Pacemaker Settings and Sleep

[wen]

I have had a Medtronic KDR701 dual lead Pacemaker since February, set at 60 BPM minimum.  I have had sleep problems (no problem falling asleep, but awaken well before dawn) which preceded PM implantation.  But I am wondering whether tweaking the PM programming to have a lower BPM sleep setting , with a steep curve so that minimum WAKING activity level would still be 60, might alleviate the sleep problem.  Do you think this might make sense?  (Had one asked me, before PM implantation and since, what my health concerns were - the sleep difficulties would be the only thing I would have mentioned.  In fact, I had felt that the "zoning out" I had experienced pre PM were the effect of chronic tiredness - never did I suspect bradycardia.)

Also, how does the PM sense the need to support a higher activity level?  If I am sitting still for a long time - say at a movie, or during a long drive, is there something I can do to activate the senser and drive the heart rate higher - so that I do not allow myself to fall asleep?

[susanheart]

Hi, I have had a Kappa 700 series, dual pacemaker for just over a year now and although I havent had problems as such, I feel the impedence check that the pacemaker does every 3 hours, does anyone else feel this.  I can literally tell the time by the beats that I feel.  One annoying thing I find with it is mine is set at 60bpm and tops 160bpm and when my heart rate is getting close to 160 It feels like I am missing loads of beats, as the pacemaker is trying to slow my heart down, that is quite irrating.  Do you have this problem at all.  I dont have any disturbances during sleep time other than what I had prior to implantation.

[CCF-M.D.-CRC]

Dear wen,
The sleep function on the Medtronic Kappa700 pacemaker is a timed function and cannot be set to increase the heartrate should you wake up in the middle of the night.  I am not sure that even if it could be changed this would help your sleep patterns.  Have you had a sleep study?  If you have not I would recommend asking your doctor about this study.  Sleep apnea is an underdiagnosed and common cause of sleep disturbances.  If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea you may actually benefit from having a higher heart rate at night as this has been demonstrated to reduce sleep apnea episodes.

The activity sensor for the Kappa 700 is motion triggered so by "moving" the pacemaker up and down in a rapid manner the heart rate will increase.

[garynapa]

You can get the best answer to your question by calling Medtronic and asking them to have your local representative call you. This will probably be the one who assisted during the implantation. They are very knowledgeable about the sleep mode.
   I also recently had a pacemaker implanted (KDR401). I was also bradycardic (35-40 bpm), but I have been for most of my adult life because of constant, vigorous and heavy exercise. When they implanted the pacemaker, they first set it to 70, then later adjusted it to 60. I haven't noticed any change in my sleep pattern, but then I have always awakened in the middle of the night.
   I could write pages about the effects of the pacemaker, but you have had yors longer than I (mine was implanted in May).

  Best of Luck
   Gary