Pacemaker ICD

Wakefulness at night

by Gemita - 2023-01-12 07:33:22

John, welcome.  

I am having the same problem intermittently and yes it could be due to our medication, but on the other hand it could be due to so many other reasons, so you might wish to see your GP if this continues to affect you.  Your doctor might decide to refer you to a sleep consultant to discuss your problems further if they are affecting your quality of life.  For example, are you worried about your ICD firing or something like this, or do you have any breathing problems (like sleep apnea) at night?  Your GP/sleep consultant should be able to help.

My wakefulness at night is certainly not helped by my beta blocker, Bisoprolol.  Beta blockers, for example, may adversly affect (deplete) melatonin levels (the sleep hormone), but it may be very difficult to track down exactly what is causing your difficulties.  My beta blocker is most definitely a culprit for me (and hubby too) - we are on the same beta blocker.

Hi

by Penguin - 2023-01-12 08:36:24

Hi John, 

Do you have any idea what may be causing your disrupted sleep pattern? 

You mention medication and Gemita suggests some medication as possible causes above.  There may be others. Depends on what you are taking.   

Is there anything playing on your mind that you're worrying about?  (Not asking for details of course, but just suggesting cause). 

Have you ruled out any of the other usual suspects e.g. sleep hygiene, active mind before sleep, too much blue light in the bedroom, caffeine, alcohol / stimulating substances before bed etc. ?

Sometimes it can be the pacemaker. It can be set to a faster night time heart rate than before. E.g. 60 bpm may be a good base rate for during the day but too fast at night.  You could have it adjusted if you think this may be the cause and it's too stimulating for you perhaps? 

I hope you get it sorted. Not sleeping is the pitts! 

I'm no doctor, but...

by TLee - 2023-01-12 14:25:19

I had an absolutely horrible time when my beta blocker (Metoprolol) dosage was doubled. I was so tired all day, every day. Sometimes when I napped half the day I'd have trouble getting to sleep at night. The need for sleep felt so intense that sometimes I would attempt a trip to the super market, get there, feel too tired to even go into the store & go back home. Now, I do have sleep apnea as well, something that you  may want to check for, but I just felt like this level of fatigue was different. I was started on B12 supplement, then vit D--probably wouldn't hurt for you to have blood work. Got on the list for a C-PAP machine too (still don't have one though). Through all this, my cardiologist was reluctant to start changing meds around when they were working well otherwise, so I just stayed miserable for a very long time. The good news is that I now feel like things are improving. I sleep well (and long) most nights, and can function through the day. How long did it take? Seemed like forever, but I'd say I had at least a year of feeling totally blech! I still feel sure that it was the beta blocker after all, but I guess that side effect is FINALLY wearing off.