic ... I am working on it tho, thankyou x

[Lupaal]

Have you tried Gaviscon advance, I take onnaprozale in the morning but a spoonful of the Advance before bed seems to help with my silent reflux.

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to Lupaal]

Yes I get that off the doctor and recently my lansoprozole was doubled in dose , it does definitely help just not all the time unfortunately

[Charlesthru]

I had exactly the same issues Dawnmarie , I even had the camera down to take a look which was very unpleasant but thankfully showed that everything was OK, the doctor then increased my dose of Lansoprazole even more which strangely made it worse so reduced it again, only after I stopped taking Ticagrelor after 12 months did the acid reflux subside, my doctor seams to think that was just coincidence but after 12 months of sleepless nights and worry I have my own opinion , one thing I did find helped a lot was I bought myself a wedge pillow which is almost like sleeping sitting up which takes some getting used too but for me it did help.

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to Charlesthru]

Hi, I've had the camera down twice ( hated it) they found an ulcer and gastritis first time , so doubled my lanzoprozole 6 weeks later they did the second and the ulcer has gone but the gastritus is still an issue I'm told that should heal itself in a couple of months .The ticagrelor , well I know I was told I would stop taking that a year after heart attack but as of yet haven't been contacted by anyone to tell me its safe to stop , I'm contacting the doctors myself today as it's been just over a year now, so with any luck that might be the problem and it might just ease off, fingers crossed on that one ... I think I might invest in some kind of pillow to help my position in bed, thankyou for taking the time to offer advice its much appreciated .

[sprocket00]

Hi DawnmarieFirstly I'm sorry to hear you are suffering, I sympathize with you.

I suffered a heart attack in 2017 aged 44, I have 4 stents in LCA . Ever since I have been suffering as you describe, I still cannot find any clear trigger points.

Doctors have decided I have fibromyalgia along with a hiatus hernia so also acid reflux. Several visits to A&E but no answers, several cardiologist referrals but no answers. Like you it has affected my ability to do things often too scared to do things just incase. At night I struggle to sleep as often have chest pains along with left shoulder and arm pain. I know me telling you does not help but knowing you are not the only one might or even knowing there are people who completely understand how your feeling and I, as with the many people in here are always there if you need to ask anything about their experience to help understand some of what you are experiencing are always happy to talk and try and help.

Please don't suffer in silence, don't be afraid to go back to Doctors etc. If you think I could help answer anything for you then please do ask.

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to sprocket00]

Wow .... Reading that is like it was written about me !! .

I've had fibro for , what must coming up 16/ 17 years now , I have a rare blood cell condition called systemic mastocytosis, costocondritus, and a couple of other smaller issues the heart attack just over a year ago has messed with my head in a huge way , im so fed up of being in pain, and popping pills .

I love this forum it feels safe and so many of you are there when needed , thankyou 😊

[Thanksnhs]

Hi I have had an ulcer and I still have gastritis, my consultant doubled my lansoprazole to 30mg morning and night and prescribed famotidine 20mg at night it was like a miracle! I have not had any heartburn since, she said if I did I could still take gaviscon. I hope you can find something that will help you sleep it's awful just lying tossing and turning all night. I have nights like that but fortunately not all the time. Take care char

[Dawnmarie78 in reply to Thanksnhs]

Oh thankyou, I've not heard of famotidine before I might mention it to my doctor 😊

[Thanksnhs in reply to Dawnmarie78]

It definitely worked for me so it could be worth a try. Char

[Andytriumph63]

Hi I fully understand your worries like lot on here i have Heart disease and reflux issues due to a hiatus hernia. Doctors dont seem to be able to do much except pills i presently take 2 Lanaprozole on top of my Heart related ones. I also have developed Angina again due to a slight blockage just after my Stent. I do not eat animal fats and limit other saturated fats such as coconut and constanly have Cholestrol below 2 but must be very prone to arterial blockadge. Whilst i think it is a good idea to try to sort out the anxiety i also feel that a slight amount is not a bad thing as it ensures we do not dismiss the warning signs when they are more serious. Have you tried to get an anxiety medicine pescribed. These often help with sleep and lower anxiety levels to a more normal state. Some anxiety is normal and good we are after all naturally prey Animals. I also find losing weight extremely hard and found the NHS no real help after 6 months on a strict 1000 to 1200 calorie intake i lost 3 pounds. Excersice is very important but at the levels i find i can now do due to chest pains and my osteoarthritis i cannot do as much as i used to 1 mile in uk damp weather is about it 3 years ago 5 to 7 miles was a reasonable walk and i had walked 15 miles in a day with little problem. This was after stenting and a double heart bypass. I know its another tablet if you do have anxiety medication but it is well worth it to allow the sleep and rest and as a short term measure.

[Xbowie]

I have several heart conditions & I too lay awake at night, feeling painful twinges and thinking is this a heart attack? I often feel myself beginning to panic so I put the light on, sit up or get up & do something. The panic gradually subsides & I feel calmer. I have also taken up yoga and the breathing & relaxation techniques sre really helping me to overcome this insomnia. One other tip is to only drink water in the 2 hours before bedtime. I hope this helps you.

[DiggyDoggy]

My doctor put me on lanzaprole. No acid reflux since.