Sleepless nights are no fun. And when it occurs frequnetly, it’s particularly vexing. You toss and turn and maybe stare at the clock (or your phone) and worry about just how exhausted you’ll be the next day. Medical professionals call this kind of persistent sleeplessness “insomnia”. Over time, the effects of chronic insomnia will compound, negatively impacting your general health.
And the health of your hearing, not unexpectedly, is part of your overall health. Yup, your hearing can be negatively impacted by insomnia! Though the relationship between hearing loss and insomnia may not be a cause-and-effect scenario, there’s still a connection there.
Can your hearing be impacted by lack of sleep?
What could the relationship between hearing loss and sleep be? According to substantial research, your cardiovascular system can be affected by insomnia over a long time period. It becomes harder for your blood to flow into all of the extremities of your body when you aren’t getting the renewing power of a good night’s sleep.
Insomnia also means an increase in stress and anxiety. Being stressed and anxious are not only states of mind, they’re physiological states, as well.
So, how does hearing loss play into that? Your ears work because they’re filled with fragile little hairs called stereocilia. When sound waves vibrate these tiny hairs, signals are transmitted to your brain which translates these signals into sound.
These little hairs have a hard time remaining healthy when there are circulatory issues. These hairs can, in some cases, be permanently damaged. And once that happens, your hearing will be irrevocably damaged. This can result in permanent hearing loss, especially the longer it persists.
Does it also work the other way around?
Is it possible for hearing loss to make you lose sleep? Yes, it can! Many people prefer a little background sound when they try to sleep and hearing loss can make your environment very quiet. This means that the quiet of hearing loss can in some cases prevent normal sleeping. Another way that hearing loss may cost you some sleep is if you find yourself stressed about losing your hearing.
If you have hearing loss, what can you do to get a good night’s sleep? Stress on your brain can be reduced by wearing your hearing aids during the day because you won’t be wearing them at night. Following other sleep-health tips can also help.
How to get a quality night’s sleep
- Find ways to alleviate stress: It may not be possible to remove every stressor from your life, but giving yourself time to unwind is crucial. Do something relaxing before bed.
- Exercise regularly: You may go to bed with some excess energy if you don’t get enough exercise. Being active every day can help.
- Maintain your bedroom for sleeping (mostly): Your bedroom is for sleeping in, so try to keep it that way. For instance, don’t work in your bedroom.
- 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 fits into this category.
- Avoid using alcohol before you go to bed: Your existing sleep cycle will be disturbed by drinking alcohol before bed.
- For at least 1 hour, abstain from looking at screens: (Even longer if you can!) Your brain tends to be stimulated by looking at screens.
- For at least a couple of hours before you go to bed, try to avoid liquids: Every time you need to get up and go to the bathroom, you initiate the wake up process. So, sleeping through the night is better.
Pay attention to the health of your hearing
You can still control your symptoms even if you have hearing loss along with some insomnia.
Schedule an appointment for a hearing test today!