It’s no fun when you’re unable to sleep at night. 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. When these kinds of sleepless nights routinely occur, medical professionals tend to use the label “insomnia”. With insomnia, the drawbacks of not sleeping will then start to compound and can, over time, have a negative affect on your general health.
And the health of your hearing, not unexpectedly, is part of your general health. That’s correct, insomnia can have an impact on your ability to hear. This isn’t exactly 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 substantial research, your cardiovascular system can be impacted by insomnia over a long period of time. It becomes harder for your blood to circulate into all of the extremities of your body when you aren’t getting the renewing power of a good night’s sleep.
Stress and anxiety also increase when you have insomnia. Being stressed and anxious are not only mental states, they’re physiological states, as well.
So, how does hearing loss play into that? Your ears work because they’re filled with delicate 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.
When your circulatory system is not working correctly, these hairs have a hard time remaining healthy. These hairs can, in some instances, be permanently damaged. And once that takes place, your hearing will be irrevocably damaged. This can cause permanent hearing loss, especially the longer it persists.
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? Yes, it can! Hearing loss can make the environment very quiet, and some individuals like a little bit of sound when they sleep. This means that the quiet of hearing loss can sometimes prevent normal sleeping. Another way that hearing loss could cost you some sleep is if you find yourself anxious about losing your hearing.
So how can you get a good night’s sleep with hearing loss? Wearing your hearing aids every day can help reduce stress on your brain at night (when you’re not wearing them). Following other sleep-health tips can also be helpful.
How to get a quality night’s sleep
- Avoid using alcohol before you go to bed: Your existing sleep cycle will be disturbed by drinking alcohol before bed.
- 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. Soda also fits into this category.
- For at least a couple of hours before you go to bed, try to avoid liquids: Every time you need to get up and go to the bathroom, you start the wake up process. So, sleeping through the night is much better.
- Try to de-stress as much as possible: Get away from work and do something relaxing before bed.
- Exercise regularly: You could go to bed with some extra energy if you don’t get enough exercise. Being active every day can be helpful.
- For at least 1 hour, avoid looking at screens: (Even longer if you can!) Your brain has a tendency to be stimulated by looking at screens.
- Keep your bedroom for sleeping (mostly): Try to minimize the amount of things you use your bedroom for. For instance, don’t work in your bedroom.
Care for your hearing health
You can still manage your symptoms even if you have hearing loss along with some insomnia.
Make an appointment for a hearing exam today!