Overcoming Insomnia and Sleep Challenges after Medical Procedures
Wouldn’t it be nice to be one of those people who didn’t face insomnia or sleep challenges, especially after a surgery or medical procedure?
Insomnia is not easy to prevent. Sleeping is critical to a healthy life and fast healing after medical procedures. Normally a short-term problem, good sleep hygiene, reducing nighttime disturbances, or even a sleep aid can bring about restful nights and start your road to recovery.
I struggled with insomnia after receiving a life-saving kidney transplant in 2014, even though I had always enjoyed restful sleep patterns. I found, like many studies showed, that many patients experience insomnia and sleep disturbances after surgery.
It may be hard to see now through dreary eyes, but great sleep is possible for even you.
Insomnia after medical procedures
We all know being well rested feels good, but how important is sleep?
Sleep is a complicated process, between the sub-states, brainwaves, rapid eye movements, and more. There may be a way in the future that we can recover without using sleep, but sleep scientists haven’t found it yet.
Currently, we use sleep to regulate our normal functions that distribute our body’s needed nutrients and body hormones. The American Heart Association considers healthy sleep one of the best 8 ways to help live a healthy life, regulate your heart’s health, and keeping a good blood pressure.
As your body comes out of post-surgery medications and anesthesia, your body will need its normal functions to help you recover. There are multiple causes for sleep challenges after medical procedures that might not even be your fault. Consider these:
· Hussle and bustle of a hospital — Are nurses running around the floor or waking you up to take vitals? Sounds like a recipe for a rough sleep/wake cycle.
· Inflammation or pain— Depending on your procedures, your body may have trouble sleeping due to inflammation that causes pain or discomfort. At this stage, any little thing can interrupt good sleep.
· Discomfort — If you have a new stitch, cast, or hardware in your body, this can cause discomfort until you and your body get used to the new setting. Don’t be hard on yourself if you’re struggling to sleep in this scenario.
· Medication side effects — Sometimes sleep after surgery is hard to achieve because the necessary medications are still affecting your entire body. Talk to your doctor about what to expect post-surgery.
· Anxiety and stress about recovery — Any of these reasons can keep you awake, but on day two your anxiety and stress are the cause. A lack of sleep causes foul moods that can make falling asleep difficult.
· Sleep deprivation — It’s awful, but sleep deprivation can be a vicious cycle that causes more sleep challenges.
I know after my surgery. I tried every over-the-counter product that my doctor allowed me to take. But before trying sleep aids, make sure you’re trying good sleep hygiene.
Why can’t I use sleep aids after surgery?
We always recommend people be careful when taking new medications or supplements.
Your doctor will know best whether your body is ready to accept the ingredients and their possible side effects. This is especially true after surgery, where you may feel like yourself, but medications are still in your system.
This is the problem I faced as I attempted to recover from my kidney transplant. This led me to plant-powered sleep aids, because of their light impact on my body’s natural systems as opposed to Western drugs that can have negative side effects when combined with anesthesia.
Check out the ingredients in this plant-powered sleep powder that can help you find sleep tonight.
Good sleep hygiene
Sleep hygiene is a term that’s becoming more common, and it essentially means to follow the habits that scientifically lead to better quality sleep. Consider these options as ways to improve your sleep environment and achieve better sleep hygiene.
Comfortable bed
This one can be hard to achieve if you’re not at home. But ask your nurses if they have any extra pillows or warmer blankets to help you achieve restful sleep after surgery.
Eye Masks
Our body naturally triggers melatonin once our eyes experience darkness. If you need sleep, consider using an eye mask to block out any harmful blue light, sunlight, or flashing lights.
Earplugs or White Noise
Similarly to eye masks, earplugs can be great to block out the noise of the nearby nurse’s station, beeping machines, or even the sounds at home. If you don’t find earplugs comfortable, white noise like crashing waves of the sounds of nature can lull your body into restful sleep.
Circadian Rhythm
If you find yourself fully awake during the daytime, that’s probably because your body is restoring its natural day-night sleep cycle (known as a circadian rhythm.) Try making sure that once it’s nighttime, you’re starting your good sleep hygiene to go to sleep without interruption.
Meals
During the holidays, we often get sleepy after eating a big meal. However, too large of a meal near when you would like to sleep can make you as you’re trying to sleep. Avoid them if you can close to bedtime!
Breathing exercises
To relax, many people who are trying to overcome sleeping challenges try breathing exercises. Focusing on measured and deep breathing techniques can relax your body and reduce anxious interruptions.
Conclusion
One easy solution for insomnia after surgery is just trying to fix it, you may feel more confident about your ability to sleep once you take life into your own hands.
So don’t let sleep get the better of you. Consider eliminating the causes of bad sleep and improving your sleep hygiene with techniques like breathing exercising, eliminating sounds, and creating a comfortable resting space.
If you’re still struggling with sleep and want to sleep fast, C-10 Deep Sleep might be exactly what you’re looking for.