Alice Timmons, from Glasgow, suffered a stroke in 2010 and a heart attack in 2020. Both had a huge impact on her sleep.

In 2010, at the age of 56, Alice suffered a stroke. During her recovery, she realized she could no longer sleep through the night. “Almost instantly, her eight hours a night suddenly turned into her three or four hours,” Alice says. Over the next 10 years, she began looking for ways to help her rest, and she found some strategies that worked for her. She says, “I cover my blackout blinds with blackout curtains. I use wax earplugs. I’ve tried all kinds of earplugs and wax earplugs block out noise the best.”

Then, in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Alice suffered a heart attack, which she initially mistook for indigestion. “It didn’t hurt that much. I didn’t have any symptoms other than some discomfort in my stomach and throat,” Alice recalls. Fortunately, Alice had already made an appointment with her GP over the phone about her indigestion and expressed her concerns there.she was sent to the hospital Electrocardiogram (ECG), Troponin blood testand angiogramwhich revealed that Alice was actually having a heart attack.

After a heart attack and 10 years of research and experimentation to find a sleep method that worked for her, Alice faced a new challenge. She “started wheezing and coughing when I lay down at night,” Alice says. “After maybe two hours, I woke up and felt like I was suffocating. The problem became more mental than physical. My anxiety was even higher in the early morning. Heart attack. ‘I had just woken up and was so scared I couldn’t breathe, and as we were in lockdown there wasn’t a lot of support around me. It was a very lonely and dark place to be in,’ Alice recalls. . During this time Alice contacted her BHF cardiology nurse. heart help line. “It was really valuable to be able to talk to someone who was knowledgeable and understood why I was afraid.”

Alice is currently taking a diuretic called furosemide, which has helped reduce her wheezing at night. But she still does everything to help her sleep. She found that practicing mindfulness helped her think faster in the early hours of the morning. She is also an advocate of distraction. “There’s no point in lying in bed and worrying about the fact that you can’t sleep. Try to distract yourself. Whether it’s by reading or playing some stupid game on your phone.” Alice woke up. We also carry extra pillows in case you feel short of breath at times. “What works for someone else may not work for you,” Alice advises. “Don’t give up, keep researching, and if you get a suggestion, try it out. A miracle might happen somewhere!”

What happens when we are asleep?

“We sleep in cycles of progressively deeper sleep and lighter sleep. When we put our heads on the pillow and close our eyes, we begin Stage 1 sleep, the lightest form of sleep. Less recovery. It’s the same kind of sleep you get when you hit the snooze button in the morning,” says Dr Sophie Bostock, a former BHF-funded researcher and known sleep scientist. explains.

Dr. Bostock explains that when we enter the deep stages of sleep, our heart rate and breathing rate slow and our body temperature decreases. When we enter stage 3 or deep slow wave sleep, our bodies repair themselves and are very protective of our hearts. “Especially during slow-wave sleep, inflammation is suppressed and the immune system is working to fight infections. Stress hormones such as cortisol drop to their lowest levels. We release growth hormone, which helps repair damaged cells. ,” explains Dr. Bostock. “Deep slow wave sleep is like a panacea for immortality!”

Dr. Bostock recommends that one powerful way to improve your sleep and overall energy levels is to wake up at the same time every day. This is due to our body’s circadian rhythm, or internal clock, which is also greatly influenced by light. “Exposing yourself to bright light within the first hour of the day activates your body clock and makes you feel energized,” advises Dr. Bostock.

Dr. Bostock suggests creating a dark, calming sleep environment for shift workers who don’t have the opportunity to wake up at the same time. Darkness stimulates the release of melatonin, a hormone that signals the onset of sleep.

“When you’re sleep deprived, it’s normal to feel more anxious not only at night but also during the day,” says Dr. Bostock. “If you’re having trouble falling asleep at night, one of the simplest things you can do, although it may sound counterintuitive, is to go to bed a little later,” advises Dr. Bostock. “There are a lot of horror stories about how much sleep we need. The recommended amount of sleep for most adults is 7 to 9 hours, but as we get older, the amount of sleep we need decreases slightly. But everyone… No! So if you’re getting five or six hours of sleep a night, but you’re awake during the day and don’t rely on caffeine, sugar, naps, etc., that’s you. It might be the right time for you.”

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