The CDC estimates that around 50 million Americans suffer from tinnitus, which can range across a spectrum of mild annoyance to a debilitating and disabling condition. Whether your tinnitus is characterized by humming, ringing, static or some other sound, this condition makes it hard to function in daily life.
Communication is difficult. Relaxing becomes a battle to ignore the sound. The constant struggle to manage your tinnitus can induce stress and may contribute to anxiety and depression. In some cases, the condition may even be painful. Worst of all for many people, it makes sleeping soundly near impossible, since a quiet bedroom can make tinnitus deafening. This lack of sleep, either in the form of sleep deprivation or insomnia, can cause many more health problems and start you down a cycle that’s difficult to control.
Can Lack of Sleep Make Tinnitus Worse?
Unfortunately, it’s a vicious cycle: tinnitus makes sleeping difficult, while a lack of sleep makes tinnitus worse due to stress. Poor sleep or lack of sleep increases your worries and anxiety, which in turn keeps you very fixated on your tinnitus and how it’s keeping you awake.
There are some steps you can take to combat the ringing in your ears that’s causing your sleep deprivation or insomnia. Many people turn to white noise machines at night to try to block out the tinnitus sounds, while others find that avoiding the blue light emitted by TV, computer, or phone screens before they go to bed helps them relax more. There is also evidence that working with a mental health professional and practicing mindfulness can help to cope with tinnitus symptoms better – not exactly getting rid of the sounds, but instead learning to deal with them in a way that allows you to relax and compartmentalize.
But in addition to treating the symptoms of tinnitus, you should understand more about the connection between this hearing condition and insomnia.
Insomnia and Causes of Tinnitus
No one knows why we need to sleep, but it’s obviously a very essential part of staying healthy, both in mind and body. Everyone can tell the difference between a good night’s rest and a sleepless night, but there are many issues that can develop from sleep deprivation, or worse, insomnia. These include depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, and risk of stroke. These health concerns can also lead to hearing loss and tinnitus.
A study by the Henry Ford Health System found that insomnia has a clear impact on the perceived severity of tinnitus amongst sufferers of both conditions, who reported more sensitivity to the condition and struggles with functional and emotional health related to the ringing in their ears.
However, researchers think they may have discovered a new way to relieve this burdensome ailment, while at the same time help people get more of the sleep they desperately need.
While their findings are still in the experimental stage, they do offer some promising results that could help tinnitus and insomnia sufferers in the future.