Hi Robert,
I had a heart attack and quintuple bypass surgery nearly 6 years ago. I have the same sleep issues as you, but I've had those issues for at least a quarter of a century, maybe longer. My sleep issues are not at all heart related but likely are very related to the stresses of a very demanding profession as a major international law firm lawyer practicing in an area involving complex financial and business disputes (which I even do now on a part-time freelance basis when I'm supposed to be retired, the stresses of raising a daughter who's now struggling to establish herself as an independent adult, and providing for the financial security of a wife who is ten years younger than me for the time after I have shuffled off this mortal coil. Add in a perhaps too late night glass of wine and you can understand why I have interrupted sleep.
What I'm suggesting to you is that perhaps there are factors other than your bypass surgery that may be affecting you now and that weren't issues pre-surgery. Are you suffering from depression and/or anxiety post-surgery that might now have an effect in sleep patterns? Many people, perhaps most, experience depression, anxiety, PTSD post heart surgery, and counseling and/or meditation frequently helps. Are there other issues that might be affecting your sleep that didn't exist presurgery? You need to explore this. Some changes can be subtle yet still have a profound effect.
Finally, speak to your cardiologist to rule out any heart related issues and to give yourself peace of mind. For what it's worth, I've read many accounts in this site about the problems people have recovering from heart surgery but, aside from pain during the first few weeks after surgery adversely affecting sleep, I don't recall anyone complaining about interrupted sleep related to their surgery that was not complicated by other issues.
Hope this helps,
Ira
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Ira Reid
Hoboken NJ
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Original Message:
Sent: 12-09-2023 22:29
From: Robert M
Subject: Post CABG Insomnia
I'm coming up on 4 months since my triple bypass surgery and have had trouble getting a good nights sleep ever since. Getting to sleep and sleeping through the night was never a problem before my operation. As before, I can get to sleep just fine, but now I constantly wake up around 3am and can't get back to sleep.
If this problem is truly a result of the CABG, how long does the average person take to get back to a normal sleep cycle?
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Robert M
DFW TX
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