Palpitations = Trouble sleeping

Palpitations

by Theknotguy - 2019-02-26 00:22:58

Right after the pacemaker implant they usually increase the voltage to help the pacemaker activate the heartbeats.  Some people (I am one of them) are more sensitive and can feel the sensations created.  I could actually feel the tickle of the electrical impulse followed by the hard thump of the initial heartbeat.  It would sometimes wake me up at night.  At or about 30 days they lowered the voltage - no big deal - and I no longer felt the sensations.  

Option one is to contact your EP and see if they can do anything about it.  If it's keeping you up at night, it's a problem.  Remember your EP sees hundreds of pacemakers per year and it's no big deal to him/her.  However it's the only one for you and you ought to bring it to your EP's attention.  A comment of, "Hey, my pacemaker is waking me up at night!  Is there anything that can be done about it?"  I feel that comment and question is in order.  

Will you ever get accustomed to the sensations?  Probably.  I can still feel some of the activity caused by my pacemaker although, after five years, I can go for days without noticing anything.  When I go in for testing I always tell my tech to take it easy on the ventricle test as I can really feel it when they do it.  Some techs just run up the speed without any warning.  So I always tell the tech to take it easy.  And, when they do the test I tell 'em I can feel it.  That usually slows them down.  

My pacemaker also runs two programs for afib.  I can feel it when one of the programs kicks in, then I can feel when it switches to the second program.   Fortunately that doesn't happen to often.  You'll sometimes hear me when I walk down the hall saying, "Would you just make up your mind!!!" Not everyone has a conversation with their pacemaker.  

I hope you can get the palpation problem resolved and that your adjustment goes smoothly.  

Ah, the old...

by donr - 2019-02-26 01:03:21

...lying w/ your left ear on the pillow gig!

OK, so here's what is happenein...  You've probably had them since Hector was a pup but didn't sense them.  Now you are REALLY sensitive to what your heart is doing, so you pick them up.  Actually, if you lie w/ your left ear on a pillow, you can hear your heart beat - but NOT usually the right ear. 

Also - if you lie on your left side, Good old Sir Isaac Newton (He invented the date-stuffed cookie, remember, AND Gravity) takes over & your heart drops down so it is closer to the left rib cage & you can feel your heart beat along that side.  SO   Don't  lie on your left side.  

Now - next - you struck the nail squarely on its old noggin - you turn out the lighta & the radio/TV off.  Dark & quiet in the bedroom.  My cardio told mr about this one.  It's called "Sensory Deprevation."  Quiet & dark.  the ears & eyes have nothing to distract them - like a book or a playing TV/radio.  So they search around & the ears hear the heart.  Voila!  something to hear, so they zero in on it & drive you buggy.  Leave a light on somewhere that will illuminate the bedreoomvery dimly - just enough to make your eyes happy.  Get a noise generator that makes running water sounds - run a room air conditioner, turn on the Tv very low.  distract those ears.  Works wonders.  Oh, BTW - Knot Guy could also be very correcct, but this will get rid of those problems, also.

This hits a lot of us.  But it can be dealt with.  Good luck!

Donr

Settings for sleep

by shirley d - 2019-02-26 07:21:57

Hi, I think that DonR is correct as this happened to me the first time around.

This time I asked for a"night time setting"lower than my normal higher day setting.

I was so used to the lower heart rate( mine was dipping into the low 30s/20s at night that the increased rate was very distracting.

My day pace is 60 now (I may ask for that to be upped but am going to try having the Rate response setting sensitised first) and my night setting is 50.

It switches over at 10 at night and I have not had that problem this time around. 

Good luck!

You lern something every day

by El Gordo - 2019-02-26 07:27:16

I sleep much better since I got mine. donr's post had some really good ideas...good luck.

Hey donr: now I know why Newton's famous. A good cookie is a joy. Are you sure they're dates? You aren't thinking of fig newtons are you?

Sleep settings

by AgentX86 - 2019-02-26 08:57:20

Background noise is a good idea. I use an iPod, at a very low level, to stream music to cover incidental noise around the house.

I don't have a problem with my PM waking me up, it's the PVCs that drive me crazy, though the last few days they've just become part of the dreams. Then they wake me up.

You should talk to your EP andPM tech. There are several things to try. Like Shirley,  mine has been set with a nighttime setting of 50bpm, from midnight to 6:00AM. Like her, I'd gotten very used to sleeping with a low rate and had trouble at the initial 80bpm. My daytime rate is 80bpm to try to scare away the PVCs.

Dates, figs,...

by donr - 2019-02-26 09:11:57

... matters not.  But Gordo is correct .  I can eat about one of them a year w/o gagging.  Gimmee a little slack - an occasional brain cramp at 80+ yrs shuld be authorized. <G> At least he wasn't snoozing under a coconut palm when he had his "Eureka Moment" abouit gravity!

Donr

Agent X

by donr - 2019-02-26 09:22:05

My problem was also PVC's.  Drove me nutso till I got a handle on them w/ the noise & light method.  My first clue cvame well before i got my first PM.  I was still on active duty in Uncle Sam's Army when I had my first PVC.  I was in a medical clinic one day & looked at a stray bulletin board - there was a little card on it w/ several questions & answers.  One of them was "What does it mean when I can hear my heart beating when I lie in bed?"  The answer was "you are lying on your left side w/ your ear on a pillow."  Thoughh this was written w/ tongue in cheek, I realized it was true!  That night I experimented & found it to be true - so I stopped doing that & enjoyed much more peaceful sleep.

Donr

Many thanks

by Tristen358 - 2019-10-02 04:50:21

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond.

I was under the immpression that I was going to get notified by email when someone posted a response. Since I never did, I didn't think anyone had responded! Silly me, should've checked.

Well, it's been almost 8 months, and everything has totally calmed down on it's own for the most part.

Haven't really noticed any palpitations for a long time now.

I've been doing a heart-centered meditation technique every day as well, which I think has helped improve things also.

Glad to be feeling pretty much normal all the time, and very grateful!