sleep apnea after PM

Interesting thought.

by crustyg - 2019-12-14 03:28:57

I suspect not: obstructive sleep apnea is caused by a collapsible upper airway and I'm not sure I can see how being paced can fix that.

The textbooks have cause and effect the other way around: obstructive sleep apnea is a small-print cause of right ventricular hypertrophy, due the to continued inspiratory effort of a closed upper airway producing huge negative pressure swings that suck venous blood into the right atrium and hence overloads the right ventricle, which thickens over time with this repeated excessive loading.

But lots of folk report better sleep once paced than before - for me (SSS+brady), 50 gentle beats per minute (atria then ventricles) was much nicer than 38 kicks in the chest from my enlarged heart when sleeping on my left side.

You are going to sleep better

by Theknotguy - 2019-12-14 10:38:59

You are going to sleep better.  Increased blood flow and increased oxygen to the body results in better sleep because the pacemaker is making sure the heart is beating regularly.  However....

That doesn't mean you quit your sleep apnea regimen.  It's still important to make sure the air passages are open and everything in that area is working correctly.  

Over the six years I've had my pacemaker and also sleep apnea, my sleeping has gotten better.  As I said, increased blood supply and increased oxygen has been a great help.  Now I'm getting the six to eight hours per night my sleep doctor has recommended.  Then increased activity took off some weight which helped with the sleep apnea and heart issues too.  

Hope everything continues to go well for you.  
 

sleep apnea

by Radar - 2019-12-15 19:40:51

Thank you for the responses. Trying to get used to this. Its been ok so far, but still an adjustment.

sleep

by dwelch - 2019-12-21 12:30:48

I would assume nobody sleeps well in or out of the hospital day of the surgery, I certainly didnt/dont (on device number five).  day two sucks less but its about a week before I get a nights sleep, and another week before I can try to sleep on that side.  Give it a few months to start to examine if your sleep apnea was helped..