Sleeping Patterns Post-Op

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Ok, I've noticed my sleeping habits are very different since surgery. I'm a month out, and it actually seems to get more and more as time goes on. I don't really understand it, and I know I didn't go through this post-op lap band... so I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing this.

Now, I've always been a good sleeper. I can fall right to sleep once my head hits the pillow and I'll sleep right through until it's time to wake up in the morning.

Here's the thing, it's gotten much more prounounced. It's like good sleeper on steroids! I sleep incredibly hard now. Like really really deep. The house alarm actually went off the other night and I was told this and was amazed when I did not wake up from it. It's loud, so that is really some hard sleeping.

Also when it's time to wake up, I simply don't want to. It really takes me a long time to get motivated. In fact, when I get to work I need more coffee to finally get me into the groove. Other than that, I'm pretty useless.

In the first week I had trouble even getting to sleep which was weird for me too. That didn't last long though, TG!!!

So, is anyone else experiencing this? I haven't seen anyone here mentioning this... am I weird? LOL

[StaySea 2]

My sleep has gotten better post op. I used to get up to go to the bathroom once or twice during the night. Every night. Since surgery I haven't gotten up in the night once. I can sleep in a lot longer but I don't think I'm sleeping super hard. I still wake up the minute before my alarm goes off.

[Tiffykins 672]

It took me forever to get a decent sleep schedule down. I can contribute a lot of my sleep issues to the fact that I was staying up late in hopes of receiving a phone call or email from my husband in Afghanistan. I napped a lot during the day, and stayed up late at night. I did end up going on Ambien, and it was a godsend for me. sleeping definitely got better once John returned home, but I still struggled with sleeping.

[Fleur de lis 2]

I'm sleeping longer than I used to. Even though I'm not currently working, my body's alarm clock always went off at 7am. It didn't matter what time I went to sleep at night; when 7am rolled around, I was up. Now I'm sleeping until about 10am and I notice that I don't wake up as much during the night.

[BlackBerryJuice 349]

I had trouble falling/staying asleep the first week post-op, but since then, I've been sleeping the same as before. I've always been a very light sleeper - I have to wear earplugs and I can't share a bed with anyone - and tend to need more sleep than others (9-9.5 hours works best for me).

[FatJuicyMouse 1]

I have the opposite problem. It takes a little longer to go to sleep and I wake up earlier than before (even earlier than the old man's alarm that goes off every 10 minutes for an hour). I am sleepier during the day too. Even the one rare night I didn't fight constantly with my cpap mask, I was pooped the next morning. Finally being able to put a Protein Drink in my coffee in the morning has helped immensely. I am like that guy on the commercial - just don't freakin talk to me until I have had my coffee! I have tried to avoid daytime naps but I have fallen asleep in my chair more than once. Until the snoring wakes me up, anyway.

I do have one incision site that is really bothering me so maybe that is what is keeping me up.

[Jordien 30]

I was sleeping better also, until the pain in my left side started bothering me. So lately that is keeping me up a bit. I also have woken up a few times in the middle of the night with bad acid reflux! Ugh! Going in search of the Tums at 3am. Asking about a prescription at my appt. this week for sure.

But yes.. I find that I could stay in bed much longer in the morning and don't want to get up. I'm very tired and need MORE sleep than I used to. In fact, I was just thinking how pissed I'm going to be when my alarm goes off tomorrow... since it's my first day back at work!!

[branc1 2]

I had a lot of trouble going to sleep for about the first 3 weeks. I was so full of energy I just couldn't seem to shut down. I also had a bad case of motor mouth. I just couldn't shut up.I would be having break with my co-workers and I would see them starting to grin and I would know I was wound up again. I was allowed my coffee back after 2 weeks and I thought that was part of it. I had been off coffee for 2 months. I stopped having coffee at 10PM break and switched to decaffeinated tea and that seemed to help. Since then the sleep problems have cleared up, and I could probably have my coffee back. Now I'm watching my hair come out and dealing with Constipation. I don't care. I'm still tickled to death with my progress. For all newbies, Hang in there it gets better!

[redroses47 1]

I have always been a good sleeper but I found post-op, I was like the original poster .. my sleep felt incredibly deeper and I needed much more if it - at least for 2-3 months. Pre-op I was a coffee drinker (not much, perhaps one cup a day) but I stopped that completely. I have to wonder if my sleep now is a true reflection of my body without coffee but regardless, I sleep way better and seem to crave it a lot more. I nap almost every day now plus I sleep about 7-8 hours a night.

[meltingcoco 5]

I just went back to work and I noticed that as soon as i get home i lay down to watch tv and then the tv is watching me. I sleep ad wake up at like 1130 then i try to go back to sleep at around 3 am i hate this but itss been like this for a couple of days.

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

So for the last week I've been drinking coffee instead of Breakfast Black Tea and I've noticed I'm able to wake back up easily in the morning. Also, I'm not sleeping as hard... I think that might have been my issue all along.

I don't even make it all that strong. I only use 25% caffeine. I actually think the Black Tea has more caffeine, so this is really weird to me. Maybe it's all in my head?

[Stacy160 201]

I've never been a really hard sleeper, but I do sleep soooooooo much better now. I still roll over and change positions several times a night, but I no longer have the body aches, snoring, and acid reflux waking me up. (Well, except my stupid right shoulder, but that's totally unrelated.)

[clk 3,519]

Immediately post op I couldn't sleep for anything. I've always been an insomniac, and it was even worse than usual for a few weeks. I also needed a nap during the day for a week or two.

Now that I'm three months out it's completely different. I have NEVER slept this well in my adult life. Once I fall asleep, I'm out. I used to toss and turn all night long and drive my husband nuts. These days I can wake up in exactly the same position I fell asleep in, never having moved all night! I used to be very happy with four or five hours of sleep a night, and now I average eight to nine. It's wonderful.

I think part of it is comfort - I'm not as heavy so my back and hips don't hurt all night long. I'm not constantly shifting to find a more comfortable position.

It's definitely an unexpected benefit of the surgery!

~Cheri

[LilMissDiva Irene 3,281]

Cheri, good point! I do sleep better still even though I'm not sleeping as heavily. I only move around 2-3 maybe times per night. It very well could be feeling lighter, etc. because I used to toss and turn a lot before. I never had trouble falling asleep, but my sleeps would be so light I would even wake up a few times during the night.

Does anyone think maybe nutrition might have a lot to do with it too? I mean before surgery I'd gorge on some really awful terrible foods. Things that probably would be better served in Chernobyl. But I'm eating super healthy now. My tummy can only hold so much, so I eat much more wisely.

[Stacy160 201]

Does anyone think maybe nutrition might have a lot to do with it too?

I do think so! Back when I was heavy (heh... "heavy" *snort*) into Atkins, in the early 2000's, I frequented a low-carb forum and very often people would talk about how much better they were sleeping, off the carbs. I know I did too!