Sleepless nights are no fun. And when it occurs frequnetly, it’s especially vexing. You toss and turn and maybe stare at the clock (or your phone) and stress about just how exhausted you’ll be the next day. Medical professionals call this sort of chronic sleeplessness “insomnia”. Over time, the effects of persistent insomnia will compound, negatively impacting your overall health.
And the health of your hearing, not unexpectedly, is part of your general health. That’s right, insomnia can have an affect on your ability to hear. This isn’t generally a cause-and-effect relationship, but that doesn’t mean there’s no connection between hearing loss and insomnia.
Can your hearing be affected by lack of sleep?
How could loss of sleep possibly impact your hearing? According to significant research, your cardiovascular system can be affected by insomnia over a long period of time. Without the nightly regenerative power of sleep, it’s harder for your blood to get everywhere it needs to be.
Stress and anxiety also increase with insomnia. Being stressed and anxious are not only states of mind, they’re physiological states, as well.
So, how does hearing loss play into that? There are tiny hairs inside of your ears called stereocilia. These delicate hairs vibrate when sound happens and the information gets transmitted to your brain, which then translates those vibrations into sounds.
When your circulatory system isn’t functioning correctly, these hairs have a difficult time thriving. In some instances, poor circulation can damage these hairs, permanently. And once that takes place, your hearing will be irrevocably damaged. This can lead to permanent hearing loss, especially the longer it continues.
Is the reverse true?
If insomnia can impact your hearing health, can hearing loss stop you from sleeping? It’s certainly possible. Hearing loss can make the environment 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 stressed about losing your hearing) can have a similar impact.
If you have hearing loss, what can you do to get a quality night’s sleep? Stress on your brain can be decreased by wearing your hearing aids during the day because you won’t be wearing them while you sleep. It can also be helpful if you follow some other sleep-health tips.
Some recommendations for a quality night’s sleep
- Get some exercise regularly: Your body needs to move, and if you aren’t moving, you may end up going to bed with some excess energy. Being active every day can be helpful.
- Don’t drink caffeine after midday.: Even decaf coffee has enough caffeine in it to keep you up at night if you drink at night. This includes soda as well.
- Try to avoid drinking liquids a couple of hours before bed: Having to get up and go to the bathroom can start the “wake up” process in your brain. It’s much better to sleep right through the night.
- For at least an hour, avoid looking at screens: (Even longer if you can!) Screens have a tendency to activate your brain
- Try to de-stress as much as you can: Get away from work and do something relaxing before bed.
- Before bed, refrain from drinking alcohol: Your existing sleep cycle will be disrupted by drinking alcohol before bed.
- Keep your bedroom for sleeping (mostly): Your bedroom is for sleeping in, so try to maintain that habit. Working in your bedroom is not a great plan.
Take care of your hearing health
Even if you’ve experienced some insomnia-related symptoms before, and have some hearing loss, your symptoms can still be managed.
Make an appointment for a hearing exam today!
