Sleepless nights are no fun. Especially when it occurs regularly. You toss and turn and probably stare at the clock (or your phone) and stress about just how tired you’ll be the next day. Medical professionals call this type of persistent sleeplessness “insomnia”. With insomnia, the negatives of not sleeping will then start to compound and can, after a while, have a negative impact on your overall health.
And, maybe not surprisingly, “your general health” includes the health of your hearing. Yup, your hearing can be negatively affected by insomnia! Though the relationship between hearing loss and insomnia might not be a cause-and-effect situation, there’s still a connection there.
Can your hearing be affected by lack of sleep?
What could the link between hearing loss and sleep be? There’s a significant amount of research that indicates insomnia, over time, can impact your cardiovascular system. Without the nightly recuperative power of sleep, it’s more difficult for your blood to get everywhere it needs to be.
Stress and anxiety also increase with insomnia. Being stressed and anxious aren’t only mental states, they’re physiological states, as well.
So how is that related to hearing loss? There are little hairs inside of your ears called stereocilia. When sound waves vibrate these little hairs, signals are sent to your brain which translates these signals into sound.
These little hairs have a hard time staying healthy when there are circulatory problems. In some cases, poor circulation can damage these hairs, permanently. Damage of this kind is permanent. This can result in permanent hearing loss, especially the longer it persists.
Is the reverse true?
If insomnia can impact your hearing health, can hearing loss stop you from getting a good night’s sleep? It’s absolutely possible. Hearing loss can make the world very quiet, and some individuals like a little bit of sound when they sleep. This means that the quiet of hearing loss can in some cases prevent normal sleeping. Any kind of hearing loss anxiety (for example, if you’re worried about losing your hearing) can have a similar effect.
So how can you get a good night’s sleep when you have hearing loss? Wearing your hearing aids every day can help minimize stress on your brain at night (when you aren’t wearing them). Following other sleep-health tips can also help.
How to get a quality night’s sleep
- Stop drinking caffeine after noon: Even if you drink decaf, it still has enough caffeine to give you difficulty sleeping. This includes soda also.
- Get some exercise regularly: You might go to bed with some extra energy if you don’t get enough exercise. Getting enough exercise daily can be really helpful.
- Keep your bedroom for sleeping (mostly): Try to limit the amount of things you utilize your bedroom for. For instance, don’t work in your bedroom.
- Steer clear of screens for at least 1 hour before bed: (Actually, the longer the better.) Screens have a tendency to activate your brain
- Before you go to bed, avoid drinking alcohol: This will simply disrupt your existing sleep cycle.
- Try to de-stress as much as you can: Get away from work and do something relaxing before bed.
- Avoid drinking a couple of hours before you go to bed: Having to get up and go to the bathroom can initiate the “wake up” process in your brain. So, sleeping through the night is much better.
Take care of your hearing health
Even if you’ve experienced some insomnia-related symptoms in the past, and have some hearing loss, your symptoms can still be managed.
If you’re concerned about your hearing, make an appointment with us today.