Many people find that their sleep is disrupted after a cardiac event. They may have difficulty falling off to sleep, may wake up during the night, or may wake up very early in the morning.
This can have a number of causes. For some people a period in hospital or a period of pain after an operation disturbs their sleep routine. Napping during the daytime can be natural early after a heart attack or operation but if this carries on it may reduce the need for sleep at night.
For others poor sleep may due to anxiety which can cause an overactive mind at night or fears of falling asleep.
Below we have included information and advise on how to get a better sleep. On our Anxiety and Low Mood page we have also included some examples (fictionalised) of how our patients have worked to reduce anxiety.