Sleep After Heart Surgery – Nightsweats, Sleepwalking, Insomnia

October 26th, 2007

Throughout my recovery from open heart surgery, I experienced a number of challenges. Some challenges were small and others were quite severe. For example, learning how to put a shirt on by myself was a lot easier than driving my car again. Needless to say, both of those physical activities were minuscule in difficulty compared to issues including cardiac depression and pain management.

Today, I am back at 100%. I’m surfing. I’m running. I even recently scuba dived on my honeymoon with Robyn (my wife). However, there continues to be a lingering issue with sleep after my valve replacement operation.

It started shortly after the actual surgery. The second night in the hospital I awoke several times drenched in my own sweat. Over the next few nights the nightsweats would continue. However, by the end of the first week the nightsweats had virtually stopped.

As you may find out, patients are typically provided sleep aids (Ambien, Halcion) to help with sleep after heart surgery. I used a small dosage (5mg) of Ambien in the first weeks following surgery. Robyn (my wife) loves to tell the story of me sleepwalking through the house one night. Apparently, I have no memory of this, but I awoke one night and went for a walk. Robyn followed behind me and said, “Come on Adam… Let’s go back to bed!” She claims that I looked at her and said, “Adam? Who’s Adam? My name is Rex!”

Sure enough, as I stopped taking the Ambien, incidents involving my alias Rex would end.

The one lingering issue I have, even today, 22 months after open heart valve surgery, is insomnia.

I used to sleep like a baby. However, now I find myself up at night, sometimes for hours-upon-hours. I call it the “4s”. I’ll go to sleep around 10pm and then wake up at 4am. From then, I’m up for an hour or two, then I go back to sleep. I must tell you, this insomnia thing is quite annoying.

I’m finding that the more I exercise during the day, the less insomnia haunts me at night. That said, I’m swimming and biking a lot these days!!!

Keep on tickin!

About The Author: Adam Pick is a double, heart valve surgery patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. This unique book integrates clinical research with the personal experiences of 135 former patients to help future patients and their caregivers better understand the problems, the opportunities and the realities of heart valve surgery. To learn more about Adam and his heart valve surgery book, click here.