Maintaining a healthy heart is important, but it’s not always as simple as people think. You might eat extremely healthy and exercise regularly, but you still might face issues with your heart. In some cases, these issues may require surgery to correct them, which can be quite daunting to think about. Heart valve diseases like mitral valve regurgitation are quite common and repairing it does need surgery under general anesthetic. Recovery from heart surgery can be a long road, and it does take a lot of aftercare to do it right. One issue that a lot of patients struggle with is going to sleep at night. So, if you want to enhance your rest after recovering from heart surgery, keep reading and find out which top tips you can try to help you sleep better.

Take Your Pain Medication Before Bed

You’ll most likely be prescribed pain medication as part of your recovery, and you want to time it right so that you aren’t in any pain when going to bed. It’s said that taking it around an hour before you go to bed works quite well, as it allows the medication to start working before you try and sleep. If you leave it too late or take it too early, you’ll be waiting for it to kick in or waiting impatiently for your next dose. So, try to take your medication a little while before you actually go to bed, and you should see a difference in how easy it is to fall asleep.

Make Use Of Pillows

When recovering from surgery, pillows are going to be your best friend. Most of the time, you might be asked to sleep upright during the first few weeks to help your chest bone heal. However, if you’re not used to this position, it can be incredibly hard to get comfortable. So, try to use more pillows than you normally would to try and up the comfort level. Neck pillows can be super useful and will ensure that your spine is supported through the night, even when sleeping upright. When you do finally sleep lying down again, try to place pillows between your knees to help keep your spine aligned. You’ll find that using pillows when trying to sleep during recovery is one of the best tips you can take on board.

Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine makes it hard for anyone to sleep, but it will be especially hard on those who are possibly in pain and already feeling uncomfortable. Whatever you do, don’t drink anything caffeinated before bed, or else you’ll end up feeling wired for hours on end and will find it impossible to get some rest. It’s not just coffee that does this either. Even things like black tea contain a lot of caffeine, so try to only drink herbal, caffeine-free teas before bed.

Create A Routine

It may seem silly but having a nighttime routine can work wonders. After your surgery, your nighttime routine has probably changed a lot from what it used to be. So, you want to try and create something new that incorporates all the new things you have to do to take care of yourself. Make things like having a relaxing warm drink or reading a book before bed a part of your schedule, and make sure you do it every night. Soon, your body will understand that the actions you’re doing are how you unwind for the day, and you’ll actually start to feel sleepy naturally.

Heart surgery can be major surgery, so it’s super important that you take good care of yourself afterward, and that means getting enough sleep. While it may take some getting used to, there are things you can do to really help you increase the amount of sleep you’re getting. So, if you’re struggling to get to sleep, why not take these tips on board and see if they can provide you with some relief? You’ll soon be enjoying a full eight hours of sleep before you know it!