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Ear Plugs And Hospitals... Amen!

Written By: Adam Pick, Patient Advocate, Author & Website Founder
Page Last Updated: May 13, 2025

If there is one thing I crave in life... It's good sleep.

Robyn (my wife) and I love getting a restful 7-9 hours of sleep every night.

That said, when I went into the hospital for my aortic valve replacement operation, I wanted to make sure I would be able to sleep peacefully as my body started the healing process after my surgery.

If you are not aware, hospitals can be very, very, very noisy. There are machines bleeping all over the place. Nurses and doctors are constantly coming in-and-out of your room. Plus, there is the chance you will not have your own room. If you are sharing your room, you may have to listen to your neighbor and... your neighbor's friend and family. Need I say it? More noise.

Because of the noise potential in hospitals and my hunger for sleep, I brought ear plugs to the hospital with me. I have to say "Thank God!" for that choice. It's hard enough to sleep following surgery given the nightsweats that many patients (including me) experience. I used an ear plug brand called Hearos. These ear plugs are very comfortable, easy-to-use (no waxie goup), and the ear plugs really filtered out unwanted hospital noise. In my opinion, having ear plugs in the hospital is a must.

Remember, you are going to be spending a good amount of time in the hospital. My recent survey shows that most patients stay in the hospital about five days - more if complications occur. Again, you want to be as comfortable as possible. For this reason, there is a small list of items you may want to bring with you to the hospital including ear plugs.

Written by Adam Pick - Patient & Website Founder

Adam Pick is a heart valve patient and author of The Patient's Guide To Heart Valve Surgery. In 2006, Adam founded HeartValveSurgery.com to educate and empower patients. This award-winning website has helped over 10 million people fight heart valve disease. Adam has been featured by the American Heart Association and Medical News Today.

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