It’s no fun when you’re unable to sleep at night. And when it occurs frequnetly, it’s particularly vexing. You lie awake tossing and turning, checking the time over and over, and stressing about how exhausted you will be tomorrow. Medical professionals call this type of chronic sleeplessness “insomnia”. Over time, the effects of persistent insomnia will add up, negatively impacting your overall health.
And the health of your hearing, not unexpectedly, is part of your general health. That’s correct, insomnia can have an affect on your ability to hear. Though the relationship between hearing loss and insomnia may not be a cause-and-effect situation, there’s still a link there.
Can your hearing be impacted 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 period of time. Without the nightly renewing power of sleep, it’s more difficult for your blood to get everywhere it needs to be.
Insomnia also means an increase in anxiety and stress. 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. These delicate hairs vibrate when sound happens and the information gets sent to your brain, which then translates those vibrations into sounds.
These tiny hairs have a hard time remaining healthy when there are circulatory problems. In some circumstances, poor circulation can damage these hairs, permanently. Damage of this type is permanent. Permanent hearing loss can be the consequences, and the longer the circulation issues persist, the worse the damage will be.
Does it also work the other way around?
If insomnia can impact your hearing health, can hearing loss stop you from getting a good night’s sleep? It’s definitely possible. Hearing loss can make the world very quiet, and some individuals like a little bit of noise when they try to sleep. This means that the quiet of hearing loss can sometimes prevent normal sleeping. Any kind of hearing loss stress (for example, if you’re worried about losing your hearing) can have a similar effect.
If you have hearing loss, what can you do to get a good night’s sleep? Wearing your hearing aids every day can help lessen stress on your brain at night (when you aren’t wearing them). It can also help if you follow some other sleep-health tips.
How to get a quality night’s sleep
- Stop drinking caffeine after midday: Even if you drink decaf, it still has enough caffeine to give you difficulty sleeping. Soda also falls into this category.
- Before bed, avoid drinking alcohol: Your existing sleep cycle will be disrupted by drinking alcohol before bed.
- Avoid drinking 2 hours before you go to bed: Each time you need to get up and go to the bathroom, you begin the wake up process. So, sleeping through the night is much better.
- Maintain 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.
- Get some exercise regularly: You might go to bed with some excess energy if you don’t get enough exercise. Getting enough exercise daily can be really helpful.
- For at least an hour, avoid looking at screens: (Even longer if you can!) Screens have a tendency to stimulate your brain
- Try to de-stress as much as you can: It might not be possible to get rid of every stressor from your life, but giving yourself time to de-stress is crucial. Do something relaxing before bed.
Be aware of the health of your hearing
Even if you’ve experienced some insomnia-associated symptoms in the past, and have some hearing loss, your symptoms can still be controlled.
If you’re concerned about your hearing, set up an appointment with us today.