It’s not fun when you’re unable to sleep at night. Particularly when it occurs frequently. You lie awake tossing and turning, checking the time over and over, and stressing about how exhausted you will be tomorrow. When these kinds of sleepless nights routinely occur, medical professionals tend to use the label “insomnia”. Over time, the effects of persistent insomnia will add up, negatively impacting your overall health.
And, perhaps not surprisingly, “your overall health” includes the health of your hearing. Yup, your hearing can be negatively affected by insomnia! This isn’t generally a cause-and-effect relationship, but that doesn’t mean there’s no link between hearing loss and insomnia.
Can your hearing be impacted by lack of sleep?
How could loss of sleep possibly affect your hearing? According to significant research, your cardiovascular system can be affected by insomnia over a long period of time. 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.
Anxiety and stress also increase with insomnia. Feeling stressed and anxious will impact you in physiological ways as well as mentally.
So, how does hearing loss play into that? Your ears work because they’re filled with delicate little hairs called stereocilia. When sound waves vibrate these tiny hairs, signals are sent to your brain which translates these signals into sound.
These little hairs have a hard time remaining healthy when there are circulatory problems. In some situations, poor circulation can damage these hairs, permanently. Damage of this type is permanent. Permanent hearing loss can be the result, and the longer the circulation issues continue, the more significant the damage will be.
Does it also work the other way around?
Is it possible for hearing loss to make you lose sleep? Yes, it can! Hearing loss can make the environment really quiet, and some individuals like a little bit of sound when they try to sleep. For people in this category, that amount of quiet can make it really hard to get a good night’s sleep. Another way that hearing loss may cost you some sleep is if you find yourself stressed about losing your hearing.
So how do you get a good night’s sleep when you have hearing loss? Wearing your hearing aids during the 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 good 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 as well.
- Avoid screens for at least 60 minutes before going to bed: (Even longer if possible!) Screens have a tendency to stimulate your brain
- For at least a couple of hours before you go to bed, try to abstain from liquids: 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.
- Find ways to reduce stress: Get away from work and do something relaxing before bed.
- Exercise regularly: Your body needs to move, and if you aren’t moving, you could end up going to bed with some excess energy. Being active every day can be helpful.
- Refrain from using alcohol before you go to bed: Your natural sleep cycle will be disturbed by drinking alcohol before bed.
- Try not to use your bedroom for other activities besides sleeping: Your bedroom is for sleeping in, so try to maintain that habit. Working in your bedroom isn’t a very good idea.
Care for your hearing health
You can still control your symptoms even if you have hearing loss along with some insomnia.
If you’re concerned about your hearing, schedule an appointment with us today.