It’s no fun when you’re unable to sleep at night. And when it happens frequnetly, it’s especially vexing. You toss and turn and maybe stare at the clock (or your phone) and stress about just how exhausted you’ll be the next day. When these kinds of sleepless nights persistently happen, medical professionals tend to use the term “insomnia”. Over time, the effects of persistent insomnia will compound, negatively impacting your overall health.
And the health of your hearing, not unexpectedly, is part of your general health. That’s right, insomnia can have an affect on your ability to hear. Though the relationship between hearing loss and insomnia might not be a cause-and-effect scenario, there’s still a link there.
Can lack of sleep affect your hearing?
How could loss of sleep possibly impact your hearing? There’s a significant amount of research that suggests insomnia, over a long enough period, can impact your cardiovascular system. Without the nightly regenerative power of sleep, it’s more difficult for your blood to get everywhere it needs to be.
Insomnia also means an increase in stress and anxiety. Feeling anxious and stressed will affect you in physiological ways as well as mentally.
So, how does hearing loss play into that? There are little hairs inside of your ears called stereocilia. When waves of sound vibrate these tiny hairs, signals are transmitted to your brain which translates these signals into sound.
These tiny hairs have a difficult time staying healthy when there are circulatory problems. In some circumstances, poor circulation can damage these hairs, permanently. Damage of this kind is permanent. Permanent hearing loss can be the outcome, and the longer the circulation problems continue, the more significant the damage will be.
Is the reverse true?
Is it possible for hearing loss to make you lose sleep? Yes, it can! Hearing loss can make the environment really quiet, and some people like a little bit of noise when they try to sleep. For people in this group, that amount of silence can make it really hard to get a quality night’s sleep. Another way that hearing loss could cost you some sleep is if you find yourself stressed about losing your hearing.
So how can you get a good night’s sleep when you have hearing loss? Stress on your brain can be decreased by wearing your hearing aids every day because you won’t be wearing them while you sleep. Adhering to other sleep-health tips can also be helpful.
Some recommendations for a quality night’s sleep
- Get some exercise regularly: You could go to bed with some excess energy if you don’t get enough exercise. Being active every day can help.
- Avoid drinking 2 hours before you go to bed: Having to get up and go to the bathroom can start the “wake up” process in your brain. It’s better to sleep right through the night.
- Maintain your bedroom for sleeping (mostly): Your bedroom is for sleeping in, so try to maintain that habit. Working in your bedroom is not a great idea.
- Before you go to bed, avoid drinking alcohol: Your natural sleep cycle will be disturbed by drinking alcohol before bed.
- Try to de-stress as much as possible: Get away from work and do something soothing before bed.
- Avoid screens for at least an hour before going to bed: (Actually, the longer the better.) Your brain tends to be stimulated by looking at screens.
- Don’t drink caffeine after lunch.: Even decaf coffee has enough caffeine in it to keep you up at night if you drink at night. Soda also falls into this category.
Pay attention to the health of your hearing
You can still manage your symptoms even if you have hearing loss along with some insomnia.
If you’re concerned about your hearing, set up an appointment with us today.