Sleepless nights aren’t any fun. Especially when it occurs regularly. You toss and turn and probably stare at the clock (or your phone) and worry about just how exhausted you’ll be the next day. When these kinds of sleepless nights persistently happen, medical professionals tend to use the label “insomnia”. Over time, the effects of chronic insomnia will add up, negatively impacting your overall health.
And, perhaps not surprisingly, “your general health” includes your hearing health. That’s correct, insomnia can have an affect on your ability to hear. This isn’t exactly a cause-and-effect relationship, but that doesn’t mean there’s no link between hearing loss and insomnia.
Can your hearing be affected by lack of sleep?
How could loss of sleep possibly affect your hearing? According to substantial research, your cardiovascular system can be influenced by insomnia over a long time period. It becomes harder for your blood to circulate into all of the extremities of your body when you aren’t getting the regenerative power of a good night’s sleep.
Insomnia also means an increase in stress and anxiety. Being stressed and anxious are not only mental states, they’re physiological states, also.
So how is that related to hearing loss? Your ears work because they’re filled with fragile little hairs known as stereocilia. These delicate hairs vibrate when sound takes place and the information gets transmitted to your brain, which then translates those vibrations into sounds.
These little hairs have a hard time remaining healthy when there are circulatory issues. These hairs can, in some instances, be permanently damaged. And once that happens, your hearing will be permanently damaged. This can lead to permanent hearing loss, especially the longer it persists.
Is the reverse true?
If insomnia can affect your hearing health, can hearing loss stop you from getting a good night’s sleep? It’s absolutely possible. Hearing loss can make the environment very quiet, and some people like a little bit of noise when they sleep. 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 anxious about losing your hearing.
So how do you get a quality night’s sleep with hearing loss? Stress on your brain can be decreased by wearing your hearing aids during the day because you won’t be wearing them at night. It can also help if you follow some other sleep-health tips.
Some recommendations for a quality night’s sleep
- Steer clear of screens for at least 60 minutes before going to bed: (Really, the longer the better.) Your brain has a tendency to be stimulated by looking at screens.
- Try to de-stress as much as possible: It might not be possible to eliminate every stressor from your life, but giving yourself time to de-stress is essential. Do something relaxing before bed.
- Avoid drinking liquids a couple of hours before you go to bed: Every time you need to get up and go to the bathroom, you begin the wake up process. So, sleeping through the night is better.
- Maintain your bedroom for sleeping (mostly): Your bedroom is for sleeping in, so try to maintain that habit. For example, don’t do work in your bedroom.
- Don’t drink caffeine after midday.: Even if you drink decaf, it still has enough caffeine to give you trouble sleeping. This includes soda too.
- Get some exercise regularly: Your body needs to keep moving, and if you aren’t moving, you might end up going to bed with some excess energy. Being active every day can help.
- Refrain from using alcohol before you go to bed: Your natural sleep cycle will be interrupted by drinking alcohol before bed.
Care for your hearing health
Even if you’ve experienced some insomnia-associated symptoms before, and have some hearing loss, your symptoms can still be controlled.
If you’re worried about your hearing, set up an appointment with us today.